KUALA LUMPUR – Are the players from Mokhtar Dahari Academy (AMD) the best we have in the country?
Grooming talents from a young age is crucial, as it forms the foundation for a football team’s future success.
Today’s young prodigies are tomorrow’s stars, destined to transition into senior players and lead their team on the international stage.
With several football clubs and states across Malaysia boasting a huge pool of young talents, the establishment of AMD in 2014 has been touted as the best centre to cultivate top talents for the national under-16 team over the years.
However, statistics show that only a few top talents from AMD over the past decade have managed to see success, such as Arif Aiman Hanapi, who plays for Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), and Luqman Hakim Shamsudin, who plays for YSCC Yokohama in the Japanese league.
As the 19th edition of the AFF U16 Boys’ Championship looms, the national under-16 management, which falls under the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), has made its move.
Among the 28 players chosen for its first intensive camp training session prior to the tournament, a staggering 15 are from AMD, 13 from JDT, and one from Singa Muda Perlis.
On standby are an additional five players from AMD and three from JDT, underscoring AMD’s dominance with 20 players in the mix.
This overwhelming presence of AMD players raises a serious question: are we overlooking other potential talents across the nation?
National football icon Datuk Dollah Salleh, who made a total of 81 appearances for Harimau Malaya between 1984 and 1996, shared his views with Scoop, citing that the national under-16 management could have also considered bringing in more players from other clubs and states.
Dollah also added that more “gems” could be brought into the national team through more intensive scouting by the national under-16 management and coaching team.
“It would be better if the national team could also look for players other than AMD, as there are so many hidden talents out there.
“More can be done if they send more scouts to find players from other clubs and states as well, which will end up making the team more diverse hence increasing the national under-16 squad depth.
“Many of the clubs do have talented players who deserve the opportunity to shine. I’m not saying that AMD players are bad. They have a lot of qualities based on what I have observed in my visits to Gambang (AMD centre) over the years.
“But overall, I’m happy with the selection made by the national under-16 team, with some players being included from JDT’s under-16,” said Dollah, who is also a club legend for Pahang FC, scoring a total of 76 goals in 125 appearances during his playing days from 1991 to 1996.
Under the guidance of head coach Javier Jorda Ribera and team manager Christopher Raj, Malaysia are drawn in Group C alongside Thailand, East Timor and Australia for the AFF U16 Boys’ Championship.
The tournament is scheduled to take place in Surakarta, Indonesia, from June 21 to July 4.
In the previous edition of the tournament, which also took place in Indonesia, Malaysia U16s were knocked out in the group stage.
For the record, AMD, which relies on government funding, is currently under the purview of the National Sports Council, while FAM is only part of the steering committee. – June 10, 2024