DILI, 22 april 2022 (TATOLI) – Timor-Leste’s National Under-23 Football Team departed for Malaysia, today, to prepare for the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) competition that will take place in Vietnam, next month.
“Today, our national under-23 football team left for Malaysia to prepare for the SEA Games competition,” said Frederico Martins, the Deputy Secretary-General of Timor-Leste’s Football Federation (FFTL) at FFTL’s office, in Dili, today.
He said Timor-Leste will play against the Malaysian national under-23 football team to test the strength and power of Timorese players.
“We will have a friendly match against the Malaysian national under-23 football team to test the physiological capacity and physical strength of our players. This friendly match will take place on april 29,” Martins said.
He said Timor-Leste’s national team was made up of 24 players, of which three of them are currently injured.
“Three of these players suffer injuries, including João Panji, (central defender), Nelson Viegas (left defender), and Mouzinho de Lima (striker). They will undergo physiotherapy in Malaysia to recover their physical condition, and then we will have to test their physical strength before playing in the friendly match against Malaysia and SEA Games competition,” he explained.
Timor-Leste will compete in seven different types of sports in the SEA Games competition – football, taekwondo, karate, athletics, boxing, etc.
The SEA Games is originally scheduled to take place from 21 november to 2 december 2021, but it was moved to 12 to 23 may 2022 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
SEA Games will feature 40 sports, mainly those played at the Olympic Games – Athletics, Aquatics, Archery, Badminton, Basketball, Pool Snookers, Boxing, Canoe/Kayak, Chess, Xiangqi, Bike Racing, Dance Sports, Fencing, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Handball, Judo, Karate, Muay Thai, Pentaques, Pencak Silat, Rowing, Sepak Takraw, Shooting, Table Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Taekwondo, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Wushu, Bodybuilding, Bowling, Esports, Dives, Kickboxing, Kurash, Jujitsu, Triathlon and Duathlon, and Vovinam.
Journalist: Hortencio Sanchez
Editor: Florencio Miranda Ximenes/ Nelia Borges Rosario
Translation: Filomeno Martins
