BY Fadhil Yunus

Local futsal club Perwira will represent Brunei Darussalam in the upcoming 2022 Asean Football Federation (AFF) Futsal Cup, which will be held in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand from September 4 to 10.

Perwira, comprising players from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces Sports Council (MS ABDB), qualified for the competition as winners of the recent Brunei Futsal Cup 2022.

The army personnel beat Almerez in a two-legged tie in the final match to secure a spot in the regional meet. The club said on social media, “The meet represents an opportunity to compete against players of high quality and gain more experience.

“Even though this is the first experience for the players, it is not be an excuse not to provide competition against our opponents.”

The club added, “Insya Allah, the players will provide their best and will not give up until the final whistle.”

The country’s sole representative has been drawn in Group ‘A’ alongside Thai host Hongyen Thakam, Cambodia’s Down Town Sport and Indonesia’s Bintang Timur Surabaya.

Perwira will begin their campaign against Hongyen Thakam before taking on Down Town Sport a day later.

The domestic cup winners will conclude their campaign in the group stage against Indonesia Professional Futsal League champions Bintang Timur Surabaya on November 6.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the knock-out phase, which is scheduled on November 8 with the finals set on November 10.

Meanwhile, Group ‘B’ feature Malaysia’s Selangor MAC, Vietnam’s Sahako and Timor Leste’s Ramelau.

Arbisyam was the last club to represent the Sultanate during the 2018 edition of the competition.

Thailand’s clubs have asserted their dominance – winning in the last six occasions since the inception of the tournament seven years ago, with Chonburi Bluewave crowned last year’s winners.

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin