KUALA LUMPUR – Terengganu FC has confirmed that Azam Azmi will be out for approximately two months following a knee injury he sustained in Harimau Malaya’s 0-2 defeat to Oman in the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup qualifier at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium last week.
The 23-year-old Terengganu FC defender, who made his 11th appearance for Harimau Malaya, was forced to be substituted by Daniel Ting in the 24th minute after he accidentally kicked the broken patch of the pitch, following a challenge by Oman’s Jameel Al Yahmadi.
The injury has also resulted in Azam missing the national under-23 team’s preparations for the AFC Asian Cup, which is scheduled to take place in Qatar between April 15 and May 3.
The squad left for Doha on Sunday and will play three more warm-up matches against China on April 3, Qatar on either April 6 or 7, and a yet-to-be-decided game on April 10 and 11 before the competition kicks off.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has set a quarter-final target for Juan Torres Garrido’s squad but is also hoping that they could get to the semi-finals, which could earn them a spot in this year’s Paris Olympics.
Speaking to Scoop, Terengganu FC chief executive officer Mohd Sabri Abas said that Azam is currently in the club’s care and is being handled by their medical doctors with the hope of getting him recovered for the new Malaysia Super League season.
“Of course, we are sad to see his current situation as he’s a really good player for our side.
“We were told by our medical team that he will be out for roughly 6-8 weeks.
“However, our medical team has been doing their best to get him ready for the new season.
“But we know Azam’s strong character and he’s a fighter, and he will definitely come back stronger than before,” said Sabri when contacted.
Azam joined Terengganu FC from Johor Darul Ta’zim FC on loan last year and helped the east coast club to finish sixth in the Super League last season.
Azam was also part of Pan-gon’s squad when they finished as runners-up in the King’s Cup in 2022 and the Pestabola Merdeka tournament last year.
Malaysia is currently placed third in Group D of the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup qualifier after yesterday’s defeat, with six points. – April 2, 2024