DOHA: The improved performance of the Harimau Malaya squad under South Korea coach Kim Pan Gon has attracted the attention of many parties including coaches and presidents of football associations in the region.
The matter was shared by Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin (pix) who also said that Malaysia’s appearance at the 2023 Asian Cup here is awaited following the success of defeating several teams ranked higher in the world earlier.
“On the part of the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) or presidents (football associations) and coaches, they are excited about our achievements...they say they are excited to see our performance after our previous performances against Kyrgyzstan and India.
“This is a high expectation and should be seen as a challenge to maintain this performance in the next competition. What is important is to remain consistent,“ he told Malaysian media representatives here.
Malaysia enjoyed an encouraging streak under Pan Gon when they managed to record seven wins including against higher ranked teams in the world as well as two draws with the world’s top 100 teams and only lost 10 competitive matches throughout 2023.
Drawn in Group E, Malaysia will begin their challenge against Jordan at the Al Janoub Stadium here tonight (Jan 16 1.30am Malaysia time) before meeting Bahrain at the Jassim Bin Hammad Stadium (Jan 20) and facing two-time champions South Korea at the Al Stadium Janoub on Jan 25.
The national team that ended a 42-year wait to qualify on merit for the Asian Cup is aiming to create history by qualifying for the round of 16 after Malaysia were eliminated at the group stage in their previous three appearances.
Follow the latest news and info about the 2023 ASIA CUP via asiancup.bernama.com. -Bernama
