Malaysia’s success in winning back-to-back SEA Games football gold is a positive sign of the development work carried out by the FA of Malaysia (FAM).
The Harimau Muda (Young Tigers) team’s extensive exposure in Slovakia plus their playing stints in the Premier (Under-19) and Super Leagues (Under-21) have shown positive results. But this is not the ideal preparation if they are to become world beaters.
The SEA Games are just the stepping stone as there is a vast disparity in standards when it comes to playing against top teams in Asia. That is what FAM should be looking at.
Let the good times roll: Coach Ong Kim Swee (centre in blue) hugging his players after the final against Indonesia on Monday.
The SEA Games success, while laudable, must be taken in context: Malaysia are, at the moment, big fish in a very small pond.
A good example is the reminder Japan gave coach Ong Kim Swee’s Under-22 boys in beating them 2-0, in their opening match of the Asian Zone final round qualifier for the London Olympics, in Fukuoka a couple of months ago. Malaysia were let off the hook despite Japan having 26 shots at goal to Malaysia’s meagre two.
The pragmatic Kim Swee is well aware that his boys have a long way to go.
“We are on the right track, but there is much work to be done,” said Kim Swee, who feels that the players would benefit more by having stints with top clubs in Europe on a regular basis.
He said, for example, the three players on loan to FC Vion in Slovakia’s Corgon Liga could only improve from the experience.
Indonesia’s Octo Maniani walking away with the best player award
Centreback Mohd Fadhli Shas and midfielders Wan Zack Haikal Wan Nor and Mohd Irfan Fazail have been on loan for three months prior to the SEA Games in Jakarta.
The Bukit Jalil Sports Schools (BJSS), which has been the nursery for young football talent, also needs recognition and more aid for the fantastic job done by coach Aminuddin Hussein.
Most of the boys in the Harimau Muda squad are graduates of BJSS, including national goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat and 17-year-old Mohd Nazmi Faiz, who played a sterling role in Malaysia’s Jakarta triumph.
Kim Swee said Mohd Nazmi has a great future and had fitted in well in the national Under-23 squad, blending easily with the seniors.
“Mohd Nazmi can play in the next four SEA Games. He has the talent to go far,” said Kim Swee, who made heads turn in Jakarta by fielding mostly players below 20 years of age.
Those eligible for the next Games in Myanmar are Khairul Fahmi Che Mat, Mohd Fadhli Shas, Syahrul Azwari Ibrahim, Mohd Fandi Othman, A. Thamil Arasu, Mohd Ameer Saidin, Mohd Irfan Fazail and Wan Zaharulnizam Wan Zakaria.
Malaysia should attempt to raise the bar by flexing their muscles against Asian giants next. The chances of getting past the final round of the Olympic qualifiers are slim as, other than Japan, they also have Syria and Bahrain for company.
Kim Swee’s next target should the Incheon Asian Games in 2014 – and then take it from there.
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
Malaysia wins right to be called best team in region
Having defended the SEA Games gold medal last night proved Harimau Muda are Asean's best, and winning the SEA Games 2009 and the Asean Football Federation Cup (AFF) in 2010 was no fluke, either.
Although the performance of Harimau Muda prior to this was disputed, the absolute victory last night silenced the Indonesian media and fanatical supporters of the Garuda Muda squad.
The Indonesian media now admitted Malaysia is King of Asean Football.
Malaysia defended the gold medal it won in Laos in 2009 by subduing Indonesia 4-3 through a penalty shootout last night.
Malaysia beat Indonesia 1-0 in the last match of Group A, and last night, Malaysia tamed them again on their own sacred field, Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
Ong said the match last night would not have gone into extra time or a penalty shootout had Wan Zaharulnizam Wan Zakaria, Syahrul Azwari Ibrahim and Izzaq Faris Ramlan been able to play. They were injured in the match against Myanmar.
Malaysia stepped into the final match after beating Myanmar 1-0 while Indonesia beat Vietnam 2-0 in another semi-final match.
Ong said he had told his players to make short passes during extra time as they were already tired after playing three matches with only a day's rest in between matches.
He also said Mohamad Fadhli Mohd Shas's dan Mohd Irfan Fazail's experiences in Slovakia also contributed to the squad's game.
He also gave credit to his players who were not disturbed by the psychological play of the opposition supporters but focused fully on the game.
Although the performance of Harimau Muda prior to this was disputed, the absolute victory last night silenced the Indonesian media and fanatical supporters of the Garuda Muda squad.
The Indonesian media now admitted Malaysia is King of Asean Football.
Malaysia defended the gold medal it won in Laos in 2009 by subduing Indonesia 4-3 through a penalty shootout last night.
Malaysia beat Indonesia 1-0 in the last match of Group A, and last night, Malaysia tamed them again on their own sacred field, Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
Ong said the match last night would not have gone into extra time or a penalty shootout had Wan Zaharulnizam Wan Zakaria, Syahrul Azwari Ibrahim and Izzaq Faris Ramlan been able to play. They were injured in the match against Myanmar.
Malaysia stepped into the final match after beating Myanmar 1-0 while Indonesia beat Vietnam 2-0 in another semi-final match.
Ong said he had told his players to make short passes during extra time as they were already tired after playing three matches with only a day's rest in between matches.
He also said Mohamad Fadhli Mohd Shas's dan Mohd Irfan Fazail's experiences in Slovakia also contributed to the squad's game.
He also gave credit to his players who were not disturbed by the psychological play of the opposition supporters but focused fully on the game.
Malaysian PM praises team for winning gold in SEA Games
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak tweeted a congratulation message for the Malaysian football team from Seri Perdana on Monday night.
According to an aide, Najib had watched the match from his official residence in Putrajaya.
“Syabas and congratulations Team Malaysia ! Me and the people extremely happy. They played with full of spirit,” was posted by Najib’s in his Twitter account minutes after the Malaysian team clinched the SEA Games gold medal.
Earlier at about 7pm, before the match kicked-off, Najib had tweeted: “Could be a tough game against Indonesia tonight for SEA Games gold. Let's give our full 1Malaysia support to the nat'l football team.”
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin last night said the football players will receive special incentives and he will discuss it with the Youth and Sports Ministry.
“The incentives will not only be for the football players but for all those who had won in the Sea Games, he said,
Muhyiddin watched the match after giving a speech at the Sirim-Industry dinner 2011 at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
Projectors showcasing the games was installed at all four corner of the conference hall for ardent football fans to keep track live of the game.
Muhyiddin said the entire nation was happy with the winning and said the players also showed a vast improvement in their game.
“The glory of football is back after so many years,” he said after the fourth goal was scored by Malaysian football team, he said.
Najib and Muhyiddin’s jubilation was also shared by Facebook followers who posted numerous requests asking for a public holiday to be declared today to celebrate the football team’s success in defending their gold medal.
Ng Ju Yin commented on Najib’s Facebook wall “Ello my beloved PM~ boleh jadikan esok hari cuti???? tolong~ >.<”.
Wong Siaw Jean said “Dear PM, can we have one day holiday to celebrate this victory moment?”.
In a tweet later Najib responded by saying that having a public holiday for winning the Sea games football gold medal would prove to be a costly affair.
“ To my tweeter friends , It is very costly to the nation to have a public holiday. We must not overdo it . We need to work hard ”, he said.
Meanwhile, Malaysian goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat became a worldwide trending sensation for a while on Twitter as thousands of Malaysian tweeted about him.
According to an aide, Najib had watched the match from his official residence in Putrajaya.
“Syabas and congratulations Team Malaysia ! Me and the people extremely happy. They played with full of spirit,” was posted by Najib’s in his Twitter account minutes after the Malaysian team clinched the SEA Games gold medal.
Earlier at about 7pm, before the match kicked-off, Najib had tweeted: “Could be a tough game against Indonesia tonight for SEA Games gold. Let's give our full 1Malaysia support to the nat'l football team.”
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin last night said the football players will receive special incentives and he will discuss it with the Youth and Sports Ministry.
“The incentives will not only be for the football players but for all those who had won in the Sea Games, he said,
Muhyiddin watched the match after giving a speech at the Sirim-Industry dinner 2011 at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
Projectors showcasing the games was installed at all four corner of the conference hall for ardent football fans to keep track live of the game.
Muhyiddin said the entire nation was happy with the winning and said the players also showed a vast improvement in their game.
“The glory of football is back after so many years,” he said after the fourth goal was scored by Malaysian football team, he said.
Najib and Muhyiddin’s jubilation was also shared by Facebook followers who posted numerous requests asking for a public holiday to be declared today to celebrate the football team’s success in defending their gold medal.
Ng Ju Yin commented on Najib’s Facebook wall “Ello my beloved PM~ boleh jadikan esok hari cuti???? tolong~ >.<”.
Wong Siaw Jean said “Dear PM, can we have one day holiday to celebrate this victory moment?”.
In a tweet later Najib responded by saying that having a public holiday for winning the Sea games football gold medal would prove to be a costly affair.
“ To my tweeter friends , It is very costly to the nation to have a public holiday. We must not overdo it . We need to work hard ”, he said.
Meanwhile, Malaysian goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat became a worldwide trending sensation for a while on Twitter as thousands of Malaysian tweeted about him.
Malaysia wins penalty shootout to win gold in SEA Games
Malaysia are champions of the Sea Games again! Baddrol Bakhtiar's winning penalty in a 4-3 shoot-out win ensured Malaysia retained the football gold medal following a tense final against Indonesia at Gelora Bung Karno yesterday.
After full-time and extra-time ended 1-1, it came down to the lottery of the penalty kicks as goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat's save from Ferdinand Sinaga set Baddrol up for a grand-stand finish.
The win revived memories of 1979 when Mokhtar Dahari scored the goal which sank Indonesia 1-0 in the Sea Games final in Jakarta, which also happened to be Malaysia's only other back-to-back successes.
An ecstatic coach Ong Kim Swee also finally revealed his secret pep talk: "They don't respect you, they don't respect our flag, they don't respect our King and they don't respect your parents. If you allow this to happen, then you are cowards. You must teach them what being Malaysian is all about.
"We beat them not once but twice in front of their fanatical crowds. We showed them how it is done."
He added: "It was a tough job in selecting players as we have faced so many injuries but no matter who I picked to play they gave it their all.
"As a coach I did not have to tell the players what to do. They already knew the situation so when it came to the penalties, they showed good character and attitude."
But it did not start well for the Malaysian players, perhaps shell-shocked after the bus carrying them into the stadium was attacked tentatively.
Indonesia, bidding to end a 20-year gold medal drought in football, started at a furious pace as Fahmi was put to work immediately.
As early as the third minute, Fahmi went low to parry Titus Bonai's pile-driver before coming off his line to deny Andik Vermansyah two minutes later.
But there was little Fahmi could do with Indonesia's opener in the sixth minute when Gunawan Dwi Cahyo rose high at the back post to nod in a corner.
To Malaysia's credit they did not fold as Asraruddin Putra Omar had a point-blank header blocked by goalkeeper Kurnia Meiga in the 13th minute.
Indonesia had a goal disallowed for offside four minutes later before Irfan Fazail wasted an opportunity when his shot was deflected after Kurnia had dropped a harmless-looking cross.
Malaysia were not to be denied though as Baddrol whipped a cross in which Asraruddin stooped low to head into goal, the ball rolling across the line, in the 35th minute.
Eight minutes after half-time, Malaysia should have scored on the break but Ahmad Fakri Sarrani went for goal from a tight angle when a teammate was better placed and had his shot saved.
Two minutes later Irfan scuffed his attempt from inside the box before Fakri wasted another chance in the 65th minute when he shot wildly after being played in by Baddrol.
Up at the other end Oktovianus Maniani turned two Malaysian defenders before firing into the side-netting before Baddrol had Kurnia at full-stretch to turn his free-kick away in the 85th minute.
That forced extra-time when Indonesia again had a goal ruled out for offside as the two tired teams struggled to create chances, leading to penalties.
Gunawan hit Indonesia's second penalty against the post before Fakri fluffed his. Then came Fahmi's brilliant save before Baddrol ensured Malaysia won the Sea Games football gold for a sixth time.
After full-time and extra-time ended 1-1, it came down to the lottery of the penalty kicks as goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat's save from Ferdinand Sinaga set Baddrol up for a grand-stand finish.
The win revived memories of 1979 when Mokhtar Dahari scored the goal which sank Indonesia 1-0 in the Sea Games final in Jakarta, which also happened to be Malaysia's only other back-to-back successes.
An ecstatic coach Ong Kim Swee also finally revealed his secret pep talk: "They don't respect you, they don't respect our flag, they don't respect our King and they don't respect your parents. If you allow this to happen, then you are cowards. You must teach them what being Malaysian is all about.
"We beat them not once but twice in front of their fanatical crowds. We showed them how it is done."
He added: "It was a tough job in selecting players as we have faced so many injuries but no matter who I picked to play they gave it their all.
"As a coach I did not have to tell the players what to do. They already knew the situation so when it came to the penalties, they showed good character and attitude."
But it did not start well for the Malaysian players, perhaps shell-shocked after the bus carrying them into the stadium was attacked tentatively.
Indonesia, bidding to end a 20-year gold medal drought in football, started at a furious pace as Fahmi was put to work immediately.
As early as the third minute, Fahmi went low to parry Titus Bonai's pile-driver before coming off his line to deny Andik Vermansyah two minutes later.
But there was little Fahmi could do with Indonesia's opener in the sixth minute when Gunawan Dwi Cahyo rose high at the back post to nod in a corner.
To Malaysia's credit they did not fold as Asraruddin Putra Omar had a point-blank header blocked by goalkeeper Kurnia Meiga in the 13th minute.
Indonesia had a goal disallowed for offside four minutes later before Irfan Fazail wasted an opportunity when his shot was deflected after Kurnia had dropped a harmless-looking cross.
Malaysia were not to be denied though as Baddrol whipped a cross in which Asraruddin stooped low to head into goal, the ball rolling across the line, in the 35th minute.
Eight minutes after half-time, Malaysia should have scored on the break but Ahmad Fakri Sarrani went for goal from a tight angle when a teammate was better placed and had his shot saved.
Two minutes later Irfan scuffed his attempt from inside the box before Fakri wasted another chance in the 65th minute when he shot wildly after being played in by Baddrol.
Up at the other end Oktovianus Maniani turned two Malaysian defenders before firing into the side-netting before Baddrol had Kurnia at full-stretch to turn his free-kick away in the 85th minute.
That forced extra-time when Indonesia again had a goal ruled out for offside as the two tired teams struggled to create chances, leading to penalties.
Gunawan hit Indonesia's second penalty against the post before Fakri fluffed his. Then came Fahmi's brilliant save before Baddrol ensured Malaysia won the Sea Games football gold for a sixth time.
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