FAM official said firmly: 'If Malaysia keeps playing like the match against Vietnam, they have nothing to fear from the Iranian team'

Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Vice President Datuk Dollah Salleh affirmed that the Malaysian team does not need to fear any opponent in the Central Asian friendly tournament.

Malaysia team confident of shocking Iran

The Malaysian team will participate in the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Friendly Cup in September. This is a tournament that brings together many strong teams in Central and West Asia, in which, Malaysia (ranked 131st in the world ) is in the same group as host Tajikistan (ranked 104th), defending champion Iran (ranked 18th) and Afghanistan (ranked 160th).

According to Mr. Dollah Salleh, Vice President of FAM, the Malaysian team has become stronger thanks to the naturalization of many players of foreign origin. The 4-0 victory over the Vietnamese team (2027 Asian Cup qualifiers) is clear proof.

"I will not be surprised if the Malaysian team causes a surprise. This is an opportunity to prove our true ability. We have proven ourselves by defeating the Vietnamese team. That victory should not be considered a single victory," Mr. Dollah Salleh affirmed.

Malaysia (yellow shirt) with many naturalized players in the match against Vietnam team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers

PHOTO: NGOC LINH

In Malaysia's list preparing for the match with the Vietnamese team on June 10, at Bukit Jalil Stadium, there are up to 15 players born outside this country.

Among them, there are 5 completely new naturalized players, including left-back Gabriel Palmero (1.76 m, Spanish origin, playing for Tenerife Club, Spain), center-back Facundo Garces (1.88 m, Argentine origin, playing for Alaves Club, Spain), striker Rodrigo Holgado (1.79 m, born in Argentina, America de Cali Club, Colombia), Imanol Machuca (1.70 m, Argentine origin, Velez Sarsfield Club, Argentina) and Joao Figueiredo (1.80 m, Brazilian origin, Istanbul Basaksehir Club, Türkiye).

The players with half foreign blood helped Malaysia beat the Vietnamese team 4-0 to almost certainly qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup. According to Mr. Dollah Salleh, if Malaysia maintains this form, the opponent Iran will not be a big obstacle.

"Iran were one of the strongest teams in Asia when I played. After many years, they still maintain this level. But even so, we still had chances to score against them. We lost 0-2, but Malaysia were not defeated.

If our players maintain the same hunger and form as we saw against Vietnam, Iran is not a problem. The problem is how we play, not who we play against," said Dollah Salleh.

Malaysia quality rehearsal

Participating in the Central Asian Football Cup in September gives Malaysia the opportunity to face many strong teams in Asia, such as Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Oman and Kyrgyzstan.

"The gap between Malaysia and the top teams is not that big anymore. We can create a surprise. This is the strongest team we have had in a long time, so why not?" Mr. Dollah Salleh emphasized.

Malaysia will kick off their Central Asian Cup campaign against hosts Tajikistan on August 29 in Dushanbe. They will then face Iran on September 1 and Afghanistan on September 4.

In Group A, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman and Turkmenistan will compete for tickets to the next round.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/quan-chuc-fam-noi-cung-malaysia-cu-da-nhu-tran-gap-viet-nam-thi-ngai-gi-doi-tuyen-iran-18525070608233494.htm