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PETALING JAYA, May 27 – Despite a series of injuries to key players, Harimau Malaya head coach Kim Pan Gon remains optimistic about the option of fielding a quality squad for the remaining two Group D matches by the time of the 2026 World Cup.
Pan Gon said he didn’t need to live too much from injuries, but he liked settling on other players who could take on the challenge of taking the national team to the next level of competition.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has in the past announced a 23-man squad for the centralised education camp that begins today, noting that key players such as wingers Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi and Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim, as well as forward Romel Morales, have been sidelined by injuries.
“It’s a complicated scenario with the case of Faisal Halim, the injury to Arif Aiman, the injury to Morales’ ankle. Our attacking capacity is disrupted and that’s what we have at the moment, but we still have more personnel.
“I still think that all the other players have equivalent qualities, maybe they have more motivation and this is the time to prove it. However, we will try to find the most productive form and composition to prepare for the matches,” Sur said. Korean coach Kelana Jaya said today during her assembly at the Wisma FAM centralized education camp here.
Star winger Faisal Halim was injured in an attack at a grocery mall in Petaling Jaya earlier this month and suffered fourth-degree burns. He underwent four surgeries and was recently discharged from a private hospital. Lately he has been recovering at home.
The injury challenge continued as key player Syafiq Ahmad had to be excluded from the squad due to injury, as reported via FAM.
Pan Gon, however, is counting on Kuala Lumpur City FC’s Zhafri Yahya to fill the void left by Kedah’s Darul Aman FC.
After four matches, Malaysia, third in Group D with six points, will face Kyrgyzstan at Bishkek’s Dolen Omurzakov Stadium on June 6, before facing Taiwan in the final match at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium here on June 11.
Kyrgyzstan, recently top of Group D, followed Oman in second place, with nine points but the first with a large goal difference.
The two organizations will face each other in the last organizational meeting on June 11, while Taiwan occupies the last position without any points.
Malaysia want three points from the remaining two games and will be hoping Oman can beat Kyrgyzstan in their chances of making history by qualifying for the third round of 2026 World Cup qualifying and securing an early spot in the 2027 Asian Cup.