KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 3 — The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has revealed the final list of 26 players in the Harimau Malaya squad under the guidance of coach Kim Pan Gon, who are set to compete in the 2023 Asian Cup in Doha, Qatar, from January 12 to February 10.
All 26 were called up for centralised training at Wisma FAM from December 26 onwards, witnessing Kim making no changes ahead of the prestigious tournament.
Of the players selected, three are goalkeepers, defenders (nine), midfielders (six), and eight forwards, including the newest naturalised player, Romel Morales.
Malaysia, ranked 130th in the world, is drawn in Group E alongside Jordan (87), Bahrain (86), and two-time champions South Korea, ranked 23rd.
Malaysia, which ended a 42-year wait to qualify for the Asian Cup on merit, will begin the group stage against Jordan at Al Janoub Stadium on January 15, face Bahrain at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on January 20, and conclude against South Korea at Al Janoub Stadium on January 25.
Only the champions and runners-up from each group, along with the four best third-placed teams, will qualify for the Round of 16.
This marks Malaysia’s fourth appearance in the Asian Cup after qualifying on merit in 1976 in Iran, 1980 in Kuwait, and as co-hosts in 2007.
As a warm-up, Kim’s team, which arrived in Doha on Monday (January 1), are scheduled to face Syria in an international friendly match on January 8.
Below is the the final list of the 26 players in the Harimau Malaya squad for the 2023 Asian Cup in Doha, together with their positions and ages.
Goalkeeper
- Muhammad Azri Ab Ghani, 25
- Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed, 28
- Sikh Izhan Nazrel Sikh Azman, 22
Defender
- Matthew Davies, 29
- Shahrul Mohd Saad, 21
- Daniel Ting, 32
- Muhammad Syahmi Safari, 26
- Dominic Tan, 27
- Junior Eldstal, 33
- Dion Cools, 28
- La’Vere Lawrence Corbin-Ong, 33
- Ahmad Khuzaimi Piee, 31
Midfielder
- Stuart John Wilkin, 26
- Endrick Dos Santos, 29
- Mohamed Syamer Kutty Abba, 27
- Brendan Gan, 36
- Mohd Afiq Fazail, 30
- Natxo Insa, 38
Striker
- Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim, 26
- Darren Lok, 34
- Muhammad Safawi Rasid, 27
- Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi, 22
- Mohamadou Sumareh, 30
- Paulo Josue, 35
- Muhammad Akhyar Abdul Rashid, 25
- Romel Morales, 27
— Bernama
