Kim Swee’s squad is almost complete

DBasia.news – KUALA LUMPUR: Director of the Under 23-year-old squad (B-23), Datuk Ong Kim Swee is closing in for a full-fledged squad for the Asian Games in Palembang next month.

It was after another team, Kedah confirmed they were ready to release three selected Lang Merah players representing the country at the Games.

The three players are goalkeeper Ifwat Akmal Chek Kassim and two players who will fill quota for older players, senior defender Rizal Ghazali and midfielder Baddrol Bakhtiar.

Kedah coach Nidzam Adzha Yusoff admits his side is in line with the claims of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) despite losing three players to the Malaysia Cup campaign.

“We have no obstacle to helping the national team at the Asian Games. We will also release players, “he said when contacted, today.

Besides Kedah, three teams have expressed willingness to release their respective players, Super League champions, Johor Darul Ta’zim (seven players) and JDTII (one).

PKNS FC also did not face the problems of releasing two players, Jafri Firdaus Chew and Rodney Celvin Akwensivie while Kuala Lumpur was ready to lose goalkeeper Khatul Anuar Md Jalil and his two defenders Irfan Zakaria and Syazwan Andik.

However, Kim Swee is expected to gather more than 18 players as some other teams like FELDA United, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Perak and PJ Rangers are certainly not reluctant to release each player.

Previously, concerns arose when Kim Swee was once again in trouble when there was a team who refused to release the player as the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games schedule collided with the Malaysia Cup campaign.

Under the terms of the competition, Kim Swee needs to gather at least 18 players but if he fails to do so, the B-23 squad will most likely have to withdraw.