SEA Games football: Coach Brad Maloney is in trouble due to low participation in the SEA Games training camp.
SEA Games football: After low participation in the SEA Games consolidated training camp at Wisma FAM. Also, National Under-23 football team coach Brad Maloney has admitted that he would have to make do with what is available. On the opening day of the consolidated training camp on Tuesday. Just five of the 31 Under-23 squad members called up were present. In 2017, the squad had similar problems with a low player turnout for the AFC Under-23 Championship qualifications in Bangkok. But they still managed to turn the corner to win their group and qualify for the finals. Maloney, who was an assistant coach with the squad at the time, regrets it. It is completely aware of the difficulty and is familiar with the issue.
Before going to Hanoi, the Australian coach has scheduled two warm-up matches. It is against Timor Leste on April 29 and the Philippines on May 1. Also, he now expects to have the entire squad together before their match against Timor Leste.
“All of the players are expected to report for the camp, and we have contacted the M-League teams,” Brad Maloney said.
“They have guaranteed us that their players would have released for the SEA Games,” Maloney said yesterday at the National Sports Council in Bukit Jalil.
Maloney feels that if he can put together the squad possible. He can accomplish something at the biannual Games from May 12-23.
“We’ve been in a similar scenario previously and had managed to emerge stronger and with excellent outcomes. It’s not ideal, but we’ll have to find a way to deal with what we’ve got.”
SEA Games football: Coach Brad Maloney
Maloney also mentioned the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup, which will be hosted in Uzbekistan. It is from June 1 to 19. It will be worth watching.
“We’re in a unique scenario where we have to make decisions on the fly.” “We can have a favorable result if we can acquire the core of the team,” Maloney remarked.
Malaysia is in Group B for the SEA Games and will face Thailand on May 7. while in Laos on May 11, Singapore on May 14, and Cambodia on May 16, at the Thien Truong Stadium in Nam Dinh. The group’s top two teams will proceed to the semi-finals. Then, Malaysia won silver in the 2017 event on home ground but did to go beyond the group stage in the 2019 edition in the Philippines. The last time Malaysia won a football gold medal was in Indonesia in 2011. It’s when Datuk Ong Kim Swee was in charge.
Read more at OKBET: Sea Games Volleyball: Volleyball in the Philippines is ramping up its training in Brazil.
Image Credit: www.malaymail.com
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