Thursday, June 11, 2015
Football Bounty For Fans In KL
Undoubtedly today is a great day to be in the Malaysian capital city Kuala Lumpur with some high profile World Cup stroke Asian Cup qualifiers taking place in and around the capital over the next few days.
It all kicks off today with Malaysia hosting Timor Leste at the Bukit Jalil Stadium. After calling for a boycott of the meaningless friendlies against holidaying EPL teams, just 28,000 bothered turning out to watch small Middlesex side Tottenham, Malaysian fan groups are calling for a full house against Timor Leste...and a full house there means approaching 100,000.
Timor Leste may be little known outside of, well, everywhere really, but the games Malaysia to cast their collective over a certain Patrick Fabiano. The 27 year old Brazilian born striker turned heads last season in the Kuwaiti Premier League when he netted 21 goals playing for unheralded Kazma.
It was a season that must have had a few of the bigger sides, and we are talking Al Qadsia, Al Arabi and champions Al Kuwait, make notes and given the Kuwaiti sides success in the AFC Cup in recent years surely it won't be long before Fabiano makes even more headlines. A good performance at the Bukit Jalil in front of a passionate crowd can only add to his reputation.
One player who doesn't need his reputation enhancing is United Arab Emirates' Omar Abdulrahman.
The UAE are in KL as part of their preparations for their own World Cup qualifier against Timor Leste next Tuesday and later today sees them take on South Korea in what could be a thrilling friendly between two of Asia's top sides.
It has been a long season for the UAE players with several involved in the President's Cup that only reached its climax a couple of weeks back. Throw in a pretty decent run at the AFC Asian Cup run in Australia back in January and there could be an excuse for some tired legs. But there have been suggestions the current crop of players have, for all their undoubted talent, have underperformed internationally and now, with a World Cup at stake, should be the time for them to step up to the plate (yawn, cliche).
Obviously the die hard Malaysian fan will want to catch their own side in action against Timor Leste and Palestine next Tuesday but for those who can't get tickets then catching the UAE with Omar in, hopefully, full flow, will not be second best entertainment, I guarantee. All they need to do is put a certain 5-0 reverse behind them!
It all kicks off today with Malaysia hosting Timor Leste at the Bukit Jalil Stadium. After calling for a boycott of the meaningless friendlies against holidaying EPL teams, just 28,000 bothered turning out to watch small Middlesex side Tottenham, Malaysian fan groups are calling for a full house against Timor Leste...and a full house there means approaching 100,000.
Timor Leste may be little known outside of, well, everywhere really, but the games Malaysia to cast their collective over a certain Patrick Fabiano. The 27 year old Brazilian born striker turned heads last season in the Kuwaiti Premier League when he netted 21 goals playing for unheralded Kazma.
It was a season that must have had a few of the bigger sides, and we are talking Al Qadsia, Al Arabi and champions Al Kuwait, make notes and given the Kuwaiti sides success in the AFC Cup in recent years surely it won't be long before Fabiano makes even more headlines. A good performance at the Bukit Jalil in front of a passionate crowd can only add to his reputation.
One player who doesn't need his reputation enhancing is United Arab Emirates' Omar Abdulrahman.
The UAE are in KL as part of their preparations for their own World Cup qualifier against Timor Leste next Tuesday and later today sees them take on South Korea in what could be a thrilling friendly between two of Asia's top sides.
It has been a long season for the UAE players with several involved in the President's Cup that only reached its climax a couple of weeks back. Throw in a pretty decent run at the AFC Asian Cup run in Australia back in January and there could be an excuse for some tired legs. But there have been suggestions the current crop of players have, for all their undoubted talent, have underperformed internationally and now, with a World Cup at stake, should be the time for them to step up to the plate (yawn, cliche).
Obviously the die hard Malaysian fan will want to catch their own side in action against Timor Leste and Palestine next Tuesday but for those who can't get tickets then catching the UAE with Omar in, hopefully, full flow, will not be second best entertainment, I guarantee. All they need to do is put a certain 5-0 reverse behind them!
# posted by Me @ 12:44 PM 
