Kia Malaysia’s Champs to Rio futsal tournament champs Dani KSL FC took the world by storm in Brazil at the Champs Into The Arena 2014 World Championship organized by Kia Motor Corporations. The underdog team from Malaysia brought down futsal bigwigs from around the world before taking the defeat from Jordan at the finals of held in Salvador Brazil recently.
Dani KSL FC from Malaysia was one of only two teams from Southeast Asia, the other from the Philippines, that was pitched against futsal giants from Chile, Argentina, Italy and Germany at the international futsal tournament held alongside FIFA World Cup in Salvador Brazil. The 19 nations which took part in the tournament were: Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Malaysia, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
The Malaysian team managed by Aizul Rohan Anuar, showed amazing fighting spirit and skill, and made an indelible mark in the international futsal arena as they rose through the tournament, beating Philippines at the Group stage with 7-2, Argentina 2-2, and Germany 7-3. At the semi-finals Dani KSL FC crushed France’s dreams with a 1-0 win, only to be defeated by Jordan at the Finals with 7-3.
Through it all, the team made up of players Mudhairi Musa, Muhammad Fauzi Abdul Hamid, Hazizi Mansor, Mohammad Naim Mohammad Zainal, Rizwan Ahmad Wahid and Zahrin bin Ismail (Captain) were ecstatic at overcoming their greatest hurdles, Argentina and Germany at the Group stage.
The winning teams were awarded with a trophy and skybox tickets to the World Cup quarterfinals match between the Netherlands and Costa Rica.
Prior to the international championship in Brazil, Dani KSL FC competed in Kia Malaysia’s Champs to Rio in May, a round-robin futsal tournament amongst 38 of the best teams in Malaysia. Coming out Champs, they were chosen to represent Malaysia at the Kia Champs Into The Arena 2014 World Championship in Salvador, Brazil on 4-7 July. In addition to the all-expenses paid trip to Brazil, the whole team received RM20,000 in cash, a champion cup, champion medals, exclusive jerseys and tickets to the Quarter Finals of World Cup 2014.
Champs to Rio was a local initiative by Naza Kia Malaysia for Malaysians to experience and be a part of the excitement and energy of World Cup 2014, one of the biggest sports events of the year. Datuk Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar, Chief Operating Officer of Naza Kia Malaysia said the company sees the global partnership with FIFA World Cup as a great opportunity to deliver the excitement of the brand to football-mad fellow Malaysians.
“Our Malaysian team has certainly done us proud by playing in the finals in one of the world’s most challenging futsal competitions. Their performance was outstanding and beyond expectation and like Kia, they have shown us the “Power to Surprise”!,” said Datuk Hafiz.
