Harimau Malaya on right track to be ranked among world's top 100 - Zainal
Zainal said the Harimau Malaya revolution sparked by Johor Regent Tunku Mahkota Ismail could improve the quality of the national squad.
KUALA LUMPUR - National football legend Datuk Zainal Abidin Hassan is confident that the Harimau Malaya squad can rise to be ranked among the world’s top 100 in a few years’ time.
Zainal, who is also the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Competitions Committee deputy chairman, said the Harimau Malaya revolution sparked by Johor Regent Tunku Mahkota Ismail could improve the quality of the national squad.
"Alhamdulillah, this is a proud achievement for the Malaysian footballing fraternity. We pray that the Harimau Malaya squad can continue to improve their world ranking.
"What’s important is that the football fraternity continues to provide proper support for the Harimau Malaya to progress because they have been lagging at the international level for so long,” he said.
He told reporters this after the FAM and Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad (Bank Islam) strategic cooperation signing ceremony, which was also attended by FAM honorary president Tan Sri Hamidin Mohamad Amin and Bank Islam Group chief business officer (retail banking) Mizan Masram.
Yesterday, the Malaysian men’s football team climbed up six spots to be ranked 125th in the world based on FIFA’s latest ranking list, thus equalling their best position last achieved in February 2006.
This notable rise was driven by two recent strong performances - a 1-1 draw with Cape Verde in a friendly in May and a convincing 4-0 win over Vietnam in last month’s 2027 Asian Cup qualifying campaign.
Among Southeast Asian nations, Thailand still lead the regional pack at 102nd in the world, followed by Vietnam (113th) and Indonesia (118th).
Meanwhile, FAM Marketing and Sponsorship Committee deputy chairman CP Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri expressed appreciation for the commitment of Bank Islam, which has been with them since 2013.
"The close cooperation that has been forged not only strengthens efforts to develop football in the country, but also inspires us to continue to strive harder in developing an inclusive and sustainable ecosystem,” he said.
Mizan, meanwhile, is grateful that Bank Islam has been given the trust to directly contribute to the development of football in the country through the extension of the collaborative agreement for another two years. - BERNAMA
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