PETALING JAYA — Newly elected Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan has set his sights on a place in the FIFA Asean Cup final but urged Malaysians to keep their expectations realistic ahead of the tournament.
Ab Ghani said Malaysia should aim high while recognising the unpredictable nature of football and the need to avoid placing excessive pressure on the national team.
“I think we should reach the final, but we should not place our hopes too high because football is like that,” he told reporters at a press conference following FAM’s extraordinary congress and executive committee election at the Hilton Hotel here today.
He said the players would need to perform at their best throughout the tournament to achieve that target, while supporters should focus on backing the team.
“We have to be at our best. The players who are in the squad now are the best players available to us, so we have to give them our support and let them perform,” he said.
The FIFA Asean Cup will take place from Sept 24 to Oct 5, with Malaysia drawn in Group A alongside Indonesia, Singapore and Bangladesh.
Malaysia will open their campaign against Bangladesh on Sept 25, before facing Indonesia on Sept 28 and Singapore on Oct 1. The group winner will advance to the final on Oct 5.
The tournament will also provide interim head coach Tan Cheng Hoe with a stronger squad to work with, following FIFA’s clearance for Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) striker Bergson da Silva and defender Brad Tapp to represent Malaysia.
Bergson offers another attacking option, while Tapp adds depth to the national team’s defence.
Their availability could give Cheng Hoe greater access to his preferred squad compared with Malaysia’s AFF Championship campaign in August, when the team faced challenges in assembling its strongest line-up.
Ab Ghani stressed that Malaysia’s performances on the pitch would ultimately determine whether the team could achieve its target of reaching the final.
He also called on supporters to continue backing the players and allow them to focus on delivering their best performances.
“We will resolve that. At the same time, we need to make improvements and correct things, or achieve something good, and convince the supporters of our national team,” he said.
The tournament will mark an early test for the new FAM administration as it seeks to improve the national team’s performances and rebuild confidence among supporters.
While Ab Ghani has set a clear target of reaching the final, he emphasised the importance of balancing ambition with realistic expectations as Harimau Malaya prepared for their regional campaign. – September 18, 2026