Cats eye ‘high-intensity’ friendlies to prepare for international games

KUCHING (Sept 23): Kuching City FC are looking to arrange two “high-intensity” friendly matches during the FIFA international window to prepare for a demanding run of international fixtures.

Club chairman Dato Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman revealed that the club is in discussions with teams, targeting one from Peninsular Malaysia and another from Borneo.

“During those two weeks, the team will not have any competitive matches, but we still need high-intensity games,” he said after officiating the Info and Clarification Programme on Current Issues – Achievements of Sarawak Government’s Initiatives at the State Library here on Tuesday.

The proposed friendlies would also serve as a test run for the new matchday arrangements at the Stadium Negeri, particularly the assigned seating system required for Kuching City’s upcoming AFC Champions League Two (ACL2) and ASEAN Club Championship (Shopee Cup) fixtures.

The stadium had to meet the requirements imposed by both competitions, prompting the installation of numbered seats following the Government’s RM7 million allocation for upgrading works.

“However, we cannot execute the entire RM7 million scope right now because if we do, we might not finish in time. Therefore, we will likely implement a portion of that allocation first to ensure our stadium can be used in time for the matches,” he said.

According to Fazzrudin, a friendly match would be held before Kuching City’s Shopee Cup encounter against Tampines Rovers on October 7, with ticketing and stadium operations conducted in the same manner as an official international fixture.

“This is going to be a new experience but what we are planning to do is host a friendly match before the actual competitive matches.

“For that friendly match, we will sell tickets and run operations as if we are playing an official AFC or Shopee Cup match, so that both the fans and our staff can get used to the system,” he said.

Details on the new arrangements including ticket sales would be announced soon.

Kuching City have a busy schedule ahead, with the Tampines Rovers match followed by the second leg of their Malaysia FA Cup quarter-final against Kelantan City on October 10.

The Cats are also scheduled to face Kitchee SC in their ACL2 Group H fixture on October 15. That match is currently slated to be played at Larkin Stadium in Johor Bahru as the Stadium Negeri undergoes upgrading works.

Kuching City began their ACL2 campaign with a 1-2 defeat to Phnom Penh Crown in Cambodia on Sept 17 while they remain involved in the Malaysia Super League, Malaysia FA Cup and Shopee Cup.