Players pledge to help Ong achieve Fifa ranking

THE national players have pledged to help national coach Ong Kim Swee achieve the Fifa ranking of top 150 in the world by the end of the year set by the FA of Malaysia (FAM).

Malaysia rose eight rungs to World No 156 in the latest Fifa ranking released on Thursday, and the huge jump has motivated the players for today’s AFF Cup Group B match against Myanmar at Thuwunna Stadium.

Malaysia can achieve the target if they go far in the AFF Cup but it also depends on the results of other teams.

However, FAM want Kim Swee to improve Malaysia’s Fifa ranking to the top 140 before his contract expires on Dec 31, 2017.

Midfielder Baddrol Bakhtiar said the team will churn out their best performance today against World No 166 Myanmar for three points and qualification to the semi-finals.

“We are determined to get a positive result tomorrow. Everyone has pledged to give their 100 per cent.

“The team, however, must learn from the defeat to Vietnam and also not make crucial mistakes that would lead to conceding late goals,” said Baddrol yesterday.

“The coach has reminded us to focused on the game and forget about other distractions. We cannot let the Myanmar fans intimidate us.”

Baddrol is one of the five national players (Shahrom Abdul Kalam, Amri Yahyah, Zaquan Adha Radzak and Ahmad Hazwan Bakri) that played in the 0-0 draw against Myanmar in a friendly in May.

Amri is expected to set a new record today as the only Malaysian player to make 22 appearances in the AFF Cup.

“Myanmar play attacking football and rely on their flankers to create chances. They are also strong in setpieces,” said Amri.

Among the key Myanmar players are captain Yaw Aung Kyaw, wingers Kyaw Zin Lwin and Mg Mg Lwin, and striker Aung Thu.

The availability of Aung Kyaw for the game is in question as the midfielder did not train with the team yesterday.

He, however, brushed off the possibility of being on the bench today by insisting he is not injured. By Ajitpal Singh