He’s not on a cliff edge

Ready to lead: Aiman Afif Md Afizul (in yellow) in action for the Malaysian Under-23 team in their friendly against Kuala Lumpur. — FAM

PETALING JAYA: Promising star Aiman Afif Md Afizul has promised to play his new role as the captain of the Under-23 team to a tee.

Coach Brad Maloney has picked the Kedahan as the skipper to lead the team when they face Myanmar in the opening Group B game of the AFF Under-23 championship in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, today.

Malaysia will face Laos on Friday.

The 20-year-old Aiman, who is nicknamed “Budak Tebing” due to his resemblance to the character played by actor Aedy Ashray in the Malay TV series, said he would be committed to leading the team.

“It’s an honour but it’s also a huge responsibility. I am prepared for the task as our coach has guided me along the way during the centralised training camp,” said Aiman, who plays for Kedah in the Super League.

He is also hoping to get the support of others teammates with leadership qualities like Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar, Ahmad Zikri Khalili, Azfar Fikri Azhar and A. Shivan Pillay.

“I don’t have to worry because I will have the guidance of the other lads too. Good communication is the key to managing the team well during the games. I will do my best and make everyone in Malaysia proud of us in this tournament.”

Aiman said they would be ready to face Myanmar although their rivals’ coach Velizar Popov stated that his team’s training has been disrupted due to political instability in the country and the Covid-19 pandemic.

“They are fast. I have seen their games, and some of their players have good quality. So we have to be at our 100%,” he said.

“We’ve not played against them but we have studied their strengths.

“We’ll show the same commitment against Laos too.”

Meanwhile, Maloney said that Aiman, who can play as a centreback and striker, was the best choice.

“He has been with me since day one in 2019 and has been part of every team that we selected for tournaments,” added Maloney.

Malaysia are eyeing to top the group to qualify for the semi-finals on Feb 24 and hopefully go all the way to the final on Feb 26. Group A: Cambodia, Timor Leste, the Philippines, Brunei Group B: Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos Group C: Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore FIXTURESTODAYGroup B Malaysia vs Myanmar (Prince Stadium, Phnom Penh, 5pm) TOMORROWGroup C THAILAND vs SINGAPORE (Prince Stadium, Phnom Penh, 8pm)

THE DRAW