PETALING JAYA – Malaysia can forget about having United States-based Wan Ahmad Kuzri Wan Ahmad Kamal in their squad for the 2022 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Under-23 Finals in Cambodia this month.
National Under-23 head coach Brad Maloney confirmed that Wan Kuzri will miss the Cambodia tournament after the player failed to resolve his personal problems in the United States.
“Yes, I spoke to him this morning and he was still unable to resolve his issues… so, it looks like we won’t bring him this time.
“This is something that we need to deal with. It would have been great to have Wan Kuzri on board. He is indeed a quality player but we have to move forward and give someone else the opportunity to shine in the tournament,” he told reporters when met during the centralised training camp here today.
Asked why Luqman Hakim Shamsuddin is also missing from the squad, Maloney said the striker, who is based in Belgium, was currently focused on giving his full commitment to his club K.V. Kortrijk.
“(However,) They are always in my plan,” the 50-year-old coach said when asked about the possibility of both players featuring in the SEA Games in May, the 2022 Under-23 Asian Cup in June and the Asian Games in September.
Maloney also said that he would announce the final 28-player squad on Friday (Feb 11).
Meanwhile, Muhammad Nur Azfar Fikri Azhar, one of the key players who helped Malaysia qualify for the 2022 Under-23 Asian Cup Finals by emerging as group champions in the qualifiers in Mongolia last year, believes that the absence of Wan Kuzri would not affect the team’s performance in Cambodia.
The Terengganu FC II midfielder said all the players, including those called up for national centralised training for the first time, had shown great commitment in vying for a spot in the team.
“The team is about 80 per cent ready, everyone has shown positive development since the first day of training on Jan 27,” he said.
Only Football Association of Malaysia (FAM)-National Sports Council (NSC) Project Squad goalkeeper Aizat Aiman Mazlan, who is answering his first call-up, admitted to still struggling to come to terms with the tactical aspects of Maloney’s training.
He, however, has vowed to work harder and prove himself so that he would be named for the Cambodia tournament.
The national Under-23 squad, who have been drawn in Group B for the AFF Under-23 Finals, will begin their campaign against Myanmar at the Prince Stadium on Feb 15.
Maloney’s men will then take on Laos at the same venue on Feb 18 before completing their group fixtures against Indonesia at the Morodok Techo National Stadium on Feb 21.
The three group winners and the best second-placed team will advance to the semi-finals on Feb 24 while the final is scheduled for Feb 26.
