Latest news with #ArifAiman
The Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Spain stint spurs winger Arif to take on bigger responsibilities
JDT's Arif Aiman (left) control the ball from Sri Pahang's Muhamad Baquidin during Malaysia Cup final match at National Stadium, Bukit Jalil. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star PETALING JAYA: National winger Arif Aiman Hanapi's time in Spain during the pre-season has prepared him to take on bigger responsibilities ahead of the new season. The 23-year-old, who was captain of Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) during the team's pre-season stint in Spain, said the time abroad has further motivated him ahead of the Super League season starting next month. "I'm honoured by the trust placed in me. Rather than taking it as pressure, I saw it as an opportunity for me to prove myself both as a player and leader," said Arif after being announced as sportswear brand Puma's newest ambassador yesterday. "I learned a lot from that experience." Arif said there is no rivalry between local-born and heritage players in the national squad. "The presence of heritage players has been a big help to the team from time to time," he said. Arif also said the players are fully focused on preparing for September's friendlies against Singapore and Palestine, and declined to comment on Malaysia's withdrawal from the 2025 CAFA Nations Cup. "It doesn't affect me, I'm just focused on what lies ahead. Preparation is important, even in a friendly game. We need to be fully prepared for our next matches regardless of who we play," he said. The Harimau Malaya will play friendly matches against Singapore on Sept 4 and Palestine on Sept 8.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Heritage players strengthen Harimau Malaya, says Arif Aiman
HARIMAU Malaya winger Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi dismissed any notion of rivalry between local-born and heritage players in the national squad, emphasizing unity as the team prepares for crucial friendlies in September. 'The presence of heritage players has been a big help to the team from time to time,' he said. 'Mentality is key, and every player shares the same goal under one flag.' Arif Aiman, speaking after being named ambassador for a leading sports brand, confirmed the team's full focus on the upcoming Tier 1 friendlies against Singapore and Palestine. Malaysia will face Singapore on Sept 4 and Palestine on Sept 8, matches that serve as warm-ups for the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers in October. When asked about Malaysia's withdrawal from the 2025 CAFA Nations Cup, the Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) star declined to comment, stating, 'To me, I just focus on what's ahead. Preparation is important.' - Bernama
The Sun
02-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
MFL vows VAR enhancements for 2025-26 season after controversial debut
THE Malaysian Football League (MFL) has pledged to enhance the implementation of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system for the upcoming 2025-2026 M-League season, following a debut year marked by both praise and controversy. While Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) referees' committee chairman Datuk S. Sivasundaram described the inaugural season of VAR as 'excellent' — pointing to an average of 0.57 on-field reviews per match and a review duration of just 2.27 minutes — several high-profile incidents led to public criticism and disciplinary action. ALSO READ: Arif Aiman and Tommy deserve red cards - TMJ One of the most talked-about moments came during a Super League clash between Perak and Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT), which resulted in referee Razlan Joffri Ali and a VAR official being suspended for two matches and ordered to undergo retraining. In response, MFL acting chief executive officer Shazli Shaik said the league is taking proactive steps to improve the system moving forward, New Straits Times reported. 'To date, we've conducted two VAR briefing and improvement sessions. FIFA and AFC representatives also took part in these sessions,' he was quoted as saying. 'Last season was our first using VAR, and we've noted the shortcomings. We're working to implement those corrections for the upcoming season.' Shazli also confirmed that the full fixture list for the 2025-26 M-League campaign will be announced on Friday. On the regional front, Malaysia will have Johor Darul Ta'zim and Selangor representing the country in the Asean Club Championship. JDT, the reigning Super League champions, are also set to compete in the Asian Champions League (ACL) Elite, while Selangor will feature in the ACL2 tier. Meanwhile, newly promoted Super League side Immigration FC has been given until Saturday to confirm their home venue ahead of their debut in the top flight.
Daily Express
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Express
Malaysia should prioritise local footballers: Train them to be world beaters
Published on: Monday, June 23, 2025 Published on: Mon, Jun 23, 2025 By: James Wong Text Size: We were at par with South Korea and Japan then, but look at the two countries now, they are miles ahead of us, while we are left struggling to beat teams even from the Asean region. Kota Kinabalu: THE Malaysian national team seems to be going through a very drastic change. Lately, the national team won with a handsome 4-0 drubbing of Vietnam. For a long while, Malaysia had found it very difficult to beat Vietnam even with some heritage players in the team. Now with the addition of naturalised players, the combination with the heritage players has given the team much more depth in quality. A clear picture was the win against Vietnam where there were nine heritage and naturalised players in the starting 11. The only locals on the list were Arif Aiman and goalkeeper Syihan Hazmi. Not forgetting on the bench, there were some more heritage and naturalised players. While we support the national team to win, the feeling of a victory is not comparable to a national team with its own local players winning. Subscribe or LOG IN to access this article. Support Independant Journalism Subscribe to Daily Express Malaysia Access to DE E-Paper Access to DE E-Paper Exclusive News Exclusive News Invites to special events Invites to special events Giveaways & Rewards 1-Year Most Popular (Income Tax Deductible) Explore Plans Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Sun
27-04-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Arif Aiman never doubted JDT'S goals would come
KUALA LUMPUR: High fighting spirit proved to be the key to Johor Darul Ta'zim's (JDT) success in winning the 2024/2025 Malaysia Cup after coming from behind to defeat Sri Pahang FC 2-1 in the final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil here last night. The Southern Tigers' sensation Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi admitted that the Elephants gave a strong fight but JDT did not easily succumb to the pressure. He said conceding an early goal did not dampen the team's spirit, which was firmly focused on winning the prestigious title for a third consecutive time. 'Sri Pahang gave a tough fight but we kept playing with full effort even when trailing 1-0. We believed the goals would come, and not just myself, the entire team worked hard to equalise, and the second goal came because we really wanted to win this match,' he said at the post-final press conference. The high-intensity final saw both teams reduced to 10 men after referee Razlan Joffri Ali showed red cards to Sri Pahang striker Sergio Aguero and JDT defender Park Jun Heong. Sri Pahang, coached by Singaporean football legend Fandi Ahmad, had earlier stunned JDT when winger T. Saravanan scored the opening goal in the 14th minute. Drawing on their experience, JDT fought back to equalise through a penalty converted by prolific striker Bergson Da Silva in the 54th minute, before Arif Aiman struck the winning goal in the 74th minute. The victory completed a historic triple treble for JDT, making them the only team to achieve such a feat since Kedah's double treble in the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The triple treble refers to winning the three major Malaysian football competitions — the Super League, FA Cup, and Malaysia Cup — in a single season. Meanwhile, Arif Aiman expressed his determination to further elevate his career to the highest level. 'At my age now, I just have to work hard. I need to forget about any other lifestyle. I must focus on building my career and continuing to improve. That is all,' said the 22-year-old player. Arif Aiman made history when he became the first player to be named Most Valuable Player (MVP) at the National Football Awards for four consecutive years, last Wednesday.
