
Aidil still roaring strong with Kuching
PETALING JAYA: Forget the Singapore talk as successful football head coach Aidil Sharin is staying put with Kuching City for the new Super League.
This was the assurance given by club owner Datuk Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman amidst rumours that Aidil may be the next coach of the Singapore national football team.
Fazzrudin affirmed that Aidil is committed to the Sarawak-based side.
'Aidil was given full power to run the team. He is happy and committed to Kuching City. That is all I can say,' said Fazzrudin.
Under Aidil's leadership, Kuching City have quietly built a competitive squad and are seen as a side capable to give others a run for their money.
The club have completed the bulk of their recruitment, with striker Ronald Ngah from Cameroon expected to join the team.
'We have completed 95% of the team selection,' said Fazzrudin.
'Ronald will join in a day or two together with a few of our Under-23 players as well. Then, it will be complete.
The Cats have so far signed strikers Gabriel Nistelrooy, Ahmad Danial Asri; goalkeeper Haziq Nadzli, winger Ramadhan Saifullah, Timor Leste winger Joao Pedro and Filipino centreback Scott Woods.
They have also retained key men like fullbacks Jimmy Raymond, Arif Fadzillah; midfielder Daniel Amier Norhisham, striker Ahmad Hazwan Bakri, Bahraini midfielder Moses Atede, Nigerian centreback James Okwuosa and Japanese defender Yuki Tanigawa.
Kuching City hope to remain in the top five standing in the league. They finished fourth in the last season.
'Our goal has always been to become the champions in the league – that's still our mindset, but realistically, we have set a top-five finish,' said Fazzrudin.
Despite the off-field rumours, it's clear that Kuching City are pressing ahead with clear intent, banking on Aidil's leadership to turn bold ambition into tangible results.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
14 hours ago
- The Star
Tennis-Osaka ready to spread her grasscourt wings after being paralysed by fear
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 2, 2025 Japan's Naomi Osaka during her second round match against Czech Republic's Katerina Siniakova REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq LONDON (Reuters) -After years of having a rather a strained relationship with Wimbledon thanks to being "paralysed by fear" at the thought of playing on tennis's fastest surface, Naomi Osaka feels she has finally found her grasscourt wings. The Japanese player, who has won all four of her Grand Slam titles on the hardcourts of Melbourne Park and Flushing Meadows, has never found her comfort zone on the green, green grass of Wimbledon, making only four previous appearances during her 10-year professional career. During those four visits to the All England Club, she won a total of just five matches, with third-round showings in 2017 and 2018 her standout performances -- hardly anything to shout about for a woman who has been ranked on top of the world. But after matching her best ever Wimbledon showing on Wednesday with an impressive 6-3 6-2 win over Czech Katerina Siniakova, who has won the Wimbledon women's doubles title three times, Osaka feels she has finally overcome the fear factor on grass. "When I was younger, I had no fear. I think when you are young, you fear nothing, and that's one of the really cool things about it," explained Osaka, now ranked 53 as she continues to try to recapture her best form after taking a maternity break in 2023. "But with age fear kind of crept along and, I guess, paralysed me in a way. Now I'm kind of just getting over that and trying to spread my wings on grass. "I think it is working, and I think I am moving pretty well. Yeah, I just hope that in years to come and hopefully this year I can do a lot better in this tournament." Osaka could not have picked a better year to enjoy a deep run at the tournament. Following the carnage of seeds over the first three days, the highest seeds she could meet before a potential semi-final against either world number one Aryna Sabalenka or Australian Open champion Madison Keys are number 13 Amanda Anisimova or number 30 Linda Noskova -- neither of whom are known for their grasscourt pedigree. After two straight-set victories, she will certainly fancy her chances of defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to reach the last 16 here for the first time, considering the Russian has not beaten her since 2017. "Definitely this year I feel a lot more comfortable moving on grass," said Osaka after improving her Wimbledon win-loss record to 7-4 on the day her daughter Shai was celebrating her second birthday. "I know the last couple of years I was really scared to move because when I was younger, I strained my knee or whatever. It took a couple of years to get over that but I definitely feel a lot more comfortable." (Reporting by Pritha Sarkar, editing by Clare Fallon)


The Star
14 hours ago
- The Star
Ling Ching stuns fifth seed Line Christophersen in Canadian Open
PETALING JAYA: Wong Ling Ching has turned in a sterling performance to upstage fifth seed Line Christophersen of Denmark in the women's singles first round at the Canadian Open. Ling Ching, ranked No. 87 in the world, went into the match as the underdog against world No. 31 Christophersen but showed great resolve to carve out a come-from-behind 12-21, 21-18, 21-18 victory in 52 minutes on Wednesday (July 2). The win earned the 23-year-old a place in the second round, where she will take on Spain's Clara Azurmendi. Joining her in the next round is compatriot K. Letshanaa, who was in fine form as she eased past American Ishika Jaiswal 21-13, 21-5. Letshanaa will next face India's Shriyanshi Valishetty. In the men's singles, Eogene Ewe progressed without lifting his racquet after his Japanese opponent Takuma Obayashi conceded a walkover. Eogene will play Germany's Matthias Kicklitz next. However it was the end of the road for Justin Hoh, who went down 23-25, 10-21 to Taiwan's Wang Po-wei.


The Sun
16 hours ago
- The Sun
TFC to play six pre-season friendlies
THE new-look Terengganu FC (TFC) squad will be tested through six friendly matches as part of their preparations for the 2025/26 Super League campaign. Head coach Badrul Afzan Razali said the Turtles will first face Kelantan Red Warriors in Kota Bharu on July 4, before hosting Penang FC in Kuala Terengganu on July 8. He said that from July 13 to 18, the Gong Badak, Kuala Nerus-based TFC will be in Kuala Lumpur for four more friendlies, including matches against two ASEAN clubs. 'On July 13, TFC will take on PDRM FC, followed by Cambodian club Svay Rieng FC (July 15), UM Damansara United (July 16) and Phnom Penh Crown FC (July 18). 'After that, we will return to Terengganu and may schedule several more pre-season matches before the 2025/26 league season, expected to begin in mid-August,' he said during a training session at the Gong Badak Sports Complex here. Badrul Afzan said he has finalised the squad comprising 22 local players and six imports. According to him, two of the foreign players - Nurillo Tukhtasinov and Junior Ngong Sam - began training with their teammates yesterday, while the remaining four are expected to arrive in Terengganu by the third week of this month at the latest.