SEA Games squad may include injured players

Coach Ong Kim Swee may take his injured players to Jakarta for the men’s Under-23 SEA Games football competition, provided they have a good chance of fully recovering there.

 Kim Swee was referring to the quartet of defender Mohd Amer Saidin and midfielders Wan Zack Haikal Wan Nor, Gary Steven Robbat and Wan Zaharulnizam Zakaria.

“I have a few more days to decide on the team list for the Indonesia SEA Games,” said Kim Swee after his side beat their Laos counterpart 4-1 in a friendly at the Shah Alam Stadium yesterday.

“I hope Gary, Wan Zack, Amer and Wan Zaharulnizam will recover in time … but if they don’t, I might take along those who have a good chance of recovering in Jakarta.”

Meanwhile, Kim Swee slammed his players’ complacency in the friendly against Laos, which was the team’s final preparation for the SEA Games.

Malaysia had to stage a comeback in the second half after going a goal down to Laos’ Sangvonie Pnomsoovan in the 20th minute.

Rightback Fandi Othman equalised for Malaysia in the 62nd minute before going 3-1 up, thanks to a brace by winger Syahrul Azwari Ibrahim (72nd, 77th).

Striker A. Thamil Arasu then added the fourth goal in the 82nd minute before the match was ended three minutes early due to the water-logged pitch.

“The players took it easy … we must not have this kind of attitute,” said Kim Swee.

“We bounced back in the second half to win the match but the players must remember that it won’t be easy to make a comeback against tougher opponents.”

Kim Swee is expected to name his squad to Jakarta on Wednesday.

Defending champions Malaysia have been drawn in the “Group of Death” with hosts Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia in Group A.

They will leave for Jakarta on Saturday and open their Group A campaign against Singapore on Nov 7, followed by Thailand (Nov 9), Cam-bodia (Nov 13) and Indonesia (Nov 17). All the matches will be played at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

Vietnam, the losing finalists in the Laos Games two years ago, are in Group B with Myanmar, the Philippines, Timor Leste, Laos and Brunei.