KUALA LUMPUR – National futsal head coach Rakphol Sainetngam wants his team to improve their performance if they wish to increase their world ranking in the years to come.
The 45-year-old coach’s response came following Malaysia’s 3-3 draw against Afghanistan, ranked 53rd in the world, in the opening match of the NSDF Futsal Championship in Nonthaburi, Thailand yesterday.
Malaysia, ranked 77th in the world, saw goals scored by Mohamad Awalluddin in the 30th and 40th minutes, along with Ahmad Harith Naim in the 34th minute.
Rakphol, who is under a two-year contract with the Football Association of Malaysia, replacing Chiew Chun Yong last year, is highly rated in the Futsal Thai League.
He was named the league’s best coach from 2010 to 2017, and he has also coached in Indonesia, where he guided Black Steel FC to the AFF Futsal Club Championship crown in Korat last year.
Speaking to Scoop from Nonthaburi, Rakphol said that his team, with an average age of 23, should make full use of the NSDF Futsal Championship if they hoped to succeed in prestigious tournaments like the AFC Futsal Asian Cup in the years to come.
“We had a good opening game, but our finishing was really bad in many areas of the game. We need to play more international friendly matches if we want to improve and become better in tournaments like the AFC Futsal Asian Cup.
“We had a short-term training for this tournament as the Malaysia Premier Futsal League is still ongoing, hence the players we selected are really young.
“Previously, we were rotating with a lot of older players. When I came on board last year, my aim was to create a fresh team so that Malaysia prevail in the long run, as youth are always the future in any sport.
“In this NSDF tournament, our ranking is lower compared to our competitors. We are ranked number 77 in the world, but that doesn’t mean that we are inferior to them in any manner.
“Our players can also perform; it’s just that they need to be consistent whenever they step on the court.
“This tournament is also good preparation for us to increase our world rankings and qualify for the Asean Indoor Futsal Championship, scheduled to take place in November in Thailand, so our players have to improve,” said Rakphol when contacted.
Rakphol also said that Malaysia should not take Thailand lightly in their second match of the NSDF championship, citing that their opponents were superior in terms of their skills and tactics.
“In our next game, we need to understand that Thailand are far more superior to us as they are a top-five team in Asia. We really need to improve our defence and be confident.
“Thailand lost their match against Australia, and we now know their flaws. At the same time, I have also played for the country and become their coach on several occasions, hence, I know the team very well.
“I want to use this as an advantage and ensure that we prevail in our match against them,”Rakphol added.
With their opening-day draw, Malaysia currently rank third in the tournament with one point, while Afghanistan stand second with the same number of points, and Australia are top with three points following their 4-3 win against Thailand yesterday.
The final and the third- and fourth-place playoff are scheduled to take place on Thursday. – March 25, 2024