PETALING JAYA: The national football squad will enjoy the advantage of a ‘perfect run-up’ to the third round of the 2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers in a mission to end a 42-year drought to qualify for the prestigious tournament on merit.
Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) deputy president Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi(pix) said Malaysia’s status as host for the Group E qualifying round has spared the Harimau Malaya squad from facing travel constraints when playing abroad.
He said the home advantage would reduce the obstacles facing national head coach Kim Pan Gon in forming the best possible squad to face the challenge of Bahrain, Turkmenistan and Bangladesh in the group stage.
“There are many complications that we can skip, from the red tape of going abroad and issues which will not arise because we are on home ground.
“We only have to make full use of the advantages available … from the training aspect, preparation will not be as complicated. The coaches and management need to exploit this to ensure the team are fully ready,” he said at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya here today.
In the qualifying round to be held at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Malaysia are scheduled to open the campaign against Turkmenistan on June 8, Bahrain (June 11) and the last match against Bangladesh on June 14.
Commenting on the opposition, Mohd Yusoff, who is also a member of the FAM National Team Management Committee, admitted that it is not an easy task, especially against the likes of higher-ranked Bahrain and Turkmenistan.
Malaysia are ranked world 154th, far behind 89th-ranked Bahrain while Turkmenistan and Bangladesh are ranked 134th and 186th respectively.
However, Mohd Yusoff said the task should be seen from a positive angle since the national squad now has the touch of a new coaching staff apart from the players who will also receive the best tonic of playing in front of their own supporters.
“If we lose both matches, we will definitely not qualify, so let us use this host opportunity to deliver the best. The team could be considered as new, the players too perhaps are the latest options we have.
“So we hope this new-look team can become a more formidable side to face the group challenge,“ he said.
Only six group champions and five top runners-up will qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup Finals scheduled to take place in China in June.-Bernama