Cheng Hoe calls up nine fresh faces for national duties

PETALING JAYA: National coach Tan Cheng Hoe have called-up nine fresh faces for his first assignment as the team’s new head coach.

The national team’s first assignment is a friendly against Mongolia at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on March 22 before they leave for Beirut to play Lebanon in their final Asian Cup qualifying group match on March 27.

The 50-year-old coach have called-up two naturalised players from Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) – Natxo Insa and La’Vere Corbin-Ong – and gave debuts to Kedah’s Ariff Farhan Md Isa and Sabah skipper Rawilson Batuil.

He also have included five Under-23 players – Haziq Nadzli, Akhyar Rashid, Syazwan Andik Ishak, Irfan Zakaria and Syahmi Safari in the squad.

Four other Under-23 players called up – Matthew Davies, Safawi Rasid, Nor Azam Abdul Azih and Adam Nor Azlin – had featured for the senior team before.

The former international has only retained 14 players from the team who suffered two 4-1 defeats to North Korea in the Asian Cup qualifying Group match in Buriram last November. They include Safawi, Nor Azam and Adam. The nine dropped players are two goalkeepers – Izham Tarmizi Roslan and Khairulzhan Khalid – and seven outfielders – Shahrom Kalam, Azrif Nasrulhaq Badrul Hisham, Nazirul Naim Che Hashim, Amirul Azhan Aznan, Ahmad Khairil Anuar Zamri, Hadin Azman and Syamer Kutty Abba.

Four former internationals – goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat of Kelantan, Kedah’s Akram Mahinan, PKNS’ Mahalli Jasuli and Shahrul Saad of Perak – make their return to the team.

The team will report for centralised training in Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya on March 18.

Cheng Hoe’s men will fly off to Beirut on March 25 after their warm-up match against Mongolia.

Malaysia are eliminated from the Asian Cup qualifying campaign as they are rooted at the bottom of Group B with just one point.