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Rajagopal: SEA Games success just the beginning for football team

PETALING JAYA: The recognition given to coach K. Rajagopal and the national Under-23 squad for the 2009 SEA Games at the National Sports Awards will be huge boost for the revival of Malaysian football.

Rajagopal won the best coach award while his team, who ended a 20-year gold drought for Malaysia in SEA Games football in Laos last December, picked up the men’s Team of the Year award.
A proud Rajagopal, the first football coach to win the award, said that it was a fresh start for the number one game in the country after having been in the doldrums for a long time.
“Football has finally gained some mileage. I am happy for the players and the attention given to the sport after all the criticisms,” he said yesterday.
Football came on board twice previously in the National Sports Awards introduced in 1966 with the late Mokhtar Dahari and Shukor Salleh being the winners of the Sportsman of the Year award in 1976 and 1977 respectively.


“Definitely the recognition will motivate us to achieve greater heights,” said Rajagopal.
“The success of the national Under-23 squad at the SEA Games last year was just the beginning. Given time, I am sure these boys will mature and produce better results in a couple of years’ time.”
This year, Rajagopal has his hands full to prepare teams for the Guangzhou Asian Games (Under-23) in November and the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup (senior) in December.
The future also looks good with the FA of Malaysia (FAM) playing more significant roles in the comprehensive build-up of the back-up squads.

There is a pool of potential players from the Harimau Muda A (Under-21) and B (Under-19) teams. The senior Harimau Muda under the charge of Mohd Azraai Khor are currently playing in the second-tier Slovakian League.

Harimau Muda B under the charge of Ong Kim Swee feature in the Premier League.
There are positive news from Slova­kia that centreback Mohd Muslim Ahmad and midfielder K. Gurusamy have caught the eye of Division One side Vion FC.

The FAM general secretary, Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad, said that the duo are currently on trial with the club.
“We hope to get a positive answer from Vion on the future of the two players,” he said.

Star

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