17 hours ago
Khairy excited to play alongside Man Utd legend
KUALA LUMPUR: Manchester United legends Ryan Giggs and Dimitar Berbatov, and ex-Chelsea captain John Terry will feature in the Zurich Liga 7x7 All Stars festival at KLFA Stadium on July 19.
The tournament will feature four teams: Team Wizards, Team Bangsa Bola, Team Harimau and Team Zurich.
Former sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who is also the manager of Team Wizards, relishes the opportunity to play alongside Giggs, the captain of their side.
"My team is well balanced. We've got Kogileswaran Raj, Indra Putra Mahayuddin, Tengku Fahad Mua'adzam Shah, Hairul Azreen, and of course, me," said Khairy, who is a Man Utd fan.
"But the X-factor in our team is Giggs. I mean, Terry has never been the same ever since he slipped during the penalty kick (in 2008 Champions League final against Man Utd), so he's going to slip all over again."
Khairy quipped Giggs had personally requested to join his team after the latter's recent trip to Malaysia to promote the Man Utd vs Asean All-Stars match last month.
"When Giggs was here recently, he asked me if he could be part of my team. I said okay, no problem. We were supposed to have Paul Scholes, but he couldn't come, so we managed to get Giggs instead," he said.
Khairy couldn't resist taking a jibe at Team Bangsa Bola who are captained by Terry and managed by banker Tan Sri Nazir Razak. "Well, it's Terry and then, you know, it's Nazir. I mean, a banker doesn't know much about football, right?" he said.
"Tan Sri Tony Fernandes' team (Harimau) will be competitive because he's a competitive person, having Safee Sali as the captain.
"There's also Team Zurich led by Junior Cho, featuring Berbatov."
Meanwhile Safee, whose Team Harimau feature Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, Khyril Muhymeen, K. Gurusamy, and Adam Sinclair, said playing with legends like Terry and Giggs is a proud moment for local football.
"To be part of something alongside Terry and Giggs is not ordinary, it's a benchmark for the next generation," he said.
