National Under-23 coach Ong Kim Swee said there was no way they could afford to “dilute” the squad by breaking up the two competitions because of the tight playing schedules.
“There is no way we can have a second team ... we don’t want to get bashed up by our opponents,” said Kim Swee yesterday.
The FA of Malaysia (FAM) have yet to receive a reply from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on their request to postpone the Asian Zone qualifier against Syria on Nov 23 in order to give them enough breathing space to also compete in the SEA Games.
Kim Swee, who handles the Harimau Muda A team, has been given the mandate to take charge of both assignments – the Olympic qualifiers and SEA Games.
The SEA Games football matches will kick off on Nov 7 and the final is on Nov 22. Malaysia’s campaign in the Olympic qualifiers begins with an away match against Japan on Sept 21, followed by two home matches against Syria (Nov 23) and Bahrain (Nov 27).
Malaysia, who won the SEA Games gold medal after a lapse of 20 years in 2009, will start as the favourites in Indonesia.
Should they qualify for the final on Nov 22, there is no way they can play the Olympic qualifying match against Syria in Kuala Lumpur the next day.
Under FIFA’s competition rules, players must have at least 48 hours of rest after an international game.
Kim Swee is keeping his fingers crossed for a favourable reply from the AFC.
“There is no way we will field a second team. Time is short and I hope to put into practice what I have done with the boys in Slovakia to good use,” said Kim Swee, who resumed training with the squad at the Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya yesterday after a three-day break for the Hari Raya celebrations.
The team returned from their five-week playing stint in Slovakia against Eastern European club sides on Sunday, recording five wins and two losses.
Kim Swee will have two more warm-up matches for his team – against Iraqi Premier League side Arbil SC on Nov 8 and their counterparts from Oman on Sept 14 – before they leave for Fukuoka on Nov 16.
Expectations are high on Kim Swee’s boys to qualify for the final at the SEA Games although not much is expected of them in the Olympic qualifiers.
His men beat Pakistan 2-0 on aggregate and Lebanon 2-1 on aggregate in the opening two rounds to qualify for the final round of last 12, where the teams will be divided into three groups of four teams each.
“There is no way we can have a second team ... we don’t want to get bashed up by our opponents,” said Kim Swee yesterday.
The FA of Malaysia (FAM) have yet to receive a reply from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on their request to postpone the Asian Zone qualifier against Syria on Nov 23 in order to give them enough breathing space to also compete in the SEA Games.
Kim Swee, who handles the Harimau Muda A team, has been given the mandate to take charge of both assignments – the Olympic qualifiers and SEA Games.
The SEA Games football matches will kick off on Nov 7 and the final is on Nov 22. Malaysia’s campaign in the Olympic qualifiers begins with an away match against Japan on Sept 21, followed by two home matches against Syria (Nov 23) and Bahrain (Nov 27).
Malaysia, who won the SEA Games gold medal after a lapse of 20 years in 2009, will start as the favourites in Indonesia.
Should they qualify for the final on Nov 22, there is no way they can play the Olympic qualifying match against Syria in Kuala Lumpur the next day.
Under FIFA’s competition rules, players must have at least 48 hours of rest after an international game.
Kim Swee is keeping his fingers crossed for a favourable reply from the AFC.
“There is no way we will field a second team. Time is short and I hope to put into practice what I have done with the boys in Slovakia to good use,” said Kim Swee, who resumed training with the squad at the Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya yesterday after a three-day break for the Hari Raya celebrations.
The team returned from their five-week playing stint in Slovakia against Eastern European club sides on Sunday, recording five wins and two losses.
Kim Swee will have two more warm-up matches for his team – against Iraqi Premier League side Arbil SC on Nov 8 and their counterparts from Oman on Sept 14 – before they leave for Fukuoka on Nov 16.
Expectations are high on Kim Swee’s boys to qualify for the final at the SEA Games although not much is expected of them in the Olympic qualifiers.
His men beat Pakistan 2-0 on aggregate and Lebanon 2-1 on aggregate in the opening two rounds to qualify for the final round of last 12, where the teams will be divided into three groups of four teams each.
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