MyTeam
MyTeam was created as a motley bunch of football players put together by ex-Malaysian footballer Serbegeth Singh. MyTeam took on the Malaysian national side in an exhibition match on May 28 2006, losing 1-2. The team's selection and progress was followed by the Malaysian public through a reality TV show.
MyTeam was subsequently invited to join the Malaysian Premier League for the 2007 season and, after merging with the existing club Perak UPB FC, is now playing in the league under the name UPB-MyTeam FC.
A sequel to the original MyTeam, named MyTeam2, was announced on June 6, 2007. The series has also spawned an Indonesian version.
Selection
Selections for a spot in MyTeam were opened to non-professional Malaysian footballers. Furthermore, partipants were required to be at least 17 years of age and had to be able to run 100 metres in less than 12 seconds.
Trials were held in all 13 Malaysian states and the top three trialists from each state were called up to Bukit Jalil, where further tests were conducted. From a total of 39 players selected from each state, 22 were called up into MyTeam.
Match
The match, held in the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, kicked off at 8.45pm on May 28 2006. Prior to the match, controversy was stirred up when the secretary-general of Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) likened MyTeam to a packet of 'instant noodles'.
There was also an element of mystery as there was a fair amount of speculation over the "national team" that would show up to play MyTeam. Some tipped FAM to send it's Under-20 side to play MyTeam. Others thought the senior Malaysian side would show up. In the end, the "Malaysia" that played MyTeam was a mixture of both the senior and under-20 sides managed by K. Rajagopal (coach for the under-20 side).
MyTeam stunned Malaysia by taking the lead first before succumbing to a 2-1 defeat. In two separate incidents that occurred between goals from both teams, MyTeam's captain and Malaysian striker Zaquan Adha were sent off.
Performance by both sides were farcical. MyTeam's players were overhyped and Malaysia's footballers could have passed off for amateurs.
Aftermath
The match did generate a considerable amount of interest, but many scorned this supposed "revolution of Malaysian football".
On a positive note, the senior team won the match, but on the negative side, Malaysia managed to play badly enough against a team of amateurs to embarrass themselves.
MyTeam joined the Malaysian Premier League for the 2007 season after taking over an existing team called Perak UPB FC. They are competing under the name UPB-MyTeam FC.
MyTeam2
On June 6, 2007, MyTeam2 was announced by Khairy Jamaluddin. The effort will once again be spearheaded by Serbegeth Singh, and also accompanied by Bojan Hodak, the UPB-MyTeam FC coach like the year before. MyTeam 2 fought against Indonesia national football team on October 21, 2007 where Myteam2 was defeated 0-2.
Trials are ongoing and will take place at 13 venues across Malaysia.