U22 Malaysia coach is not afraid to face Vietnam at SEA Games

Malaysia U22 coach Nafuzi Zain is not afraid of Vietnam U22 at the upcoming 33rd SEA Games.

Coach Nafuzi Zain speaks out before the clash with U22 Vietnam at SEA Games 33 - Photo: FAM

At the 33rd SEA Games held in Thailand in December, U22 Malaysia is in Group B with U22 Vietnam and U22 Laos.

Group A of the SEA Games men's football includes U22 Thailand, U22 Cambodia and U22 Timor-Leste. Group C includes U22 Indonesia, U22 Myanmar, U22 Philippines and U22 Singapore.

Malaysia U22 coach Nafuzi Zain said that although the draw was challenging, he saw it as a good opportunity for his players to mature.

"I'm not too worried about what people call 'trying and failing'. I still believe in this team," he shared.

Under the leadership of Nafuzi, U23 Malaysia has had not very positive results recently.

At the 2025 AFF U23 Championship, Malaysia started with a 0-2 loss to the Philippines, then recovered with a 7-1 win over Brunei and a 0-0 draw with Indonesia.

In the subsequent Asian Cup qualifiers, they lost 0-1 to Lebanon, beat Mongolia 7-0 but lost 1-2 to Thailand.

Malaysia last won a SEA Games gold medal in 2011 in Indonesia. Since then, they have struggled to get past the semi-finals, with their best result being a silver medal in 2017 on home soil.

He also hopes the upcoming match between Malaysia U22 and Vietnam U22 will not be as controversial as the national team clash in June. That match led to accusations that Malaysia used naturalized players with fake documents.

In women's football, Malaysia is in Group B with Vietnam, Myanmar and the Philippines. Group A includes Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore and Indonesia.

Men's football tournament table at SEA Games 33 - Photo: AFF

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THANH DINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hlv-u22-malaysia-khong-ngai-doi-dau-viet-nam-o-sea-games-20251020213849416.htm