KUALA LUMPUR (19 Aug 2011) – After a hiatus of over a year, the Malaysia women’s football team is set to return to action when they take part in the AFF Women’s Championship which will be held in Laos on 16-25 October 2011.
The Malaysian women’s team was disbanded immediately after the SEA Games in 2009 when the FA of Malaysia (FAM) felt that they were not competitive enough.
And it seems appropriate that the team is making a return to international football in where else but in Vientiane, Laos.
Malaysia assistant coach Lanti Manggi said that 40 players have been hard at work in the centralised training camp under the tutelage of chief coach Jacob Joseph in Bukit Jalil.
“We face a critical problem in not having enough time to develop a strong team. Most of the players lack international exposure and are inexperienced,” said Lanti.
Earlier this year, the FAM formed the women’s team again with the new batch of players selected from National Women’s Football Championship and also the Women’s Futsal League.
For the championship, the Malaysian girls are in Group B against Myanmar, Thailand and the Philippines.
AFF WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP GROUPINGS
Group A: Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Laos
Group B: Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines
