Game on: Asian Games silver sparks call for national eFootball league

AICHI: Winning silver at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games has highlighted Malaysia's eFootball talent, but national duo Farish Luzman and Hariz Hazmi Hakimin believe a local league is crucial to develop more quality players.

Farish said that although Malaysia lacks a structured eFootball league like Thailand, their performance on the continental stage proved local players can still compete with established nations.

"We feel that there needs to be a league. Although Malaysia does not have one, we are still able to fight for medals against top teams, including Thailand," Farish said.

"If we can establish a league, perhaps more quality players can be developed, and the target of winning gold medals at major tournaments in the future will become more realistic."

Farish and Hariz took silver after losing to Iran in the final, having eliminated Thailand in the quarter-finals yesterday.

Hariz said six months of intensive training supported by the National Sports Council (NSC) and the Malaysia Esports Federation (MESF) helped them elevate their play.

"We would like to thank NSC and MESF for giving us the opportunity to undergo a boot camp for about six months. It helped us stay focused and reach the level of play of other countries," said Hariz.

He added that competing at the Asian Games also helped them gauge international competition and build mental strength.

Following their success in Aichi-Nagoya, the pair will focus on next year's SEA Games on home soil, targeting gold.

Farish said hosting the tournament gives them added motivation to prove Malaysia can produce world-class players.

"We are targeting gold at the SEA Games. Malaysia is the host, so we want to show other countries that Malaysia has quality players in eFootball," he added.