MMU Steps Up to First Division of Football League

21 June 2011

by Hefni Izzat and Willie Poh

As the champion of the Second Division after seven straight victories this season, Multimedia University's (MMU) football team secured itself a position in finals of the Minister of Higher Education Cup 2011 and a promotion to the First Division of the Institutes of Higher Learning Football League. (Officially known as the "Liga Bola Sepak IPT Piala Menteri Pengajian Tinggi".) The MMU team's straight wins saw them ending the season with a tally of 21 points. The Second Division runner-up who will also be promoted next year, University Malaya (UM), ended the season with 13 points after four wins, one draw and two losses.

The MMU team scored the most goals in the Second Division with 25 goals and admitted the least goals at count of 8 with the highest goal difference of 17. Runner-up UM had 23 goals and 13 goal admissions, with 10 for goal difference.

In July 2011, the MMU and UM teams will join the top six teams from the First Division in the League finals, also known officially as the "Piala Menteri Pengajian Tinggi 2011." These teams are namely Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam, Kolej Komuniti Kedah (KKK), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn (UTHM), Politeknik Kota Bharu (PKB) and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). Held in the group league format, Group A will feature UiTM, UM, UTHM and UMS. Group B will feature KKK, MMU, UKM and PKB.

These 8 teams represent the best university teams in Malaysia out of 65 competing teams this year.

The current MMU starting eleven consists of the team Captain Mohamed Hassen, Mohd Adli Syahzmi, Mohd Zulfadli, Abu Bakar Sadiq, Mohd Luqman, Yeoh Wei Shin, Mohamad Mazwan, Hasnal Fahmy, Ali Mahmoud, Amares Singh, and Muhammad Rafiq. The team coah is Mr. Mohd Faizal Mohd So’od.

The League was originally launched in January 2010 by the Minister of Higher Education, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin. During the League's first season, the 66 competing teams were divided into 8 zones in the qualifying rounds. Champions and runners-up of each zone competed in a 16 team final round. The finals determined the First and Second Divisions of this year. As the champion of the IPT zone in 2010, MMU's team made it to the finals and secured a position in the Second Division.

MMU and UM will be replacing the bottom two teams in the First Division next year. The teams relegated to the Second Division are Kolej Komuniti Pulau Pinang and UiTM Sarawak.


article from : mmu