SEPANG – The success of Malaysia’s national U-16 football team in qualifying for the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-17 Asian Cup is proof that the country has young talent, said head coach Osmera Omaro.
Fresh off the plane from Indonesia, the Harimau Muda team defeated the hosts 5-1 in their final Group B match last night.
Omaro said the team making their sixth U-17 Asian Cup appearance is evident that Malaysia has a good talent pool of young footballers.
However, he said it is important that the youngsters are nurtured properly to ensure that they continue to perform on the pitch.
“A player’s footballing career is long, and sometimes these players can have their attention strayed away from the sport.
“Right now, as a football nation, we are not stable.
“The entire football ecosystem, from the parents, fans, and school, all have to work together in creating a better football environment for these players,” he said when met at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, late last night.
Omaro also said the U-16 squad’s achievement is not something surprising, as the team have been performing well in recent tournaments.
“Even though we were not successful at the Asean Football Federation (AFF) U-16 Championship, we did not lose a single match. We dominated all our matches.
“I think we had more chances during the match against Australia where we drew 2-2,” he said.
The Harimau Muda failed to make it past the group stages of the AFF U-16 Championship, but the boys maintained a lossless campaign in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Omaro added that even though the team’s achievement is worth celebrating, there is still more work to be done.
“I think many aspects of the squad need to be worked on, one of which is exposing them to playing with tougher opponents.
“To do this, we may need to have training camps overseas, maybe in the Middle East or Japan,” he added.
Meanwhile, the U-16 team’s captain, Danish Darus, said the absence of fans at the Pakansari Stadium in Bogor did not distract the players in their pursuit of victory.
“We really did not pay attention to it, but just focused on our own game.
“But I want to thank the Malaysian fans that came to watch our previous matches,” he said.
The national U-16 team had to play their final three Group B matches in an empty stadium, due to the tragedy that happened at Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang, which saw at least 174 dead.
At the U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers, Malaysia began their campaign by defeating Palestine 4-0, but later drew with Guam 1-1.
They then bounced back to take victory over the United Arab Emirates 3-2, followed by the 5-1 win over hosts Indonesia, which saw Malaysia become champions of Group B.
This will be Malaysia’s sixth appearance at the U-17 Asian Cup, with their best finish coming in the 2014 edition in Thailand when they reached the quarter-finals but lost to Australia 2-1.
The 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup is scheduled to be held next year from May 3 to 20. The host country is yet to be determined. – The Vibes, October 11, 2022
