KUALA LUMPUR – National footballer Luqman Hakim Shamsudin is calling on fans to show positivity and rally behind Harimau Muda’s under-23 AFC Asian Cup campaign.
The 22-year-old striker, with nine senior team appearances, is currently in Doha, Qatar, with coach Juan Torres Garrido’s team to strengthen their attacking line-up for the tournament, scheduled from April 15 to May 3.
The Football Association of Malaysia has set a quarter-final target for Garrido’s squad, with hopes of reaching the semi-finals and potentially securing a spot in this year’s Paris Olympics.
Speaking to Scoop from Doha, Luqman emphasised that without fan support, the team would struggle to achieve the targets set by the national body.
He urged fans to show the same level of enthusiasm demonstrated during the AFC Asian Cup in January, where Harimau Malaya finished with one point in Group E after a 4-0 loss to Jordan, a 1-0 defeat to Bahrain, and a 3-3 draw against South Korea.
“I would love to see all our fans rally behind and support us throughout our campaign in Qatar. Harimau Muda is equally important as Harimau Malaya, hence, it would be great if they could support us in the same way.
“We won’t be able to perform on the pitch without their support, and we really need their positivity to succeed.
“We also need their prayers for us to succeed so that we can play in the Paris Olympics. The fans’ prayers will push us further and encourage us to give our 200% for the team,” said Luqman when contacted.
At the same time, Luqman also said that the team appears more harmonious under Garrido’s leadership and is set to kick off their first match against Uzbekistan on April 17.
Despite being the most senior player in the team, Luqman stressed the importance of teamwork in achieving their goals.
“The environment in Qatar has been amazing over the past week, and we have been preparing really well for the tournament. Our main goal right now is to meet the KPI that was given to us.
“The team also looks more organised, and we are all more mature than before. We are really serious about our preparations, and we are not here for a vacation; we are here to achieve.
“I may be the most senior player in the team right now with my Harimau Malaya game time experience, but I don’t want to sound too arrogant by saying that I can carry the team all by myself.
“Football is a team game, and we have to work collectively to achieve our target,” Luqman added.
Garrido will be without key players Azam Azmi Murad, V. Ruventhiran, Rahadiazli Rahalim and Richard Chin for the tournament due to injuries.
In Doha, Malaysia will face Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Kuwait in Group D.
The top three teams in Doha will earn automatic Olympic berths, while the fourth-placed team will be involved in the intercontinental play-off.
The last time Malaysia’s national football squad made it to the Olympics was in the 1980 Moscow Games, where the country chose to boycott the event after the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. – April 13, 2024