KUCHING: The 'Azmi brothers' are beginning to make their presence felt in the Kelantan camp at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Sarawak.
Defender Danish Alif, 20, and midfielder Darwisy Alif, 17, have impressed so far in the tournament by helping their state qualify for the semi-finals, which will be held at the MDDM field on Thursday.
It's their first semis for the state after 38 years.
Kelantan will take on the Federal Territories but their story has not been smooth sailing, in which Danish revealed some details.
"We lack in terms of finance and equipment but we made it up with our passion. We know the football association are running on a tight budget. Even in the group stages, we were grouped with Selangor and Negri Sembilan," he said.
"Those sides have better players but we gave a good fight till the end. In the quarter-finals, we beat Johor comprising a few national under-20 players.
"But we love the game and also the state we play for, we will go all out for the gold."
Meanwhile Darwisy said being the youngest in the team did give him the jitters but he had gotten used to the level of football in Sukma.
"I got better after the first game. Every game, my confidence grew and I hope to help Kelantan do well," he said.
"I'm happy to play with my brother and help the team. For our next game, we just need to work and not lose our focus and concentration."
Team manager Datuk Azmi Ariffin said Kelantan’s progress in Sukma was good as it gave the state a platform to showcase their talents and also reminded those out there that Kelantan remained a hotbed of talent.
"Lots of talents but no platform to play them. With my experience in the game, I made a partnership with the Kelantan Football Association to improve football in the state," he said.
"We wanted to start with grassroots since Kelantan are not in the Super League. We are playing in the Youth Cup, President Cup, Sukma and King’s Gold Cup.
"We are in the semi-finals after 38 years. This is monumental for us. I just hope the team we are building now will one day play in the Super League and MFL Cup.
"I hope a good outing will help these boys don the state jersey in the big league."
The other semi-final is between Terengganu and Melaka at the Mukah Stadium, also on Thursday.
