SEPANG: National Under-22 football squad chief coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee (pix) is looking at a minimum the semifinals in the ASEAN Under-22 championship in Phnom Penh, which kicks off on Feb 18.
He was confident that the squad were up to the task despite only being able to train together for five days.
“We have to be realistic because of the absence of several key players. Nevertheless, the meet will provide exposure for the players before they compete in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifying round in March,” he told reporters before the squad left for the Cambodian capital from KLIA here today.
It was reported that preparations were affected because a number of teams refused to release their players for national duty.
Malaysia has been drawn in Group B and will open their campaign against the hosts on Feb 18 followed by Indonesia (Feb 20) and Myanmar (Feb 24).
Group A has defending champions Thailand, Vietnam, Timor-Leste and the Philippines. Singapore, Brunei and Laos are not taking part.
The final is on Feb 26 and the venue for all matches is the National Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh. — Bernama
