Having No Coach, Malaysia's Senior National Team Is Sure To Be Absent From FIFA Matchday

Malaysia national team (Twitter @FAM_Malaysia)

JAKARTA - The Malaysian Senior National Team has been waiting for the FIFA Matchday schedule from January 24 to February 1 later. However, they chose to miss these matches and were replaced by U-23 players.

This was done because the team nicknamed the Malayan Tiger did not have a coach. Tan Cheng Hoe, who previously held this position, decided to resign due to the poor results in the 2020 AFF Cup.

Regarding the absence of the senior national team on the FIFA Matchday agenda, the Secretary-General of the Malaysian Football Association (FAM), Mohd Saifuddin Abu Bakar, has his own answer. He stated that the moment would actually be used as preparation for the Young Tiger squad before undergoing the U-23 AFF Cup tournament.

"The U-23 team, which is preparing for the 2022 AFF U-23 Cup in Cambodia in February, will fill the FIFA calendar slot this time (because there is no senior team)", said Mohd Saifuddin as quoted by Bernama.

"We have written to several countries to undergo international test matches with their U-23 teams or clubs", he continued.

Furthermore, the same source also revealed one other factor that prevented the Malaysian senior team from appearing. This is because the players are currently undergoing pre-season preparations ahead of the 2022 Malaysian league.

In addition to preparing the team for the AFF U-23 Cup, FAM is also discussing the issue of releasing players for the needs of the SEA Games, as well as qualifying for the Asian Cup.

"We hope to get a win-win situation and not only that they have to release players. Maybe we can use certain players for one tournament and another in the next need", said Mohd Saifuddin asserted.