PETALING JAYA: One is expected but the other came as a surprise as wingers Faisal Halim and Arif Aiman Hanapi have been left out of the 26-men squad selected by coach Kim Pan-gon for the final two Group D matches of the World Cup 2026-Asian Cup 2027 second-round qualifiers.
Faisal is out as he is still recovering from a recent acid attack incident but Johor Darul Ta’zim’s head coach Hector Bidoglio confirmed that their star player Arif is out with an injury.
“He has a problem with his ankle, so we are being cautious because he is an important player,” said Bidoglio in the post-match press conference after beating Negri Sembilan 3-1.
Arif and Faisal have always been earmarked as the ‘Twin Terrors’ of Harimau Malaya thanks to their formidable and dynamic displays from the flanks. Their absence will surely be felt but Pan-gon has players to deputise for them.
Their replacements are Kuala Lumpur striker-cum-winger Haqimi Azim Rosli and Terengganu winger Engku Mohd Nur Shakir Engku Yacob.
The other flankers picked are Terengganu’s star duo, Safawi Rasid and Akhyar Rashid.
Akhyar has shown positive progress since returning to play after being assaulted and robbed in Terengganu almost three weeks ago.
The Harimau Malaya squad will play their fifth match of Group D against Kyrgyzstan on June 6 at the Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek before flying home for the sixth match against Taiwan at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil on June 11.
Upfront, Syafiq Ahmad returns to the squad as he has been impressive in the Super League since joining Kedah on loan from JDT this season.
Pan-gon has retained a 16 of the 24 players from the squad for the two World Cup 2026-Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers matches against Oman on March 21 and 26.
“Several players had to be sidelined due to injury problems such as Faisal, Arif, Azam Azmi Murad and Romel Morales,” said the statement from the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
Other new players on the list are goalkeeper Kalamullah Al-Hafiz Mat Rowi (Kedah), Adib Abd Raop (Penang), Feroz Baharudin (JDT), Declan Lambert (Kuala Lumpur).
The only overseas-based player is centreback Dion Cools, who plies his trade for Thai League champs Buriram United.
