3 additional players for Harimau Malaya

DBasia.news – KUALA LUMPUR: Harimau Malaya coach Tan Cheng Hoe made a decision to summon three more players including 23-year-old squad (B-23) R Kogileswaran to join training this Monday.

Kogileswaran, who assisted Datuk Ong Kim Swee’s squad to go to the second round of the Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang, was recently called with Kedah defender Syawal Nordin and midfielder Azzizan Nordin, two days after Cheng Hoe announced the 24th national team list.

This time the second Kogileswaran that is now representing Pahang was given a chance to be in the national squad while Azzizan was called in for the first time.

The 19-year-old will join nine more players in the Asian Games where they managed to surprise long time champions South Korea 2-1 to win Group E.

Cheng Hoe wants to try this new combination with only retaining 16 players from the squad from the team when they beat Fiji 1-0 in Cheras on July 5 with new faces called, including Norshahrul Idlan Talaha (Pahang), Farizal Marlias (Johor Darul Ta’zim), Shahrel Fikri Md Fauzi (Nakhon Ratchasima), Akhyar Rashid (Kedah) and Nik Akif Shahiran Nik Mat (Kelantan).

All players will undergo training from September 3 to face two international friendly matches with Taiwan in Taipei City on Sept. 7 and Cambodia in Phnom Penh (Sept. 10) in preparation for the AFF Cup.

After Taiwan and Cambodia, Harimau Malaya will be “honing their fangs” in a friendly match with Sri Lanka in Colombo on October 12, the Kyrgyz Republic at Hang Jebat Stadium (October 16) and Maldives at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil (November 3).

In the AFF Cup, Malaysia was voted in Group A with Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar.