Coach Kim Swee praises hardworking Asian Games squad
JAKARTA: National Under- 23 ( U-23) football squad head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee viewed his players’ excellence performance including upsetting favourites South Korea 2-1 last Friday at the 2018 Jakarta- Palembang Asian Games football competition was due to their hard work.
“I don’t want to touch on the extent of how far I can go…the important thing is the team. I want them to concentrate on the next game and whatever the result, either positive or negative, it is entirely up to the whole team.
“If they manage to advance to the next level, it is the players, not me, creating history,” he said when met by the Malaysian media at the team’s official training session here.
Malaysia will face Japan that finished second in Group D, in the round of 16, at the Pakansari Stadium on Friday.
At the same time, Kim Swee also hoped that the team’s achievement would open the eyes of all football fans and continue supporting the country’s squad as well as inspiring the young teams, namely the Under-19 and Under-16.
He said nothing is impossible if a team is willing to give full focus and work hard.
“Now our fans believe that we can do the right things and that we can beat even the giants. So now is a matter of being consistent and realistic.
“With the results against South Korea, it shows that we can achieve what we want and that it is not impossible ... not only for us but also for the Under-19 and Under-16, to achieve the same objectives,” he said. — Bernama
If they manage to advance to the next level, it is the players, not me, creating history. Datuk Ong Kim Swee, Under-23 coach