KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is prepared to assist the Sabah women’s football team in their play-off campaign in the AFC Women’s Champions League (AWCL) 2024 qualifiers, scheduled to take place from August 25 to 31 in the Land Below the Wind.
FAM Women’s Football Committee chairman Datuk Suraya Yaacob said that FAM’s support will include helping Sabah in the selection of quality import players for the tournament.
“FAM will assist them in securing good foreign players. As we know, teams are allowed a quota of six import players.
“So, we will ask the National Women’s Football Technical Advisor (Soleen Al Zoubi) to advise the Sabah team on suitable players for them,” she told reporters recently.
Commenting on Sabah’s achievement as the sole national representative in the AWCL qualifiers, Suraya said it shows that the development of women’s football in the country is progressing.
Therefore, she hopes the Sabah team will successfully qualify for the next round and raise awareness among fans about women’s football.
“The benchmark for women’s football in this country is Sabah, and it cannot be denied because the state started early and has a very large grassroots base. They also consistently organise league tournaments every year.
“I believe they can qualify for the next round and provide stiff competition to the other teams in the tournament,” she said.
Earlier, Sabah earned their ticket to the AWCL 2024 play-offs after winning the National Women’s League last season.
If they succeed in becoming the group champions in the qualifiers, Sabah will qualify for the group stage, which will begin from October 6 to 12 at a designated venue.
According to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), teams that qualify for the AWCL group stage will receive at least US$100,000 (approximately RM470,000), and Sabah have the chance to earn this if they pass the qualifying stage. — Bernama
