KUALA LUMPUR: The success of three local clubs in qualifying for the knockout stages of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) tournaments is something to be proud of, says Malaysian Football League (MFL) president Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan.
He said the achievements of Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in the AFC Champions League (ACL) and Kuala Lumpur (KL) City FC and Kedah Darul Aman (KDA) FC in the AFC Cup proved the quality they had to compete with the best teams in Asia.
“This will not only bring glory to the country but also raise the profile of the Malaysian League (M-League), whereby victories in the ACL and AFC Cup will contribute to Malaysia’s points for the AFC club competition rankings.
“For MFL, we greatly appreciate the commitment and determination shown by JDT, KDA FC and KL City FC in representing the country on the international stage and we pray that they will continue to succeed at the next level,“ he said in a statement today.
Ab Ghani also hoped that the success of the three teams would spur other M-League clubs to chase glory, and in turn, galvanise the local league.
JDT made history when it advanced to the ACL’s Round of 16 after finishing top of Group I during the competition’s group stages in April.
Yesterday, KL City and KDA both passed the group stage of the AFC Cup and confirmed their place in the ASEAN zone semi-finals.
KDA proved its prowess by emerging Group G champions in Bali, Indonesia while KL City took full advantage of playing on home ground to finish as Group H runners-up.
“Along with all of MFL’s Board of Directors, I would like to congratulate JDT, KDA and KL City on their success in the AFC-organised competitions,“ said Ab Ghani. - Bernama
