AFC Futsal Asian Cup
Still playing competitively at the age of 39 years old, Khairul has seen good development of futsal over the years in Malaysia but feels it is not yet at the level which he had hoped forr.
#ACFutsal2026 | Group D: Malaysia 0-7 Afghanistan
Describing the characteristics of the game that matches the type of Southeast Asian players, Ayon - as he is affectionately called by his teammates - remains hopeful of a better future ahead.
“Futsal in Malaysia is constantly improving but I feel we can do more,” said Khairul. “It’s at a decent level now in the domestic league but it can be better by having more matches - whether through having more teams or more competitions.
“It is different to the Thai and Indonesian leagues, where they have more matches. In terms of the game, it’s a sport that really suits Malaysian players with the kind of technique and skills that we have.”
Lifting the level of Malaysian futsal would mean that heartbreaks like the one Khairul suffered in the 7-0 defeat to Afghanistan on Friday - which scuppered their chances of reaching the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026™ quarter-finals - will become a mere memory.
“Honestly, our game today (against Afghanistan) was bad. After we conceded one, we couldn’t settle down and conceded more. Our confidence was shot, after that we couldn’t recover.
“We had chances and it’s something which coach Addie (Azwan) has mentioned, somehow we couldn’t find the right composure to put those chances away but hopefully we will get that in the last game (against Saudi Arabia).”
