KUALA LUMPUR: National team head coach Peter Cklamovski dedicated Malaysia’s 3-0 victory over Laos in their 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers Group F match to Malaysians, saying the result was meant to inspire hope and belief among local football fans.
Cklamovski said his players demonstrated their strong commitment to the team with passion and discipline throughout the match, capping their dominance with second-half goals from Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi, captain Dion Cools and substitute Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim.
“Tonight’s match was for the Malaysian people. We wanted to give Malaysians hope and inspiration through the way we played and make them believe we can achieve something special.
“I think millions at home saw it with their eyes, the passion, the commitment, the discipline that the players have for the national team. I’m very proud of all the players, all the groups,” he told a post-match press conference at the New Laos National Stadium in Vientiane, last night.
He also expressed his gratitude to Ultras Malaya and travelling supporters who turned up in numbers to cheer for the team, whose chants could be clearly heard over the television broadcast.
“They helped us big time. They saw it with their own eyes what the passion the players have to play for their country,” the 47-year-old Australian tactician added.
Commenting on the playing surface, Cklamovski admitted that the pitch conditions were not ideal as the ball was bobbling throughout the match but noted that it was still better than some Malaysian Super League pitches.
Meanwhile, he took the opportunity to defend the Regent of Johor, Tunku Mahkota Ismail, who has come under criticism following FIFA’s recent disciplinary action against the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and seven of the national team’s heritage players.
He said Tunku Mahkota Ismail, who is the owner of Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), has played a major role in raising the standard of the national team.
“From what I’m told, there’s a lot of negativity towards TMJ (Tunku Mahkota Ismail) which is not fair and unwarranted. He’s a visionary leader. Without TMJ, Malaysian football would have finished a long time ago,” he said.
Cklamovski’s men will host Laos in the return leg at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, next Tuesday.
After three matches, Malaysia now leads Group F with nine points, followed by Vietnam in second place (six points), Laos in third (three points), and Nepal at the bottom without any points- Bernama
