PETALING JAYA: Versatile defender and captain Dion Cools (pic) will miss the friendly game against New Zealand at the North Harbour Stadium in Auckland on Oct 14 but the national team are not fretting.
The 28-year-old Dion, who is a key player for Thai club Buriram United, will not be able to join Harimau Malaya due to personal reasons.
Matthew Davies will be given the armband against the Kiwis while Davies will be strongly supported by midfielder Syamer Kutty Abba.
The 27-year-old Syamer says there are others who are capable of replacing Dion.
“It’s not a problem because we have other players who can fill his role,” said Syamer, who has won 37 caps with the nation since 2017.
“It is also a chance for others to step up and show they have what it takes to play for the team.”
Defender Dion usually partners with Dominic Tan, but others like centrebacks Feroz Baharuddin (Johor Darul Ta’zim), Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar (Selangor) and Safwan Mazlan (Terengganu), will have to step in.
Syamer said the match against the world No. 97 New Zealand would be a good platform to measure their improvement over the months.
“This is the best preparation for us to see how far we have gone in the game. The target is to win.”
Coach Pau Marti Vicente is also staying positive.
“Dion’s absence will not affect us because all players have important role to play. We are a strong team. If anyone is missing, we have able replacements,” said the Spaniard.
“We have many leaders besides Dion. Matthew will take over the captaincy. Syamer has leadership traits as well, so they can help each other.
“This is collective work and everybody must feel important.”
Malaysia will also play a club from New Zealand in a practice match on Oct 11.
Meanwhile, Vicente said there would not be other friendly matches. The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) had tried to make arrangements with Solomon Islands, Fiji, Tahiti, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea but these teams were not available due to the 2026 World Cup qualifiers from Oct 10-12.
