All hands on deck: The Malaysian football team players at a training session. — GLENN GUAN/The Star
BANGKOK: Key striker Haqimi Azim Rosli has gone home in mourning and Ahmad Haziq Kutty Abba is out injured. However, Selangor winger Aliff Izwan Yuslan has joined the team while defender Aiman Yusof has also recovered from fever.
Malaysia Under-23 football coach Nafuzi Zain has mixed feelings as his team gear up for the crucial SEA Games Group B clash against Vietnam tomorrow.
Nafuzi confirmed that forward Haqimi returned to Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday following the passing of his stepfather, Sharol Asikin Mohd Shariff, who died after suffering a stroke a day earlier.
“I want to express my deepest condolences to his family,” said Nafuzi. “He flew back to Kuala Lumpur in the afternoon.”
The 22-year-old Haqimi could yet feature in the Games.
“I told him to settle matters at home first, then decide if he wants to return to Bangkok for the game against Vietnam. As a coach, of course I need him - he’s an important player for us. But we will see how he feels. If all goes well, he could return today before the match.”
Haqimi, who scored in Malaysia’s 4–1 win over Laos in their opening match, shared a heartfelt message on social media announcing his stepfather’s passing.
“It was very sudden and difficult for our family to accept, but we are at peace with God’s will,” he wrote.
Nafuzi said the camp had received both “good and bad news” ahead of the Vietnam showdown at the Rajamangala Stadium tomorrow.
Aliff has been released by Selangor and arrived in Bangkok yesterday evening. Defender Aiman has also recovered from a fever and is available for selection.
However, Ahmad Haziq has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament with a hamstring injury while midfielder Fergus Tierney will also miss the Games, with Sabah opting to keep him for league fixtures and the FA Cup final.
“As a coach, every period brings new challenges,” said Nafuzi.
“This is part of the process. Player release is tough when the tournament isn’t on the FIFA calendar. We’ll work with what we have. We achieved what we wanted in the first game, and now we must ensure success in the next.”
Malaysia will face a much stronger test in Vietnam, the reigning AFF Under-23 champions.
“Against Laos, we didn’t have some key players but the others stepped up,” said Nafuzi.
“But Vietnam is a whole different challenge. We might have to prepare differently. We could change our playing style,” he said.
A draw will be enough for Malaysia to progress.
“Vietnam are the favourites. They are strong in many aspects, but we will focus on what we need to do. We must not lose to them. Even a draw puts us into the next round.”
He singled out Vietnam’s rising star, Nguyen Dinh Bac, as a major threat.
“He’s a quality player – someone who can win you games. I follow him a lot; he performs well for both club and country. But of course, we must also be mindful of the other players.”
For now, Nafuzi’s thoughts are only on a place in the knockout stage.
