PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) players have been left out of the national squad for the friendlies against China and Yemen because of the club's congested fixture list in November, says Harimau Malaya interim head coach Tan Cheng Hoe.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) on Tuesday named a 24-player squad for the two international friendlies, against China on Nov 14 and Yemen on Nov 17 and none of the JDT players will be in action during these games.
Cheng Hoe said JDT are scheduled to play four matches this month, including crucial fixtures in the Asian Champions League and the Shopee Cup, as well as an FA Cup semi-finals.
"In this month alone, JDT are scheduled to play four matches involving several crucial fixtures in the Asian Champions League, the Shopee Cup, as well as the FA Cup semi-final action," he said in a statement issued on Wednesday (Nov 4).
"Besides giving room for JDT to manage their congested competition schedule, I also took into account the importance of them maintaining full focus on the Asian stage.
"This is because JDT have the opportunity to continue adding to Malaysia's points collection in the Member Association (MA) Ranking, which will benefit the standing of the country's football at the Asian level," he said.
Of the 24 players, 11 were part of the Harimau Malaya squad that played in the FIFA Asean Cup in Indonesia.
Another 11 have been recalled to reinforce the team, three of whom featured in the Hyundai AFF Cup, while two players, winger A. Selvan and midfielder Ahmad Haziq Kutty Abba, earned their first national call-ups.
Cheng Hoe said the selection aimed to give more players a chance to prove their capabilities and potential.
"For the two friendlies, I am taking the approach of giving opportunities to players, including two new faces, to join the Harimau Malaya national squad.
"I want to assess their capability, quality, and suitability to perform at the international level, in addition to evaluating how well they can adapt to the team's playing style and requirements.
"This is also an important opportunity for us to widen the pool of players who can be considered to form a more competitive national squad in the future," he said.
He added that the approach was important because the next FIFA international window is only in March 2027, making the matches against China and Yemen a key platform to assess more players before the next phase of preparation.
"Of course, we want to give opportunities to players who have not had much playing time with the national squad. We need to look at a broader selection of players and identify those with the potential to be part of Harimau Malaya's plans.
"These two matches are not just about securing positive results, but are also important as part of the team-building process and preparing the squad to face bigger challenges in the future," he explained.
Cheng Hoe also stressed that both friendlies must be fully utilised as early preparation for the 2030 World Cup and 2032 Asian Cup qualifying campaign.
"Therefore, this preparation period will be used as best as possible to evaluate individual performance, build chemistry among players, and strengthen tactical understanding within the team.
"I hope all players who received the call-up this time will make full use of the opportunity given, demonstrate high commitment, and put on their best performance when wearing the national jersey," he added.
