Organisers impressed by enthusiasm for MU talent search

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KUCHING: Organisers of the the ‘Finding Ramli II’ football talent search programme were impressed with the support from the local youths toward the event.

The two-day event was held last weekend from May 18 – 19 at the Yayasan Sarawak football field off Jalan Sultan Tengah in Semariang.

According to Ahmad Yusoff of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), Kuching was the organiser’s final destination and he was also glad that it was the best in terms of support from participants.

“We have been all over the country and I do admire the enthusiasm of the kids here. Their passion really showed during the trials and I must say that there might be a few players that caught my attention,” he said.

He was also a panel member of the selection committee.

The nation-wide programme provides an opportunity for selected young players (13 to 16 years) to be sent for trials with Manchester United.

Participants were divided into two age groups during the trials. The two age groups were the 13 to 14-years-old and 15 to 16-years-old.

All trialists were assigned into a random team of five players. They then played 10-minute matches.

Two talent scouts employed by the organisers would stand at the side of the pitch to watch and assess the trialist’s perfomances.

Ahmad revealed that all contestants who made the cut would be contacted soon.

He however did not reveal how many players would be selected from the trials here.

“Although there’s indeed quality today, we need to evaluate our options. This process will not be easy for us as we want only those who really meet certain criteria set by the organisers,” he added.

The programme was organised by Telekom Malaysia in cooperation with National Sports Council (NSC), Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), the Manchester United Football Club (MUFC) and Frenz United Football Academy.

The talent search, which is also a television programme, is a sequel to the first edition of the programme aired last year on national television.