THE selection of Natxo Insa and Mohamadou Sumareh meets the criteria for inclusion in the Harimau Malaya squad to strengthen the team ahead of the opening Group F match in the 2027 Asia Cup Qualifiers against Nepal at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on March 25.
National Head Coach Peter Cklamovski stated that their profiles align with the style of play he intends to implement during the training camp.
“I look at the profiles of the players I want, attacking-minded, positive players who want to play good, aggressive football. I believe we have a squad, not just one or two players, but a team that can compete against each other every day.
“This will allow us to put out a strong team on the 25th against our opponent and showcase our strength. Competing against each other in training helps us build two competitive sides,” he said at a press conference here today.
He said this when asked to comment on the selection of Natxo and Sumareh in the squad for the Asia Cup Qualifiers, which has been questioned by some football fans.
Meanwhile, he stated that all 27 selected players will begin the training camp today in Johor Bahru, where they will be divided into several groups after undergoing medical and physical assessments.
He said todays’ preparation is about ensuring a productive training session, whether it’s recovery based or on the field.
“We have a training session tonight, which will be split into groups. Some players, who played last night and may be a little sore, will focus on recovery, while others, who are ready and excited to train, will take part in a full session,“ he said.
Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has confirmed that the Harimau Malaya squad’s first match in the 2027 Asia Cup Qualifiers against Nepal will take place at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium with kickoffs at 10 pm.
FAM said the venue change for the March 25 match follows a request from the All Nepal Football Association to move the fixture to Malaysia due to ongoing maintenance work at Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu. The return match on Nov 18 will now be held in Nepal.