KUALA LUMPUR – It will be the biggest success story if the national Under-23 football team makes it to the Paris Olympics this year, as it will be a monumental task for the squad.
Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin is aware of the battle the boys have ahead in the Under-23 Asian Cup in April.
“As the president of FAM, this will be a great success story because for the Under-23 team, qualifying for the Olympics is equivalent to the senior team qualifying for the World Cup.”
He said that it will not be easy because only the top three teams from the Under-23 Asian Cup get to go to Paris for the Olympics this year, while the fourth ranked team will have to go to the playoffs against an African team.
The tournament is set to take place in Doha, Qatar from April 15 to May 3.
Earlier this year, the senior team bowed out of the group stages after losing two matches against finalist Jordan and Bahrain. However, the players managed to snatch a late equaliser to draw against Asian giants South Korea.
Meanwhile, Harimau Muda booked their place at the Under-23 Asian Cup by emerging as one of the four best second-placed teams during the qualifying rounds.
In Doha, they have been drawn into Group D with Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Kuwait. The Young Tigers will open their campaign against the Uzbeks on April 17.
“I have done my research and I know that Uzbekistan and Vietnam players who played at the recently concluded Asian Cup.
“The Uzbeks have seven players and Vietnam have nine players who had the exposure to play with the senior teams last month. The Vietnam players filled in the spots left by the senior players who were injured.
“We need to realise our level but whatever it is, the best has to be given and at least try to make it to the quarterfinals,” Hamidin said.
Recently, Hamidin mentioned to Scoop that he will not put pressure on the players but would like to motivate the team to do better.
At the same time, Hamidin said Juan Torres Garrido’s side will play at least six friendlies in preparation for the Under-23 Asian Cup.
He said that there will be three home matches and three away matches for Harimau Muda, which will be held in Qatar.
“At the moment, I can confirm that Harimau Muda will take on India at home and play Qatar in Doha. Yesterday, I received confirmation that we will play India and two other teams before leaving for Qatar.”
Harimau Muda is also hoping to play Japan in Qatar as part of their warm-up to the Under 23 Asian Cup. – February 22, 2024