BANGKOK – National futsal coach Chiew Chun Yong has set the semi-finals as the target for the national futsal team at the 2022 Asean Football Federation (AFF) Futsal Championship, which will be held from April 2 to 10 at Indoor Stadium Huamark, Bangkok.
Chiew believed the team has a good chance of making the semi-finals, even though they are in Group A, with Indonesia, Cambodia, Brunei and defending champions Thailand, adding that “every match is a final” to them. Vietnam, Myanmar, Timor Leste and Australia, meanwhile, are in Group B.
“One of the biggest challenges is new players who lack international exposure due to the short training time.
“They (new players) need time to adapt to the senior squad, especially in this high level of competition. This is the biggest challenge for my side,” he said, adding that the team had gone through two weeks of preparation before the championship.
“With the players’ strong desire, I strongly believe they will do their best in this competition,” he said at a pre-match press conference at a hotel here.
Malaysia will open their campaign against Cambodia tomorrow followed by Indonesia (April 4), Brunei (April 5) and Thailand (April 6). The semi-finals are scheduled on April 8 and the final, third and fourth placing match on April 10 at the Indoor Stadium Huamark, with the top three teams qualifying for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Futsal Championship later this year. – Bernama, April 2, 2022
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