KUNSHAN, China: After pulling off the stunning feat of making the quarter-finals of the AFC Under-23 Championship, the popularity of the national team is definitely growing.
The national team have not only made local fans stand up and take notice but those from other countries as well.
This was admitted as much by Yakult Malaysia’s managing director, Hiroshi Hamada who said that fans in Japan are hoping that Malaysia are able to beat their nemesis and fierce rivals South Korea in the quarter-finals.
"Our Japanese team lost 4-0 yesterday to Uzbekistan, so we are hoping that Malaysia can register a win over South Korea and be able to meet Uzbekistan in the next phase of the competition.
"Japan and South Korea have been fierce rivals, so fans in Japan will definitely be rooting for Malaysia,” he said when met in Kunshan.
Hamada, accompanied by FA of Malaysia (FAM) deputy president Datuk Yusoff Mahadi and FAM secretary-general Datuk Hamidin Amin, handed over Yakult probiotic beverages to national team players before kick-off against South Korea.
Yakult’s, which is FAM’s official probiotics sponsor, are also giving their full support to the national team.