NO DISUNITY IN TEAM, SAYS CHENG HOE
National coach denies feud between local and naturalised players
NATIONAL coach Tan Cheng Hoe has rubbished claims of disunity in his squad, who are in Singapore for the AFF Cup. Naturalised player Guilherme de Paula was not too pleased when he was replaced by Luqman Hakim Shamsudin in the 65th minute in Malaysia’s 3-1 win over Cambodia on Monday.
The Brazilian striker vented his frustration by throwing a plastic water bottle at the Malaysian bench after he was substituted.
He was also verbally abused by Malaysian fans during the game at the Bishan Stadium.
And after the match, winger Akhyar Rashid raised question marks by stating that the local-born players wanted to show their quality in the match.
“It is great to win the game with more local players in the starting lineup,” said Akhyar on Monday.
Akhyar ’s comments appear to hint at a feud between the local and naturalised players.
However, Cheng Hoe brushed it off by stating that the players are united and eager to perform well in Singapore.
“So far, I don’t see there is a big issue at all in the team. You can see that my players were working very hard during the game,” said Cheng Hoe in a virtual press conference yesterday.
“Of course, players tend to show their frustration sometimes. It is part and parcel of football.
“I have mentioned many times that De Paula is experienced enough to handle any form of pressure. He gets all the support from the management, coaching staff and his teammates as well.
“I hope he will move on and forget about all issues. We want him to be ready for the next game.
Cheng Hoe, meanwhile, said a new goalkeeper will be called up for the tournament.
Winger Faisal Halim and goalkeeper Khairulazhan Khalid are in quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19.
Kim Swee is expected to call up Perak's Azri Ghani or Penang's Sam Somerville as a replacement goalkeeper for the tournament.
“We have received a green light from the Asean Football Federation (AFF) to call up another goalkeeper.
“We will decide soon as we have several candidates,” he added.
The other goalkeepers in the team are Khairul Fahmi Che Mat and Kalamullah Al-Hafiz.
Malaysia will play Laos, who lost 2-0 to Vietnam on Monday, in their second Group B match tomorrow.