Malaysia U-23 Squad Gears Up for U-23 Asian Cup with Five Intense Friendlies

The national U-23 squad is set to play at least five friendly matches as part of their preparations for the U-23 Asian Cup campaign in Doha, Qatar from April 15 to May 3. The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) secretary-general, Datuk Noor Azman Rahman revealed that the friendlies would involve teams from India (March 22 and 25), China (April 3), Qatar (April 6 or 7) with one more team sought for April 10 or 11.

Only the match against India will be held at home before the team departs for Qatar on April 1. The U-23 team aims for a strong performance in Qatar and a chance to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024. The friendly matches are expected to boost their confidence for the prestigious tournament. The squad will gather on March 17 with friendly matches held at various proposed venues including Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium, UTM Shah Alam Stadium or UM Arena.

The selection and performance will be under the guidance of Spanish manager Juan Torres Garrido. The U-23 team is drawn in Group D with Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Kuwait in the U-23 Asian Cup where only the top two teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals. 

In another development, the FAM Women Football Committee chairman, Datuk Suraya Yaacob announced that the National Women League (LWN) season 2024 will feature the participation of 10 teams with a ‘home and away’ format comprising a total of 90 matches. She emphasized the priority of ensuring all teams’ effective operations over introducing a quota of imported players which might be considered in the future.