Christopher Raj (left), Javier Ribera (right). Credit - FAM
PETALING JAYA: Malaysian Under-16 team manager Christopher Raj is confident coach Javier Ribera can deliver a good result from the AFF Under-16 Cup in Surakarta, Indonesia, as they prepare for bigger tournaments in the near future.
A good result in the tournament from June 21-July 4 will help the coaching staff prepare better for upcoming tournaments, such as the 2025 Under-17 Asian Cup qualifiers in October.
Christopher, who is also chairman of the Media, Communications and Public Relations committee for the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), said Ribera brings with him a wealth of knowledge on youth footballers in the country.
The Spaniard has been in Malaysia since 2017 and was former Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) III coach.
“Coach Ribera has been here long enough and has been keeping an eye on the country’s youth players for the past seven years.
“I must say his database is fantastic. He knows players from across the country and has made his selection based on their qualities,” he told a press conference yesterday.
Out of 160 shortlisted names, Ribera had selected 23 players, mostly from the Akademi Mokhtar Dahari (AMD) and JDT Academy.
Christopher said he was happy with the selection and believes it was the best possible squad to carry the challenge.
“My personal goal is to see this team do their best in the AFF Cup. But the goal is to qualify for the 2025 Under-17 Asian Cup,” he said.
The 2025 Asian Cup qualifiers will take place in October, and a good result will give the squad a chance to make it to the 2025 Under-17 World Cup in Qatar too, as the allocation for Asian teams has increased to nine slots.
In Surakarta, the Under-16 team will start their group stage fixtures against Timor Leste on Sunday (June 23), followed by Australia (June 26), and Thailand (June 29).
