14/10/2025

SPORTS TUESDAY | OCT 14, 2025 31 No disrespect: Cklamovski Harimau Malaya coach says comments about FAM misinterpreted N ATIONAL head coach Peter Cklamovski says he did not intend to disrespect the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) following criticism over recent remarks that sparked discontent among fans and former players. His remarks, made after Malaysia’s match against Laos in Vientiane last Thursday, were seen by some as implying that FAM was responsible for the situation, sparking unease among supporters and former players. namely Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel were sanctioned by Fifa’s Disciplinary Committee after being found to have breached Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) related to document falsification.

RESULTS

WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS EUROPE

LAOS head coach Ha Hyeokjun hopes his team can produce a better result when they face Malaysia in their 2027 Asian Cup Qualifier Group F return leg at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil tonight. The South Korean coach acknowledged Malaysia’s superiority in their previous encounter which saw Harimau Malaya secure a comfortable 3-0 win in Vientiane last week but said his side had learned valuable lessons from that defeat. “As we all know, Laos lost to Malaysia 3 0 in the first leg. There’s a lot to learn and analyse from that match, but ultimately Malaysia were the better team and we did the best we could. “From that match, we learned from our mistakes, so we are more prepared for tomorrow’s game. Hopefully, we can achieve a better result for Laos,” he told a pre-match press conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday ahead of tonight’s clash. He also did not view the issue of natural ised players and the Fifa-FAM registration fiasco involving seven national heritage players as a weakness for the Harimau Malaya squad. “We don’t want it to get into our heads and our players. We’re not thinking about this. We’re thinking that the Malaysian team is the same Malaysian team and we’re pre paring according to that,” he said. Commenting further, he said the use of naturalised players has its own advantages and disadvantages. “I think it’s a double-edged sword. Countries such as Korea and Japan do not rely on this system at all, even if there might be reasons to do so. “I understand that naturalised players can help improve football in the short term but there are also negatives that can arise… I have mixed opinions about it,” he said. Meanwhile, Laos player Kydavone Souvanny admitted that Malaysia’s strength lies in their quality and experience, particu larly with several players plying their trade abroad. “The biggest threat from Malaysia is their strength and quality. Many of their players play in overseas leagues, including in Japan’s J1 League, which gives them an edge in terms of experience and one-on one ability. “However, we’ve studied Malaysia’s style of play and will do our best as a team to limit their strengths and shut them down as much as possible,” said the 25-year-old winger. – Bernama Laos looking for payback Group I: Chad 2 Central African Republic 3, Mali 4 Madagascar 1, Ghana 1 Como ros 0. Group C: Scotland 2 (Adams 15, McTomi nay 84) Belarus 1 (Kuchko 90+6) , Denmark 3 (Hojlund 21, Andersen 40, Damsgaard 41) Greece 1 (Tzolis 63) . Group G: Netherlands 4 (Malen 8, Van Dijk 17, Depay 38-pen, Gakpo 84) Finland 0, Lithuania 0 Poland 2 (Szymanski 15, Lewandowski 64) . Group H: San Marino 0 Cyprus 4 (Loizou 10, Andreou 59, Kastanos 67-pen, Kakoulli 79) , Romania 1 (Ghita 90+5) Austria 0. Group L: Faroe Islands 2 (Sorensen 67, Agnarsson 81) Czech Republic 1 (Karabec 78) , Croatia 3 (Fruk 30, Sucic 78, Erlic 90+6) Gibraltar 0. AFRICA Group A: Djibouti 1 Sierra Leone 2, Egypt 1 Guinea-Bissau 0, Burkina Faso 3 Ethiopia 1. Group E: Zambia 0 Niger 1.

Despite the controversy, Cklamovski said his focus remains on preparing Harimau Malaya to perform at their best, not on administrative matters. “We don’t even think about it. We think about our job as a national team to train hard, play well and get the wins. That’s what I can control,” said the 47-year-old coach. When asked how difficult it was to build a team without the seven heritage players suspended by Fifa, he said the national squad must always maintain a collective mentality regardless of personnel changes. “We don’t rely on one player. That’s our focus, and I’ll continue to say that because that’s the way we train. That’s the way we believe in ourselves. “Whoever’s on the pitch, 11 players will do their job and know how to do our job, and whoever comes onto the pitch will do the same,” he said. Last month, FAM and seven heritage players

The Australian coach said his comments were based on FAM’s own public statement and might have been misinterpreted. However, Cklamovski apologised to anyone who may have been offended. “I didn’t mean any disrespect to FAM at all. In fact, I didn’t say anything different than what they’ve said themselves. “They released a press statement last week. I’m going off that. I don’t know anything else other than that. “If people feel I’ve disrespected FAM, I apologise but it wasn’t my intention and I definitely didn’t say anything new,” he told a pre match press conference ahead of Malaysia’s 2027 Asian Cup Qualifier Group F match against Laos at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday. Cklamovski recently drew attention over his comments about the International Football Federation (Fifa) and FAM fiasco involving the registration of seven national heritage players.

In a statement, Fifa said FAM had submitted falsified documents to confirm the players’ eligibility, which allowed them to feature in the third-round 2027 Asian Cup Qualifier match against Vietnam on June 10. Meanwhile, commenting on today night’s (9pm) match, Cklamovski said his team’s focus remains on maintaining their fine momentum after defeating the same opponent 3-0 last week. “We’ve prepared well and we’ve got another day of training to get right. The process continues and we look forward to executing another team performance, working hard to get another victory and working hard again to make the nation proud,” he said. After three matches, Malaysia currently lead Group F with nine points, followed by Vietnam in second place with six points, Laos in third with three, and Nepal at the bottom without a point. – Bernama

Mickey eyes more goals after ending drought NATIONAL winger Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim said he is grateful and delighted after finally ending his two-year goal drought. He shared these sentiments ahead of Malaysia’s Group F match in the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers against Laos at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil tonight. The Selangor FC player, who found the back of the net for Harimau Malaya for the first time in almost two years during the 3–0 win over Laos last week, said it was a new beginning in his career with the national squad. Faisal, affectionately known as “Mickey”, said this accomplishment came from hard work and teammates’ encouragement, who supported him throughout his recovery and efforts to regain peak form. “ Alhamdulillah , after 623 days without scoring, almost two years, I finally managed to score again for the national team. “I’m thrilled that the coach allowed me to prove my abilities, and I worked hard to make the most of it. “I’ve worked hard to reach my goals and regain my form. I’m grateful to all my teammates who have always supported and motivated me,” he said at the pre match press conference yesterday. The 26-year-old player said his recent goal was not the end but rather the start of a new chapter in his journey to continue contributing to Harimau Malaya. “What I can say is that this is not the end, this is a new beginning for me to keep fighting alongside the national team,” he added. Mohamad Faisal, who came on as a substitute in the match against Laos last Thursday, sealed Malaysia’s 3– 0 victory under coach Peter Cklamovski with a goal in second half injury time. – Bernama

Malaysia’s Muhammad Addy Jazmi Jamlus (right) in action with Australia’s Lucas Toonen during the

SOJC match. – BERNAMAPIC

Malaysia bounce back to draw with Australia THE national junior hockey team’s hopes of securing their first victory in the Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC) International Hockey Tournament were dashed after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Australia in their sec ond match at the Johor Hockey Stadium, Taman Daya, on Sunday night. pared to their first outing. He said the team also adjusted their strategy after analysing weaknesses from the opening match, focusing on closing down spaces earlier to limit the opponent’s long passes.

“Today I’m very pleased because they bounced back after losing 7-2 yesterday. We drew 1-1 and almost won. That’s a positive sign for the players. “Although they appeared slightly fatigued in the fourth quarter, they maintained discipline and strong fighting spirit throughout the match,” he said. He also praised the young national goalkeeper’s performance, who conceded only one goal com pared to five the previous day and made several cru cial saves against Australia’s dangerous attempts. Commenting on the next match against New Zealand, Nor Saiful said Sunday’s result has boosted the team’s confidence to perform even better. “With today’s draw, I believe the players are men tally and physically ready to face New Zealand. We’ll continue our preparations and work on improving our penalty corner defence,” he said. Malaysia will next face New Zealand today, while Great Britain will play Australia and Pakistan will take on India. – Bernama

Despite the draw, Nor Saiful Zaini Nasirudin’s men delivered a much-improved performance compared to their opening match yesterday, which saw Malaysia lose 7-2 to Pakistan. The first quarter witnessed both teams trading attacks, with the Young Tigers breaking the deadlock in the 13th minute through a penalty corner strike converted by Azimuddin Shakir Kamaruddin. Malaysia maintained their consistent performance in the second and third quarters, successfully keeping Australia from equalising after several attempts failed to breach the Malaysia’s goal. However, the lead did not last long as Ian Grobbelaar came to Australia’s rescue, capitalising on a penalty corner opportunity to score in the 47th min ute, with the match ending 1-1. Meanwhile, at the post-match press conference, Nor Saiful expressed satisfaction with his team’s spir ited display, noting a significant improvement com