KUALA LUMPUR – The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is currently arranging two additional international friendlies for the national under-23 team ahead of the Asian Cup.
The sixth edition of the tournament is scheduled to take place in Qatar from April 15 to May 3.
The squad left for Doha on Sunday to play two warm-up matches.
The first match was played against China last night and was a closed-doors affair, which the Harimau Muda lost 1-2 at Qatar University.
They will then face Qatar this Sunday, and a yet-to-be-decided game on April 10 or 11 before the competition kicks off.
The governing body has set a quarter-final target for Juan Torres Garrido’s squad but also hopes they could reach the semi-finals, potentially earning them a spot in this year’s Paris Olympics.
Speaking to Scoop, FAM president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin said the governing body was in talks with two Middle Eastern countries and clubs to ensure the players would get enough game time prior to the tournament.
“For now, we can confirm that the boys will be playing China and Qatar this week, and according to coach Juan, everything is going well in Doha.
“I was informed that the boys have adapted well to the surroundings in Qatar and have been showing a lot of progress in their training.
“However, we, from the management level, still believe that the boys require two more friendlies to prepare themselves for the tournament as the teams there are strong, hence the boys need to be well prepared.
“We will be finalising the remaining two friendlies in the next few days,” said Hamidin when contacted.
Garrido will be without key players Azam Azmi Murad, V. Ruventhiran, Rahadiazli Rahalim and Richard Chin during the under-23 Asian Cup due to injuries.
In Doha, Malaysia will face Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Kuwait in Group D.
The top three teams in Doha will earn automatic Olympic berths, while the fourth-placed team will be involved in the intercontinental play-off.
The last time Malaysia’s national football squad made it to the Olympics was in the 1980 Moscow Games.
However, the country chose to boycott that event after the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. – April 5, 2024