Monday, December 2, 2013

Parents in full force..

PARENTS were in full force at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Sunday morning to send off their  hopes, and also the nation’s 18 best to play in the Junior  World Cup in New Delhi.
   The Project 2013 Squad was formed five years ago with a  special mission to qualify for the World Cup in merit and the  boys did the nation proud by clinching the Junior Asia Cup  gold medal in Malacca last year -- and made the New Delhi  grade with style.
    “It is a nice feeling to finally arrive at the airport, and you  can see that the proud parents are beaming with pride.
    “We qualified by becoming Asian champions, and now, this  squad will attempt to qualify for the quarter-finals, and even  further, as the aim is to win every match we play in New  Delhi,” said team manager Mirnawan Nawawi.
    The front-runners for this junior tournament are Ger manay, hosts India, Australia and a handful of other Eu ropean nations.
    “The battle in India would not only be against top-ranked  junior teams, but also the chilly wind and unpredictable year- end weather in New Delhi.
    “But the players have seen it all in their tours Down Under,  and also Europe where we had to contend with some torrid  weather in the past year.
    “And we are also ready with the right clothing, and the five- day acclimatisation would be enough to prepare the boys for  their opening match against New Zealand,” said Mirnawan.
     MALAYSIA -- Hazrul Faiz Ahmad Sobri (goalkeeper),  Hafizuddin Othman (goalkeeper), Firhan Ashaari, Fitri Saari  (captain), Rashid Baharom, Kavin Kartik, Syamim Yusof,  Shazril Irwan Nazli, Meor Azuan, Haziq Samsul, Izad Hakimi  Jamaluddin,  Azri Hassan, Zulhairi Hashim, Faiz Helmi Jali,   Shahril Saabah, Joel Samuel van Huizen, Nor Aqmal Abdul  Ghaffar, Hafiz Zainol.