KUALA LUMPUR: Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar gifted the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) with RM4 million on Wednesday as a reward for the national Under-22 team's recent success.
National youth coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee's team qualified for next year's AFC Under-23 Championship in China after winning a qualifying tournament in Bangkok in July.
FAM general secretary Datuk Hamidin Amin thanked the Johor ruler, whose son Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim is the FAM president, for the contribution.
"FAM and I would like to thank His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, Sultan of Johor, for gifting RM4 million to FAM," Hamidin announced in a statement on FAM's Facebook page.
"It is part of the bonus for the Under-22 national team for qualifying for the 2018 AFC Under-23 Championship in China. It will also help FAM in developing Malaysian football."
Victories over Indonesia and Mongolia were enough to finish top of the qualifying group, despite a 3-0 defeat to Thailand, for Malaysia to book a place in the finals in January.
Coach Ong's team will soon regroup to begin final preparations for the Kuala Lumpur Sea Games, where the football competition begins on Aug 14.