THE STARMonday January 3, 2011
Tough task for Kim SweeMALAYSIA closed 2010 with a bang! Yes, the dust has not fully settled down since the Suzuki Cup Asean Football Federation (AFF) championship came to a dramatic end with Malaysia crowned as champions at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta last Wednesday. The battle has been won for now. But there are bigger things to come this year. In 11 months from now, the Malaysian national Under-23 team will be put to test again in the defence of the SEA Games title in Jakarta. And next month in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia will be involved in qualifying competition for the 2012 London Olympics. STARSPORT’s Eric Samuel speaks to coach Ong Kim Swee on his plans.
Q: It has been 30 years now since Malaysia last qualified for the Olympics (1980 Moscow but did not compete because of a boycott). Do you think that we are ready for bigger goals after the winning the 2009 SEA Games gold medal after 20 years and the AFF Championships in 14 years since the tournament was introduced in 1996?
A: Why not? We are prepared to give it a shot. Only the cream of the crop make it to the Olympics. Those who make the right preparations and work hard will achieve this dream.
Expectations are high like never before since Malaysia’s success in the regional championships. I admit that it is a huge task for me and my coaching staff but we are working hard on it.
We have had an early start to our preparations for the 2012 London Olympics from last year. The boys have gained valuable experience during a playing and training stint in Slovakia. Then, there are some players who are eligible from the state teams. We will do our best and ride on this (AFF tournament) success.
Q: Do we really have the material to go far and qualify for the 2012 London Olympics?
A: Yes, we have the players. And it is in how much they want it. It is in their hands.
Some of the key players who played in the Suzuki Cup are eligible to play in the qualifying tie against Pakistan next month. They are Muslim Ahmad, Mohd Fadhli Shas, Mahali Jasuli, Mohd Faizal Mohd (defenders) and goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat.
We also have a strong set of players in midfield. They are K. Gurusamy, Gary Steven Robbat and Wan Zack Haikkal. We also have strong forwards in Ahmad Fakri Saarani, Ahmad Shakir Ali, Izzaq Faris Ramlan, Syahrul Azwari Ibrahim and A. Thamil Arasu.
All these boys have played for Harimau Muda. They were with (national coach) K. Rajagopal (2008) and they were with me during the training stint in Slovakia last year. They have the experience and the ability to give a strong challenge to get into the final round of the qualifiers.
Q: How comprehensive are the training programmes for the campaign to qualify for the 2012 Olympics?
A: Our immediate goal is to get past the first-round matches against Pakistan – at home on Feb 23 and away on March 9.
The stint in Slovakia taught the boys to play high intensity football. They will have to maintain this when they compete in the Super League later this month (kick-off Jan 29).
It will be good competition for them and at the same time they will also need international matches to raise their game for the bigger challenges ahead of the qualifiers in the second round against a seeded Asian side.
The second knockout stage in June will be very tough. There are 11 seeded teams. It all depends on the luck of the draw. It could be South Korea, Japan, China, Uzbekistan or even Vietnam.
Only after this round will the competition get into the final round of 12 teams playing in three groups. The winner of the three groups will win automatic places and the one of the second-place teams will be involved in a playoff for the fourth slot to London.
Q: You were with the Barcelona Babes (1992 pre-Olympic squad) under coach Chow Kwai Lam. Tell us your experience, then?
A: We had a strong team and had vast preparation over about 18 months. The players were seasoned ones, too. To name a few, we had Azman Adnan, Sallahuddin Che Ros, Mubin Mokhtar and Yap Wai Loon.
The format was different, then. We were drawn with South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines. I scored the winner against Thailand at the Medeka Stadium. But we did not make it through to the second round.
The game has changed since then. It is the same blend but a different kind of game. The intensity of the game is higher now. It is faster and the physical demands are higher.
Q: Are we in the right direction in our football approach?
A: I am glad that what we sowed in the early days are beginning to bear fruits now.
There is no denying that most of the boys who are coming through to the state, age-group and national teams come from the development programmes from our football project schools and the national sports school in Bukit Jalil.
The formation of Harimau Muda a couple of years ago gave us a bigger pool of potential players for the future. In fact, the stints in Slovakia for Harimau Muda made a whole lot of difference.
That is why some of these boys stood in well for the seniors. The stint toughened them up and they need more of such playing opportunities.
Q: Are you beginning to feel the heat as the focus will now be turned on you and the pre-Olympic boys?
A: Of course. Never have I seen such a huge show of support from the people of Malaysia after our success in the Suzuki Cup.
The work begins from today. We have lined up friendly matches and the first real test will be against the Qatari
Olympic side in Doha later this month (Jan 20).
This will give me an early indication of my players and what we can expect on the big stage. What I failed as a player at the pre-Olympics I hope to do as a coach, bring the team to the 2012 London Olympics.
Q: What do expect from the football fans now?
A: Patience. We need their encouragement because the players in the team are still boys. If you look at my squad, there are some who are 18 and 19. We have a huge task ahead and let’s work together to make this campaign a success.
The Pre-Olympic squad
* Players in Harimau Muda A for 2011 Super League
Goalkeeper: Mohd Zamir Selamat, K. Sasikumar, Mohd Syamin Othman, Mohd Izham Tarmizi Roslan.
Defenders: Mahali Jasuli, Mohd Muslim Ahmad, Mohd Affize Faizal, Mohd Faizal Mohd, Mohd Nazri Ahmad, Mohd Bashahrul Abu Bakar, Mohd Fadhli Shas, Mohd Amer Saidin, Mohd Fandi Othman, Nazirul Naim Che Hashim.
Midfielders: Abdul Shukor Jusoh, K. Gurusamy, Mohd Rafiuddin Roddin, K. Ravindran, V. Kavi Chelvan, S. Sivanesan, Mohd Syahid Saidon, Mohd Irfan Fazail, Wan Zack Haikal Wan Nor, Wan Zaharul Nizam, Haziq Zikri Elias, Gary Steven Robbat.
Forwards: Izzaq Faris Ramlan, A. Thamil Arasu, Mohd Ferris Danial, Syahrul Azwari Ibrahim.
* Players from state teams
Goalkeeper: Khairul Fahmi Che Mat (Kel).
Forwards: Faizal Abu Bakar (Ked), Ahmad Shakir Ali (Per), Ahmad Fakri Saarani (Per).
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I think Halim Zainal of Negeri Sembilan also still 20 and eligible...

Added on January 3, 2011, 9:24 ammy bad.. he is already 22..
Surname: Zainal
First name: Abdul Halim
Pseudonym: Abdul Halim Zainal
Abdul Halim Zainal Date of birth: 29.07.1988
Age-group: 1988
Size: 0
Nationality: Malaysia
Position: Midfielder, Central midfielder
Club: Football Association of Negeri Sembilan Football Association of Negeri Sembilan
A-National player: no
This post has been edited by aressandro10: Jan 3 2011, 09:24 AM