High hopes for Sabah women’s futsal team
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s women are expected to perform well in their first match against Negeri Sembilan in the National Futsal League today.
Sabah FA futsal committee chairman Yamani Hafez Musa said he was confident that their solid preparation would help them through the hurdles not only in this first encounter but throughout the entire competition.
According to Hafez, the squad should finish in the top two and were even capable of becoming league champions.
He said part of the team’s preparation included friendly matches with PDRM as well as competitive fixtures during the league qualification last month where they faced Kelantan and MPSJ.
“The matches are very good and useful as they gave the team early exposure to competitive games.
“On top of that, we have also given breath and new variations to the team by appointing a whole new employees including coaching and managerial staff,” he said.
Hafez also insisted on achieving the goals of the team, so the discipline and welfare of the players were strongly emphasised for this season and he hoped this approach would bring positive results.
Meanwhile, seven players will also represent Sabah in the Malaysia Games (Sukma) and their involvement in the National Futsal League was expected to give them an edge in Perak this September.
A 10-member women’s squad travelled to Kuala Lumpur yesterday to face Negeri Sembilan today as well as PDRM tomorrow.
For the record, Sabah women did not compete in last season’s league due to commitment to the SEA Games football squad.
They were forced to compete in the qualification stage but eventually emerged as champions to make it through as main contenders in the National Futsal League this season.
Sabah were also represented in the men’s 18-team qualification but failed to get past the quarterfinal stage.