KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — The Harimau Malaya squad must make full use of the opportunity to hunt for maximum points in four matches in the second 2022 World Cup/2023 Asian Cup qualifying round on home ground.
Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president, Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin stressed that the national football squad under Tan Cheng Hoe must steal one point at the four away actions to reap the best position in the group G competition of the qualifying round.
He, however, reminded the national squad not to take easy the meetings with the three Asean nations despite having met them several times in the AFF Suzuki Cup football competitions, other than international friendlies.
‘’I remind Tan Cheng Hoe that the players should learn a lesson when our team was shamed with a 10-0 defeat to United Arab Emirates (UAE) (at the third match of Group A of the 2018 World Cup/2019 Asia Cup qualifying round at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi) in 2015.
‘’Our chance to be at a better level at the competition this time, god willing, can be achieved if the chief coach, team management and players, FAM, fans and the media give a strong support but this needs a high commitment from all quarters,’’ Hamidin told a media conference after a casual session of the media with the FAM President here today.
Malaysia would be facing a daunting task at the second round qualifier of the 2022 World Cup/2023 Asia Cup after it was voted to meet three Asean nations, namely, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, other than the UAE in group G through a balloting which was held at the AFC House, Bukit Jalil, yesterday.
Only the champion and four best four best runners-up from every eight groups, would automatically qualify to the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup/2023 Asia Cup.
Commenting further, Hamidin explained that the national squad must use the voting in the second round to at least end the competition in second place of group G to avoid performing at the 2023 Asia Cup qualifying round.
‘’If we fail, we will be voted once again for the 2023 Asia Cup qualifying round after this, and there is a possibility the voting would be more difficult because we would be meeting with teams like Uzbekistan, Syria and Oman,” stressed Hamidin.
In the meantime, Hamidin announced that he had contacted the All-Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) secretary general, Ratu Tisha Destria, yesterday to ensure the security of the players and officials in the national squad who would be going to Jakarta for the first action of the qualifying round against Indonesia in Sept 5.
For the record, the national Under 23 (U-23) squad was forced to board a Barracuda armoured car to their hotel following the wild actions of the Indonesian supporters who threw various objects after they beat Indonesia 4-3 in a penalty shootout at the final action of the SEA Games 2011 in Indonesia.
Both teams were tied 1-1 at the full action of the match.
Based on the voting schedule issued by AFC yesterday, Malaysia would be playing in four home matches, namely, against UAE on Sept 10, Thailand (November 14), Indonesia (November 19) and Vietnam on March 31, 2020.
The national squad would go through four away matches starting with the action against Indonesia on Sept 5, Vietnam (Oct 10), UAE (March 26, 2020) and Thailand on June 9, 2020. — Bernama
