Walking wounded

Walking wounded

REPORTING FROM NAYPYIDAW

It is the stuff of nightmares for football coaches.

One by one, Malaysia's Under-23 football coach Ong Kim Swee has seen his key players ruled out through injuries.

Defenders Nik Shahrul Azim Abdul Halim and Fandi Othman, midfielders Junior Eldstal and Gary Robbat, and attackers Wan Zack Haikal Wan Noor, Wan Zaharulnizam Wan Zakaria and Syahrul Azwari will not be in Ong's 20- man squad when Harimau Muda defend their South-east Asia (SEA) Games football gold in Myanmar.

"The injuries have piled up and we will definitely miss all these players for their versatility and big-match experience," said Ong.

"But we have other capable players who have mostly been together for months, and they will be ready for this mission."

The 42-year-old Malaysian led his team to a SEA Games football gold two years ago in Indonesia.

But he revealed to The New Paper that if they don't win the gold in Naypyidaw this month, he could lose his job.

Malaysia are drawn in Group A alongside Singapore, Vietnam, Laos and Brunei. The action kicked off at the Zayar Thiri Stadium in Naypyidaw.

Singapore and Malaysia meet in their final group game next Sunday.

With a chuckle, the affable Ong said: "That's right. My KPI (key performance indicator) is to bring back another gold medal. If we get knocked out, I don't know what is going to happen. I may not have a job."

Ong's two-year contract runs out this month and clubs keen to secure his services have been deterred by his commitment to his SEA Games assignment, which could run till Dec 21.

UNCERTAINTY

There remains uncertainty over Ong's future with the Football Association of Malaysia, even as he is appointed national caretaker coach after the FAM opted not to extend K Rajagobal's contract.

Ong said: "It is every coach's dream to coach his own national team, but I'm not thinking about that now.

"There are approaches from clubs in and out of Malaysia, but I told them I am focused on the SEA Games.

"It is a very, very big task. To win was already not easy. To defend the title again makes it the most difficult SEA Games for us yet.

"If we achieve it, that's the best case scenario. If not, life has to go on."

However, he is not that carefree when it comes to the assessment of his team.

After a European tour earlier this year, and the Merdeka Cup success in September, Harimau Muda have won just twice in six matches, including a 3-1 victory Japanese fourth-tier side FC Ryukyu last Wednesday.

Earlier, they had been held 2-2 by Cambodia Under-23s, before losing 1-0 to Myanmar Under-21s and then 3-1 and 5-0 to Jordan Under-23s.

Ong said: "It is a good reality check for us. It looks like two teams from Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore will make the semi-finals, but we can't take Laos and Brunei for granted.

"Over the last two months, we identified a lot of areas to improve in defending and attack and we need to buck up."


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