BY ZULHILMI ZAINAL Follow on Twitter
Selangor are not only aiming for Asian competitions as a one-off target, but they intend to take part at the continental stage regularly.
In a telephone interview with Goal last Friday, association secretary-general Johan Kamal Hamidon admitted that their coming participation in two pre-season tournaments is part of their effort to get their name out there across the continent.
The Red Giants will be hosting the 2020 Asia Challenge on January 18 and 19 next year, which will also be participated by three other Southeast Asian clubs; Ha Noi FC, Bangkok United and Bangkok United.
They then will be travelling to China between 24 and 29 January for the Meizhou Hakka Chinese New Year Cup 2020, which will see them facing off against K League 1 club and army side Sangju Sangmu, Thai League 1 outfit Chonburi FC, as well as hosts and Chinese second tier side Meizhou Hakka.
But nothing beats qualifying on merit for competitive tournaments such as the AFC Cup and AFC Champions League, reminded Johan.
Zulhilmi Zainal
Johan Kamal Hamidon. Photo by Zulhilmi Zainal
"We have to qualify [for AFC Cup or AFC Champions League]. We can take part in all these pre-season tournaments, but it doesn't mean anything if we don't qualify.
"One of the Key Performance Indicators for the coach [in 2020] is to qualify, and we have to make sure that the team is injury-free when that happens," he remarked.
Johan also admitted that their recent merger with PKNS FC has allowed them to dream big, as its completion may just speed up their progress.
In comparison to just a few months ago, Goal's casual chats with club officials would reveal that they were rather cautious about their chances of reaching Asia.
"Through the merger with PKNS and with a bit of luck, hopefully we'll get there earlier and expedite things by two or three years. We may just see the results very soon."
However, for the club, it is also important for them to reach Asia regularly, instead of as a one-off thing.
"I know our fans want it, but the journey to Asia has to be a collective and sustainable one. We don't want to reach it for one year only to miss out on it in the next. That's why the Asia Challenge is introduced without inviting the very best of the continent. We're doing it step-by-step.
"I won't hide it that I'd rather that we play in the AFC Cup first for the first one or two years before aiming for the Champions League. We want to qualify for the AFC Cup and do well there first. Many teams that are currently in the Champions League have put in the resources to qualify for it many years earlier. They're five, ten years ahead of us and we want to try and catch up with them within the next two to three years," explained the former student representative.
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