Japan Football Stint An Eye Opener - Academy Boys

PETALING JAYA (Selangor, Malaysia), June 27 -- The opportunity to play in Japan was described as a valuable experience which remains etched in the memories of two Mokhtar Dahari Football Academy (AMD) players. For Ali Imran Sukari, 17, the experienced gained in the Asian Eleven programme recently, including the local culture and modern football techniques from amateur players in the country, was insightful. "In addition to training sessions by the Japanese League coaches, I also had the opportunity to play with other ASEAN players from Myanmar and Thailand. However, I faced communication difficulties as some of the programme’s participants do not speak English," he told a press conference here Wednesday. Sharing his sentiments was 17-year-old Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar, who said he was also exposed to the local culture, norms and daily routines of the people there. Meanwhile, Japan Foundation Asia Center (JAFC) director, Shimada Seiya said, the Asian Eleven programme is part of the centre's initiative to promote cultural exchange between ASEAN countries and Japan through football, which he added has the power to connect people’s hearts. “We will organise a similar programme in one of the ASEAN countries in the future and we will announce more details once we have finalised them,” he added. Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) deputy-president, Subahan Kamal, on the other hand, said the programme is the best avenue for young Malaysian footballers to draw interest from foreign teams, besides learning new cultures. Ali Imran and Harith Haikal were among 21 players from 11 ASEAN countries selected by JAFC to join the Asian Eleven programme, which ran from June 13-23 in Fukushima, Japan. The highlight of the programme was the international friendly match (JapaFun Cup) between the Asian Eleven selection and the Under-18 Tohoku selection team, which saw Asian Eleven edging out Tohoku in a 5-4 penalty shoot-out win after both teams were tied 0-0 in regulation time. -- BERNAMA