KUALA LUMPUR: Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin has expressed confidence in new national women’s football coach Soleen Al-Zou’bi’s ability to produce competitive athletes of quality to compete on the international stage.
The FAM in a statement today said the experience of the Jordanian who was previously the head of the women’s football unit and assistant technical director in the Jordan Football Association (JFA) would be able to breathe new life into women’s football in the country.
Soleen, who began work at at Wisma FAM, Kelana Jaya, on Thursday (Dec 1), will be the head coach of the Malayan Tigress and head of the FAM Women’s Football Unit.
“Soleen’s experience at JFA can certainly improve the women’s football competition at the national level, thus opening up more opportunities for female football players out there to perform,“ he said in a statement today.
According to Hamidin, a meeting was held among FAM executive committee member and FAM Women’s Football Committee chairman Datuk Suraya Yaacob, her deputy Dr Siti Faidul Maisarah Abdullah, FAM technical director Scott O’Donell, FAM secretary-general Noor Azman Rahman and Soleen at Wisma FAM today, to discuss the roadmap for women’s football in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Soleen said her main focus was improving Malaysia’s women’s football league.
“In addition, we want to create a comprehensive player pathway from the grassroots right up to the elite level where it will involve coaches, referees and administrative officials comprising women,“ said Soleen, who once donned the Jordanian national women’s team jersey and featured at the club-level in the country for 14 years.
Soleen was officially announced as the head coach of the national women’s squad on Nov 7. – Bernama