MANILA, Nov 27 — National football midfielder, Muhammad Irfan Zakaria just wants to focus on realising his mission of winning the SEA Games gold medal for the time being.
The 24-year-old, who is sought after by some teams from the Malaysian League (M-League) for the 2020 season, has confirmed that he does not want to make hasty decisions during the SEA Games campaign.
Muhammad Irfan who played for Kuala Lumpur (KL) in 2016 to help the “The City Boys” move to the Super League after winning the Premier League in 2017, has yet to make a decision on his future after the team was relegated to the second division.
“KL wanted to extend the contract but for now my focus is on the SEA Games so when I return to Malaysia I will make a decision,” he said when met during a training session at the Rizal Memorial Stadium here today.
Muhammad Irfan along with Adam Nor Azlin, 23, were two of the older players in the Under-22 squad for the SEA Sports campaign, where the team tied 1-1 against Myanmar in the Group A opener on Monday.
“A lot was lacking in our first match. Through video analysis, we also saw the mistakes and weaknesses. After this we will try our best to improve our performance,” said Irfan who is making his third appearance at the biennial tournament since 2015.
Meanwhile, head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee called on the clubs not to bother its players who are now concentrating on the SEA Games campaign.
“I ask that they be given time to think about this after we finish the SEA Games. It is important for them to focus on our campaign here,” he said. — Bernama
