Royal Brunei Armed Forces Sports Council (MS ABDB), and Indera
Sports Club Futsal took cautious steps as they
prepare for the Red Bull Futsal Tri-Nations
Cup 2013 which begins in Kuala Terengganu on Friday.
As
the countdown to the second edition of the Red Bull Futsal Tri-Nations Cup gets
underway with ground staff working round-the-clock at the Kuala Terengganu
Indoor Stadium, the mood in both the Brunei teams is that of jovial.
“Except
for Indera SC Futsal, the other team from Brunei, we have no knowledge of the
strength of the four other opponents. I
guess we will know once the tournament gets started,” said MS ABDB team manager
Capt (Air Force) Awangku Muhammad Mufid on arrival
yesterday.
“Right now
we are just groping in the dark. But I guess they (opponents) are equally
interested in knowing more about us. Our spirit is high and we look forward to
playing here,” he said, adding that their first training session later in the
evening will also give them feel of the atmosphere’ in the stadium.
Malaysia will be represented by M.A.C. FC, from Shah
Alam, and Terengganu-based Gelombang FC. The other
two teams are Mountbatten FC ‘A’ and ‘B’ from Singapore. The draw for the
tournament places Indera SC Futsal, Mountbatten FC ‘B’ and M.A.C. FC in Group A
while Royal Brunei Armed Forces, Gelombang FC and Mountbatten FC ‘A’ are drawn
in Group B.
The champions of the Red Bull Futsal Tri-Nations Cup 2013 will
receive RM20, 000 and the runners-up RM10, 000. The third and fourth-placed
teams will pocket RM5, 000 and RM2, 000 respectively.
Red Bull Malaysia’s Executive Director, Jyn Wee, said with just before the
start of the tournament, the excitement among fans in Kuala Terengganu is
‘building up’.
“Entrance
is free as we want futsal fans to enjoy the weekend by watching six of the best
teams in action. It is a not always that we get such opportunities and I hope
the fans will make full use of this moment,” added Jyn.
Indera SC
Futsal manager Aminuddin Nasuha, however, echoed that it would be
unfair to single out any one team as the early favourites though Gelombang FC
may have the home ground advantage with support from their fans.
“It’s an open
game for all six teams. We have been looking towards the Red Bull Futsal Tri-Nations Cup 2013 for
the last six months and only competed in several domestic tournaments on a
small scale,” said Aminuddin, adding that seven of Indera SC Futsal players
were recently called up for national team centralized training.
“But
all seven players are here with us today. So I am happy with the progress of
the team. All the players are in high spirit and confidence is important when
we take to the court,” he added. The
team captain is Mohammed Ulfi, who will join the squad on Thursday after
completing his college exams.
For the record, Indera SC Futsal
emerged champions in the Red Bull NFABD Futsal Champions League 2012 by
defeating Royal Brunei Armed Forces Sports Council team in the final.
Fixtures
– Friday (June 14): Indera SC v
Mountbatten FC ‘B’ (9.30am); MS ABDB v Mountbatten FC ‘A’ (3pm); M.A.C. FC
(Malaysia) v Mountbatten FC ‘B’ (6.30pm); Gelombang FC (Malaysia) v Mountbatten
FC ‘A (8.30pm).
Saturday
– June 15: M.A.C. FC (Malaysia)
v Indera SC (10am); Gelombang FC v MS ABDB (12 noon); Third-Fourth placing (6.00pm); Final
(8.30pm).
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