Asean Championship Best Platform For Women's Squad To Showcase Talent

KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 (Bernama) -- The Asean Women's Football Championship in Vietnam is expected to see the revival of the national women's football team. Women's National coach Jacob Joseph said the championship would be an important tournament for the squad to face the 27th SEA Games in Myanmar next year. "The team had suffered heavy defeats against teams from the Asean countries, especially Thailand, so I hope I can build a strong team to compete against the rest," he told Bernama here Monday. Jacob, who was in charge of the UPB-MyTeam President's Cup squad before said the current squad was only formed recently after the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) had disbanded to former squad in 2010 after losing 0-14 to Thailand in the 2009 Laos SEA Games. "My target is not to win the championship but more importantly to gain exposure and to play well," he said. He said the team was currently undergoing centralised training in Teluk Intan, Perak to prepare for the championship. "The six-month training which started last month is not only to prepare for the championship but also to promote women's football among the people in the district," he said. Malaysia's best ever performance in the championship since 2006 was a fourth placing when the championship was hosted by Myanmar in 2007. --BERNAMA