PETALING JAYA: National Under-19 football team coach Nafuzi Zain believes his young squad are prepared for the tough challenges awaiting them at the 2026 Asean Under-19 Championship in Indonesia next month.
The 48-year-old said such high-intensity matches are necessary for the development of his players.
“These are the kinds of matches our players need in order to grow.
“We respect every opponent and will prepare as best as possible to give ourselves the best opportunity,” he added.
Nafuzi has named a squad featuring 15 players from Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), including 17-year-old Arayyan Hakeem Norizam (pic).
Six players are from Selangor, while Cristian club NK Trnje and MISC-Touchtronics FC each contribute one player - Luka Jordy Hodak, who is the son of former Kuala Lumpur coach Bojan Hodak, and R. Pravinash.
The Harimau Malaya Under-19 squad departed for Medan, Indonesia, on yesterday.
Malaysia are drawn in Group B with Thailand, Singapore and Brunei.
Defending champions Indonesia headline Group A alongside Vietnam, Timor-Leste and Myanmar while Group C consists of Australia, Cambodia and the Philippines.
Malaysia will begin their campaign against Singapore on June 2 before facing Brunei on June 5 and Thailand on June 8.
Nafuzi’s team are using the competition to prepare for their qualification campaign for the AFC Under-20 Asian Cup taking place in Laos from Aug 31-Sept 6.
Malaysia have won the Asean Under-19 title twice in 2018 under Hodak in Surabaya and in 2022 under Hassan Sazali Waras in Jakarta and Bekasi.
They have also finished runners-up six times, third once and fourth on three occasions.
At the previous edition in Surabaya in 2024, Malaysia, then coached by Juan Torres Garrido, finished fourth after losing to Australia in a penalty shootout.
