Friendlies against Arab sides not feasible for Kim Swee’s boys
NATIONAL Under-23 coach Ong Kim Swee is not planning to have friendly matches against Middle East sides despite being grouped with teams from that region in next year’s AFC Under-23 Championship in China.
Malaysia are in Group C with Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Kim Swee said friendly matches against Middle East teams can only be arranged if his team make a trip there.
"It is difficult for us to set up friendly matches against Middle East countries unless we make the trip there. It is far and we do not have to go there.
“Arab teams will not be in Kuala Lumpur ahead of the AFC tournament. They will be heading to South Korea and Japan,” said Kim Swee at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya yesterday.
Only 26 players reported for centralised training yesterday. Tommy Mawat Bada, Amierul Hakimi Awang, Syafiq Ahmad and Matthew Davies all did not report due to various reasons.
Tommy and Amierul have transportation issues while Syafiq is getting married. Davies will be returning to Australia to undergo rehabilitation treatment.
They will join the rest on Dec 4. Kim Swee confirmed that his team will play friendly matches against PJ Rangers and Melaka United but the dates and venues have not been confirmed yet.
The coach has called up several players from the national Under19 side and their inclusions will give him options.
"At the moment, training will be focused on pre-season preparation. I will need to be very careful and hope that the players are able to build on match fitness in a short period of time.
"The presence of several Under-19 players is expected to bring about healthy competition for places. I will assess them during training as well as in matches and from there, I will determine how best to use them,” he added. Mohd Fitrie Muhamad