KUALA LUMPUR – National head coach Peter Cklamovski appreciates and recognises the efforts of Sri Pahang players despite none of them making it to the three-phase 38-man squad training programme, which kicks off on Sunday in Johor.
Cklamovski has opted not to call up any of their players for Harimau Malaya’s latest centralised training camp ahead of the crucial 2027 AFC Asia Cup qualifiers against Vietnam next month.
This comes despite Sri Pahang’s impressive run to the Malaysia Cup final last season, where they narrowly lost 2-1 to Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT).
“Look, they did well and I respect their efforts — it’s good to have competition for places,” said Cklamovski.
“They missed out this time, but there’s always a chance for next time.”
The Australian explained that this camp is taking place under unique circumstances, following one of the longest domestic football seasons in the world.
“We’ve just come off a 15 or 16-month season — I’ve never heard of that before. So the way we phase players in is to ensure they get enough recovery. Most will have about four weeks off before coming in.”
Twenty-eight players will report for phase one beginning May 18, followed by eight more on May 25, and the final two — Dion Cools and Hector Hevel — on June 1. Malaysia will face Cape Verde in two matches — an international Tier 1 on May 29 and another closed-door friendly on June 3 — before hosting Vietnam in a pivotal Group F qualifier on June 10.
“We’re using this time to build the team toward that important game. This is the start of our prep for Vietnam,” said Cklamovski.
“And I want to thank His Highness The Regeant of Johor Tungku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim for making the best facilities available. We’re creating a high-performance environment here.”
Six players from the national Under-23 squad are also part of the programme — something Cklamovski sees as a long-term investment.
“These players have an important campaign coming up. In July, they head to the AFF tournament, then the (U-23) Asian Cup qualifiers in September. If we’re serious about 2030 and the World Cup, these are the guys we have to get ready now.”
Cklamovski said player selection remains open and competitive, even for those who didn’t get much game time last season, like Junior Eldstal and Shio Hong Wan, who surprisingly got called up.
“I’m watching everything. Junior is training very hard at JDT and also the players from other clubs — it’s all about hunger and intensity. I can’t select 100 players, but everyone in camp knows they’re being evaluated, from the first day to the last.”
As for the upcoming matches against Cape Verde, Cklamovski sees them as valuable preparation.
“They’re a strong African side, most of their players are based in Portugal and Europe. It’s a great test early in our camp. We want to be aggressive, we want to score — and we want to keep learning.”
Separately, Cklamovski also welcomed the addition of Tan Cheng Hoe as technical director — a move he sees as strengthening the overall project.
“It’s a great appointment. Coach Tan will support everything from senior to youth levels. His experience and insights will add to our DNA and help inject that into our future teams.” – May 15, 2025