Coach optimistic despite depleted squad
Under-23 coach Ong Kim Swee remains optimistic of his team’s chances at the Indonesia Asian Games despite the unavailability of five trainees, including centre-back Aidil Zafuan Abd Radzak, due to various reasons.
As expected, Pahang’s Matthew Davies and Nor Azam Azih both did not turn up for centralised training at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya yesterday while Johor Darul Ta’zim’s (JDT) Aidil and Syamer Kutty Abba have returned to their club to recover from injuries.
JDT II striker Hadi Fayyadh Abd Razak is also unavailable as he will be on trial with a Japanese club on Aug 6.
With their absence, only 23 players will travel to China for the final phase of preparations tomorrow.
“I do not have time to think about those not here. At the moment, I will not be calling up new players as we have very little time,” said Kim Swee yesterday.
“I will likely have two overaged players (Baddrol Bakhtiar and Rizal Ghazali) for the trip.”
Malaysia have been drawn in Group E at the Asian Games, which starts on Aug 10, with defending champions South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kyrgyzstan.
Despite the various challenges faced by his team, Kim Swee is positive they can achieve their goal of at least reaching the last-eight after falling short in Incheon four years ago.
“We still have enough quality players. I hope our players will be able to rise to the occasion in Indonesia,” he said.
Kim Swee also noted that his players are prepared to travel on a Barracuda to and from stadiums for safety reasons during the Asian Games.
Malaysia are expected to experience a hostile reception from Indonesian fans following the controversy surrounding an Instagram posting by a Malaysian youth player.
On Monday, Indonesian fans insulted Malaysia with provocative chants such as “Malaysia are dogs” during the AFF Under-16 match against Thailand in Surabaya.
“FAM president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin will assign a security officer to be with the team during the Asian Games.
“If we have to travel for matches on a Barracuda, we will do so without hesitation,” Kim Swee added.