KUALA LUMPUR − National Under-23 head coach Brad Maloney is frustrated that his team will have to wait a little longer to kick start their Asean Football Federation (AFF) Under-23 Championship campaign following Myanmar’s withdrawal from the competition yesterday.
The withdrawal resulted in Malaysia’s opening Group B match against Myanmar at the Prince Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia yesterday being called off.
Myanmar are the second team to withdraw from the championship after defending champions Indonesia, who were also drawn in Group B, pulled out on February 11 when seven of their players and a team official were tested positive for Covid-19.
With their withdrawals, Malaysia and Laos are the only teams left in Group B and they will square off at the Prince Stadium on February 18 to decide the group champions, who will automatically advance into semi-finals.
Maloney said that prior to arriving in Phnom Penh, his team had looked forward to playing three group matches, at least.
“We’ve come here to play football and give our players exposure at the international level... but now we've got two matches fewer to play.
“For me, that's a shame and I do feel for both Indonesia and Myanmar that they have had to withdraw. So, as it stands now, Group B basically comes down to one match between us and Laos and we’ll see what happens next,” he told a virtual press conference from the Cambodian capital yesterday.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) earlier yesterday confirmed in their official Facebook page that Myanmar, who are led by head coach Velizar Popoz, had to pull out due to a string of Covid-19 cases in their squad.
“There was a proposal for us to play Laos twice now that there are only two of us left in the group but Laos declined it, so it’s going to be a one-off match now… so much so, like a grand finale to proceed to the semi-finals,” Maloney said.
The three group winners and the best second-placed team will advance to the semi-finals on February 24. The final is scheduled for February 26.
Meanwhile, the Australian-born coach also played down expectations of an easier path into the semi-finals now that they only have to meet Laos.
“I don’t see any advantage… in a one-off match, anything can happen. It’s like a final, there’s nothing easy about it (as) we still have to get the job done,” he said. – Bernama, February 16, 2022
