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Malaysia Announce Yemen And Togo Friendlies
Harimau Malaya announce squad...
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Feb 22, 2010 7:55:00 PM
By Shamim Imran, Khairi Rizal & Izan Suleiman
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) recently announced that the national team will be involved in two friendly matches in Kuala Lumpur within the next ten days, as part of their preparations for the Guangzhou Asian Games (Under-23) in November and Asean Football Federation Cup (Suzuki Cup, formerly known as the Tiger Cup), a month later.
On February 27, K. Rajagobal’s squad will meet 105th ranked Yemen, while four days later they will welcome 70th ranked Togo, marking the African’s side’s return to international action following the fatal ambush in Angola just before the start of the 2010 African Cup of Nations.
While the Tigers have never met the Sparrow Hawks of Togo, Malaysia faced Yemen twice before, though their most recent meeting occurred 20 years ago in Kuala Lumpur in a friendly match that ended 1-0 in favour of the unified visitors. In the only other meeting six years before that, Malaysia thrashed the Middle Eastern nation 4-1, then known as North Yemen, during the 1984 Asian Nations Cup (now known as the Asian Cup) qualifier in India.
According to a local daily, both the matches have been classified as 'A' internationals by FIFA but it is not known if Togo’s European-based players, including Manchester City's Emmanuel Adebayor, will be in the squad to KL. It is believed a majority of them are still suffering from the tragic consequences that befell their squad which resulted in the killing of three of their team members in Angola, forcing the Togolese government to order a withdrawal from the Africa’s premier football tournament.
The Yemenis have been involved in four matches since the turn of the year, winning and losing twice, all at home. Their defeats came in a friendly against Tajikistan (0-1) in early January, and narrowly to Japan (2-3) in an Asian Cup group qualifier. Victories meanwhile have arrived recently in a friendly against Kenya (3-0) and an Asian Cup group qualifier against Bahrain (3-1). Togo meanwhile are yet to play this year, since withdrawing from the African Cup of Nations.
National coach K.Rajagobal has called up five new faces in his 24-man squad for both matches. Amongst the newbies are defender Alif Samsuddin from Negeri Sembilan, midfielders Yong Kuong Yong (Kuala Lumpur), Muhaimin Omar (Terengganu) and Faizal Abu Bakar (Kedah), and forward S.Chanturu from Kelantan.
Selangor’s Amri Yahyah and Amirulhadi Zainal, as well as Terengganu’s Manaf Mamat and Perlis’ Mazlizam Mohamad have been dropped together with three players who left to join the National Under-21’s Tour of Slovakia. They are defenders Muslim Ahmad and Mahalli Jasuli and midfielder K.Gurusamy.
Speaking to a local daily, Rajagobal said he decided against calling up two separate teams of the senior and Under-23 players as it would be of no benefit to leave anyone on the sidelines and not being provided with an opportunity to prove their worth.
"It is better that the players who are called up know that they have a chance to force their way into the team whether it is the senior team or Under-23 team. Rather than having 30 or 35 players and leave some out later, this amount of players is just about the right number," he concluded.
Malaysia, whose FIFA ranking is at a lowly 159th, last played an international fixture on January 6, 2010 when they lost to an injury time goal at the United Arab Emirates in an Asian Cup group qualifier.
Kedah dominates the list of call-up’s with six players, followed by Negeri Sembilan and Selangor with four each. Terengganu and Perlis are next with three each, with Kelantan supplying two players following suit. Kuala Lumpur and PLUS FC contribute each of the remaining two figures in K.Rajagobal’s squad.
Goalkeepers: Farizal Marlias (Perlis), Sharbinee Allawee (Terengganu), Abdul Hadi (Kedah)
Defenders: Azmi Muslim (Kedah), Sabre Abu (Kedah), Khairul Helmi (Kedah), Norhafiz Zamani (PLUS FC), Asraruddin Putra (Selangor), Aidil Zafuan (Negeri Sembilan), Alif Samsudin (Negeri Sembilan), Nasriq Baharom (Selangor), Muhaimin Omar (Terengganu)
Midfielders: Yong Kuong Yong (Kuala Lumpur), Bunyamin Umar (Selangor), Safiq Rahim (Selangor), S.Kunalan (Negeri Sembilan), Amar Rohidan (Perlis), Baddrol Bakhtiar (Kedah), Faizal Abu Bakar (Kedah)
Strikers: Fakri Saarani (Perlis), Zaquan Adha (Negeri Sembilan), Ashaari Samsudin (Terengganu), S.Chanturu (Kelantan), Norshahrul Idlan (Kelantan)
On February 27, K. Rajagobal’s squad will meet 105th ranked Yemen, while four days later they will welcome 70th ranked Togo, marking the African’s side’s return to international action following the fatal ambush in Angola just before the start of the 2010 African Cup of Nations.
While the Tigers have never met the Sparrow Hawks of Togo, Malaysia faced Yemen twice before, though their most recent meeting occurred 20 years ago in Kuala Lumpur in a friendly match that ended 1-0 in favour of the unified visitors. In the only other meeting six years before that, Malaysia thrashed the Middle Eastern nation 4-1, then known as North Yemen, during the 1984 Asian Nations Cup (now known as the Asian Cup) qualifier in India.
According to a local daily, both the matches have been classified as 'A' internationals by FIFA but it is not known if Togo’s European-based players, including Manchester City's Emmanuel Adebayor, will be in the squad to KL. It is believed a majority of them are still suffering from the tragic consequences that befell their squad which resulted in the killing of three of their team members in Angola, forcing the Togolese government to order a withdrawal from the Africa’s premier football tournament.
The Yemenis have been involved in four matches since the turn of the year, winning and losing twice, all at home. Their defeats came in a friendly against Tajikistan (0-1) in early January, and narrowly to Japan (2-3) in an Asian Cup group qualifier. Victories meanwhile have arrived recently in a friendly against Kenya (3-0) and an Asian Cup group qualifier against Bahrain (3-1). Togo meanwhile are yet to play this year, since withdrawing from the African Cup of Nations.
National coach K.Rajagobal has called up five new faces in his 24-man squad for both matches. Amongst the newbies are defender Alif Samsuddin from Negeri Sembilan, midfielders Yong Kuong Yong (Kuala Lumpur), Muhaimin Omar (Terengganu) and Faizal Abu Bakar (Kedah), and forward S.Chanturu from Kelantan.
Selangor’s Amri Yahyah and Amirulhadi Zainal, as well as Terengganu’s Manaf Mamat and Perlis’ Mazlizam Mohamad have been dropped together with three players who left to join the National Under-21’s Tour of Slovakia. They are defenders Muslim Ahmad and Mahalli Jasuli and midfielder K.Gurusamy.
Speaking to a local daily, Rajagobal said he decided against calling up two separate teams of the senior and Under-23 players as it would be of no benefit to leave anyone on the sidelines and not being provided with an opportunity to prove their worth.
"It is better that the players who are called up know that they have a chance to force their way into the team whether it is the senior team or Under-23 team. Rather than having 30 or 35 players and leave some out later, this amount of players is just about the right number," he concluded.
Malaysia, whose FIFA ranking is at a lowly 159th, last played an international fixture on January 6, 2010 when they lost to an injury time goal at the United Arab Emirates in an Asian Cup group qualifier.
Kedah dominates the list of call-up’s with six players, followed by Negeri Sembilan and Selangor with four each. Terengganu and Perlis are next with three each, with Kelantan supplying two players following suit. Kuala Lumpur and PLUS FC contribute each of the remaining two figures in K.Rajagobal’s squad.
Goalkeepers: Farizal Marlias (Perlis), Sharbinee Allawee (Terengganu), Abdul Hadi (Kedah)
Defenders: Azmi Muslim (Kedah), Sabre Abu (Kedah), Khairul Helmi (Kedah), Norhafiz Zamani (PLUS FC), Asraruddin Putra (Selangor), Aidil Zafuan (Negeri Sembilan), Alif Samsudin (Negeri Sembilan), Nasriq Baharom (Selangor), Muhaimin Omar (Terengganu)
Midfielders: Yong Kuong Yong (Kuala Lumpur), Bunyamin Umar (Selangor), Safiq Rahim (Selangor), S.Kunalan (Negeri Sembilan), Amar Rohidan (Perlis), Baddrol Bakhtiar (Kedah), Faizal Abu Bakar (Kedah)
Strikers: Fakri Saarani (Perlis), Zaquan Adha (Negeri Sembilan), Ashaari Samsudin (Terengganu), S.Chanturu (Kelantan), Norshahrul Idlan (Kelantan)
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