FAM Chairman of the Media, Communications and Public Relations Committee, Mr. Christopher Raj was appointed as the National U-17 Manager at the FAM Executive Committee Meeting held in Wisma FAM this morning. The meeting was chaired by FAM’s President, Datuk Haji Hamidin Mohd Amin.
“I am very grateful to Datuk Haji Hamidin Mohd Amin for this opportunity. Our current goal for the National U-17 Team is to qualify for the final round of the 2023 AFC U-17 Championship in Bahrain. That is our first step. We all know there is a lot of work to be done but I can assure that we do our very best.” said Christopher after his appointment.
Christopher has also been tasked to find the right coach and backroom staff to lead the U-17 National Team. He met with Saad Ichalalene, technical director at the Mokhtar Dahari Academy to discuss the potential composition of the team as most players will be picked from Mokhtar Dahari Academy in Pahang. The academy has been awarded a 2-star rating by the AFC Elite Youth Scheme, making it a full member program. The coaches will select players from a huge pool of talent, born in or after 2006.
“So far, we have identified Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) as potential training destinations in April 2022 to prepare the team for the qualifying rounds”, added Christopher.
Should they make it past the qualifiers, the final round of the AFC U-17 Championship in Bahrain 2023 awaits them. This will be their golden ticket to qualify for the 2023 World Cup as the AFC Representatives.
