Entrepreneur backs flat football team to greater heights

By Mohd Yusof Saari

PUTRAJAYA, June 2 (Bernama) -- The intense interest in football of a health product entrepreneur drove him to sponsor and become the patron of Teratak Twelve FC, a football club for boys at a flat to compete in the Shah Alam League (LSA), an M4 amateur football league organised by the Malaysian Football League (MFL).

Chief executive officer of 8IGHTPLUS Malaysia Datuk Kamil Mohktar said the decision to be the patron of the club based at Flat Sri Pulau Pinang in Cheras after he was impressed by the determination and dedication of the players as well as the team management who were committed to honour the name of their residence through football.

“As a former player who had played in the President Cup and Razak Cup before, I could see the quality of the players and is confident the team will go far if given the right dose of support,” he said when met recently.

“I understand training for these boys came solely through friendly matches. This is among the problems they faced because each match involved cost for pitch rental and payment for referee,” he said.

The fund will enable Teratak Twelve FC to hold friendly matches more often apart improve their training gears, he said.

Kamil’s participation has invigorated the team set up 20 years ago as Flat Sri Pulau Pinang before it received sponsorship from a sportswear company, Line Seven as well as sponsorship from a frozen food company, NJ Frozen.

Kamil said he hoped to instill the spirit of family and high discipline by exposing them to community work such as gotong royong and assisting the less fortunate.

As an example, he said the team organised charity matches to collect funds in aid of former Selangor player, Anuar Abu Bakar who contracted liver cancer apart from preparing bubur lambuk for the people at the Ramadan bazaar of Bandar Sri Permaisuri in Cheras every week.  

“Through these activities, bonding among team players and management is further strengthened on the field,” he said and added that the practice was effective as Teratak Twelve are in the top four of LSA. 

After four matches, Teratak Twelve are now in the fourth spot out of 12 teams with two wins, one draw and one loss.

Kamil said the team is targeting to qualify for the M3 League and to become a Tun Razak FC, the local club now playing in the M3 League as well as the second round Shopee FA Cup 2019.

"With the determination of players, I am confident the lowly club would give their best performance and create history by producing players to represent the state and country such as Azman Adnan, Azrul Amri Burhan and Ivan Yusof, the team coach who originated from the flats in the area, he said.

Kamil said he also planned to provide allowance for players to motivate them further.

-- BERNAMA