Harimau Muda Under-16 is raring to fight in ACT

The Harimau Muda National Under-16 squad is back in the fold for the inaugural Asia Under-16 Champions Trophy 2014 (ACT) which begins this Saturday in several venues across the Asian continent. In a show of compromise between the Football Association of Malaysia and Frenz United Football Club, the young tigers will be among the 12 teams in the Asian region who will challenge for the coveted trophy and at stake is also the US$100,000 (RM330,000) winner’s purse.
FAM had earlier declined Frenz United’s invitation for Harimau Muda Under-16 team’s participation in the tournament due to the juniors’ tight commitment this year.
“We are always happy to have our youth teams play in international tournaments as it gives our players the opportunity to sharpen their skills in the international arena,” said FAM secretary general, Dato Hamidin Mohd Amin.
“We believe that ACT is an ideal training ground for youths to compete with each other, as not only do they get to cultivate their football skills but they also have the opportunity to build lifelong friendships with individuals of similar interest from around the region,” he added.
Frenz United FC President, Dato’ Noor Ihsan Hamid, said FUFC has always been a strong supporter of FAM, and they are glad that the Harimau Muda National Under-16 team has managed to rearrange their schedule to compete in this tournament.
“The participation of Harimau Muda U-16 will benefit the Malaysians in their preparation for the AFC Under-16 championship in Thailand in September,” added Dato’ Noor Ihsan.
“Frenz United feels this will help the development of the national players and help them to achieve their vision to reach the Under-17 World Cup. We are always looking into smart partnership with football fraternities for the benefit of football development in the region,” he said.
Dato’ Noor Ihsan added that Frenz United FC is also sponsoring the Harimau Muda U-16 team’s participation throughout the tournament, including flight tickets to all venues in Asia, and also home matches at Stadium Frenz in Janda Baik, Pahang.
The first match of the ACT will see Frenz United Malaysia travelling to Chonburi FC, last year’s champions, on Friday and Harimau Muda Under-16 play hosts to AIFF India national team in Janda Baik on Saturday.
The tournament is held for the second consecutive year by Frenz United FC in collaboration with FAM and Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It spans over a four-month period starting 17 May until 30 August, and will be played in 11 stadiums across the Asian continent in a home and away format.
Singapore’s Home United FC, PFV Vietnam, debutants AIFF India U-16 National Team, Frenz United Indonesia, Harimau Muda Under-16 (Malaysia) and Timor Leste U-16 National Team are drawn in Group A.
Chonburi FC have Frenz United Malaysia ‘B’, Lao Toyota (Laos), Mandalay United FC (Myanmar) and debutants Phnom Penh Crown FC (Cambodia) and PFA Guangdong (China) in Group B for company.
The first leg semi-finals will be played on 9 August followed by the return leg on 16 August. The two-leg finals will be held on 23rd and 30^th August, 2014.
The Asia Under-16 Champions Trophy is an ‘upgraded’ version of the 2013 Asean Under-15 Champions Trophy which saw Thailand’s Chonburi FC beat Frenz United ‘A’ on a 4-1 aggregate in the final.
The home match of Frenz United Malaysia and Harimau Muda U-16 will be played in Stadium Frenz, Janda Baik, Pahang. All home matches will be telecast on Astro Arena and Astro Supersports.

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