PETALING JAYA: The stage is set for youngsters and new faces to stake their claim for a place in Harimau Malaya.
With Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) players left out, the door is wide open for others to prove their worth in the national team’s friendlies against China on Nov 14 and Yemen on Nov 17.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) named a 24-player squad on Tuesday, with interim head coach Tan Cheng Hoe keen to use the matches to assess the capabilities and potential of more players.
“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,” said Cheng Hoe.
Of the 24 players, 11 were part of the national 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.
“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,” said Cheng Hoe.
“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.
“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 said the JDT players had been left out because of the club’s congested fixture list in November.
“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.
“I’ve also taken 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 added.
