‘Fishy’ results overshadow AFC qualifiers

F:30 roadmap to next year’s Tokyo Olympics came to a premature end after the national youth team failed to qualify for the tournament proper of the AFC Under-23 Championship.

It was rather unfortunate for Ong Kim Swee’s side not to advance as they had looked impressive in Group J of the qualifiers in Kuala Lumpur.

On Tuesday, Malaysia were only seven minutes away from topping their group and clinching an automatic slot but their dream was dashed when Jiang Shenglong headed in China’s equaliser for a 2-2 draw.

Unlike the poor attendance at the recent Airmarine Cup which attracted only about 3,000 fans to see the senior national team, the match against China attracted more than 25,000 fans. This shows that Malaysian football still has a strong following.

Both Guus Hiddink’s side and Kim Swee’s boys finished equal on seven points but the former topped the group on goal difference.

It was a nervy wait for Kim Swee after the final whistle as his team’s qualification as one of the four best second-ranked teams depended on results in other groups.

As expected, some results in the other groups seemed “fishy”, and Malaysia’s hopes were dashed.

Malaysia lost out on goals as results of the fourth-ranked teams in each group were not considered for the remaining four qualifiers.

Laos, who Malaysia beat 1-0, finished third, and Kim Swee’s side were denied a spot on goal difference as they had defeated fourth-placed Philippines 3-0.

To be fair, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) should have similar kick-off times for the final round of group matches in the qualifiers but it is not possible to do so due to geographical issues and time difference.

Many fans on social media are asking FA of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Hamidin Amin and Kim Swee to resign for the failure.

However, I feel it is unfair for both men to step down just because the Malaysian team failed to achieve the roadmap’s target.

Have they forgotten about the exploits of Kim Swee’s boys last year?

In January last year, they defeated continental giants Saudi Arabia to reach the quarter-finals of the AFC Under-23 Championship and followed that up with a rousing win over the Son Heung Min-led South Korea at the Indonesia Asian Games.

And on Tuesday, they were just seven minutes away from recording a famous win over mighty China.

There are encouraging signs that Malaysian football is on a revival. And if the team develop accordingly, the country will soon regain its status as one of the best teams in Asia. just like in the 1960s and 1970s.

These fans should instead look at the big picture, be proud of the team’s success story over the last 15 months and not pick on their failure in just one thing.

Failing to qualify for the AFC Under-23 tournament proper is disappointing but it is not the end of the world.

Players like Safawi Rashid, Syahmi Safari, Akhyar Rashid, Nik Akif Syahiran and Syamer Kutty Abba have earned international caps and valuable match exposure. Soon, they will form the core of the national team.

Safawi and Akhyar were easily Malaysia’s best performers in the qualifiers. They have improved a lot under their club, Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), but for them to achieve higher goals, the duo should aim to play in Japan, China, South Korea or leagues in the Middle East.

No disrespect to JDT, but most of the scouts focus on these few countries to identify talents to take to Europe.

Safawi and Akhyar are huge talents, and they should be plying their trade in bigger leagues outside the country.