PETALING JAYA: Harimau Malaya interim head coach Tan Cheng Hoe has no intention of looking back after their Hyundai AFF Cup campaign ended in the semi-finals on Wednesday.
Instead, the 58-year-old wants Malaysia to move forward and build a stronger national team with the current crop of players.
Cheng Hoe was asked about the seven naturalised players currently serving FIFA suspensions, but insisted the issue was firmly in the rear-view mirror.
He believes the players called up for the AFF Cup have shown enough potential to be developed further.
“The past is the past. I’m sure we can improve further with this batch of players,” said Cheng Hoe after their 0-2 loss to Vietnam in the AFF Cup second leg match on Wednesday at the MyDinh Stadium.
“I believe the fans will remain behind the team and support us for upcoming fixtures.”
Malaysia bowed out of the AFF Cup after suffering a 4-0 defeat on aggregate to Vietnam, who had beaten Malaysia 2-0 in the first leg clash at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium last Sunday.
Cheng Hoe remained proud of his players despite the defeat, praising the squad for keeping up with Vietnam’s pressure.
“We lost both matches but I’m happy with the commitment shown by the players,” he said.
“Vietnam fielded their best squad and they are the defending champions.
“I hope our younger players would have gained experience to continue improving,” said Cheng Hoe.
During the match, Vietnam scored in the second half through striker Rafaelson Bezerra, now known as Nguyen Xuan Son, in the 62nd and 89th minutes.
Last year, FIFA had suspended seven naturalised Malaysian players, namely Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel for falsifying documents in an eligibility case involving the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), and they were handed 12-month suspensions from official matches.
