The English Premier League “invasion” continues as three of our national junior footballers could enjoy training stints with Blackburn Rovers FC.
The trio — Muhammad Amin Asraf Yaakob, Shakir Zufayri Ibrahim and Mohamad Faris Shah Rosli — are set to leave for Pune, India next week as they participate in the RoverStar 6-a-side U-16 tournament which kicks-off on Oct 6.
Five outstanding players from the tournament will be selected to undergo an attachment programme with Blackburn Rovers in the UK.
The players — all from Bandar Penawar Sports School — arrived at Wisma FAM yesterday.
They were accompanied by teacher Khairuddin Saisi who will also join the players in India.
The Malaysian boys will join three other Hong Kong youngsters and a couple more from India to form an All-Star team.
Blackburn Rovers’ head of football development in Asia, Serbegeth Singh, admitted they were pressed for time due to the short notice but is extremely happy to get the FA of Malaysia (FAM) involved in the programme.
“We approached FAM and we’re pleased they responded to us quickly despite the short time frame,” said Serbegeth, who is better known as Shebby.
“This is the first time we (FAM-Blackburn) are working together and I do hope to see more local youngsters given a shot playing regional tournaments or even enjoying stints with Blackburn Rovers,” he added.
FAM general-secretary Datuk Azzudin Ahmad confirmed the participation of the Malaysian youths for the tournament as the national body are now in the midst of securing the players’ visas. Travelling expenses and accommodation will be borne by the organisers of the tournament.
The stint with Blackburn is an addition to the many opportunities Malaysian players have had with foreign teams.
Among those who tasted football in the UK include top national hitman Safee Sali, who just returned from a two-week stint with Welsh outfit Cardiff City, while Bunyamin Umar and Badrul Bakhtiar enjoyed training sessions with Chelsea in 2008.
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