Latest news with #HarimauMalaya
Sinar Daily
2 days ago
- Sport
- Sinar Daily
Harimau Malaya's focus is performance, not just FIFA ranking
The Australian tactician believes consistent wins and solid displays will naturally lead to an improved FIFA standing for Malaysia. Harimau Malaya head coach, Peter Cklamovski has made it clear that climbing the FIFA world rankings isn't his primary concern. - Bernama photo HARIMAU Malaya head coach, Peter Cklamovski has made it clear that climbing the FIFA world rankings isn't his primary concern. His focus instead lies firmly on improving the national squad's overall performance and long-term development. Cklamovski emphasises long-term development over FIFA rankings, focusing on improving the national squad's performance through wins and solid displays. - Bernama photo The Australian tactician believes consistent wins and solid displays will naturally lead to an improved FIFA standing for Malaysia. "If we keep winning, the rankings will go up. It's that simple. "My priority isn't really on that (the rankings). I'm more interested in pushing the team forward and building something special. "If we manage to create something extraordinary, the rankings will follow and that's when everyone will be proud," he told Sinar. Malaysia recently missed an opportunity to test themselves against three top Central Asian teams: Iran (18th in the world), Tajikistan (104th) and Afghanistan (160th). This came after their withdrawal from the 2025 CAFA Nations Cup, scheduled for next month. To fill the gap in the upcoming FIFA international window, Harimau Malaya will now play two friendlies against Singapore and Palestine. These matches are viewed as key tests ahead of the crucial Asian Cup qualifiers this October. Looking ahead to the upcoming fixtures, Cklamovski plans to continue refining the team. He hopes his players deliver confident, entertaining performances that generate excitement among fans. "It's always a challenge going up against quality opposition, but we're determined to showcase our playing identity and field a team that inspires pride, entertains and excites Malaysians watching them. "Our goal is to win both matches, no compromises. Even with a short training camp, the objective is crystal clear," he added. More Like This
New Straits Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Cklamovski wants Harimau Malaya to 'win our way' to 2027 Asian Cup
KUALA LUMPUR: It may be early days in Malaysia's 2027 Asian Cup qualifying campaign, but Harimau Malaya coach Peter Cklamovski is already thinking big. Fresh off back-to-back wins over Vietnam (4-0) and Nepal (2-0), Malaysia top Group F with six points and are in the driving seat to qualify for a second consecutive Asian Cup — having ended a 42-year wait by reaching the 2024 edition in Qatar on merit. Only the group winners will secure automatic qualification for 2027, with Malaysia still to face Laos (Oct 9 & 14), Nepal (Nov 18), and Vietnam away (March 31, 2026). But Cklamovski is brimming with belief. The Australian insists his training camps are already geared towards producing top-level performances in Asia, and that the upcoming friendlies against Singapore (Sept 4) and Palestine (Sept 8) will serve as a dry run for the real thing. "In my mind, it's a little bit like an Asian Cup format," said the 46-year-old. "The Singapore match is game one — let's get three points. That's what we want to do at the Asian Cup when we get there. "Game two is a tough opponent, Palestine. Let's win that too. The match is four days later — it mimics the tournament format. "It's a little taste of how we prepare, how the players recover, train, and go again." Cklamovski, who has brought a high-press, high-intensity identity to Harimau Malaya, stressed that results matter, but so does how they win. "I'll always be looking to win — but win our way. "We need to keep developing our team and the way we play, keep building our mentality. "We want fans to believe that every time Malaysia play, we'll be aggressive, hungry and determined. That's the opportunity September gives us." With Laos coming up in October, Cklamovski warned his players not to get carried away by the rout of Vietnam, calling it just "three points" in the grander scheme of things. "We just need to keep improving. I don't want everyone in the country to get over-excited about what happened against Vietnam — treat it as three points and move on. "We know what works, and we'll take that into September. "And importantly, we use this camp to prepare for October." He also urged fringe players to step up in the M-League, making it clear the door remains open for new faces. "We have the mentality that nothing is going to stop us. This camp — against Singapore and Palestine — will be an eight-day sprint. "Come in, be hungry, train hard, improve, connect, build our identity.
New Straits Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Can Harimau Malaya do what the Southern Tigers just did?
KUALA LUMPUR: Can the national football team do what Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) just did? Go to Spain, the land of European champions, and play quality friendly matches against good teams there. Sports critic Sadek Mustaffa said the national team should get the Regent of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, with his global connections, to help out in this area. "We need to think outside the box, and it's time to use Tunku Ismail's global connections to secure quality opponents. If we cannot get top nations, we should look at playing top football clubs. "We know that during international breaks most clubs will lose their players, but I think clubs in Japan and Saudi Arabia have top quality players who are no longer internationals," said Sadek. He felt that Harimau Malaya, who lack matches against top sides, have already made a bad move by withdrawing (due to logistical and player availability issues) from the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Nations Cup from Aug 29-Sept 8. Sadek said the national team, who have risen to world No. 125, need to play quality matches against top clubs to maintain their momentum. He added that it would be a waste for the foreign-based national players — Facundo Garces, Imanol Machuca, Rodrigo Hidalgo — to spend hours travelling to join Harimau Malaya only to play low-quality matches. FAM announced on Wednesday that Malaysia will play friendly matches against Singapore and Palestine in September. "What's the point of playing matches that are not going to help our team improve? We have good players based abroad, and they would spend more than 24 hours travelling to play these low- quality matches. "The national team management already blundered by pulling out of the Nations Cup." Sadek said the Nations Cup withdrawal should be a lesson for FAM and the national team management.
The Star
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Harimau Malaya to play friendlies against Singapore, Palestine
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian football team are set to play two international friendly matches in September. The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) confirmed that the Harimau Malaya will host Singapore on Sept 4 and Palestine on Sept 8. Both matches will be staged in the nation's capital, giving supporters the opportunity to rally behind their team on home soil. "We're thrilled to have secured two quality fixtures," said national team chief executive officer Rob Friend. "It's a fantastic opportunity to play two exciting matches in front of our fans in Kuala Lumpur. "Singapore brings regional intensity and familiarity, while Palestine offers a different tactical challenge and a top 100 FIFA-ranked opponent. Both matches will provide valuable experience for our squad as we continue building this exciting project." Touching on Malaysia's withdrawal from the CAFA Nations Cup, Friend added: "While the withdrawal from CAFA was a calculated decision, we worked closely with them to help in finding a suitable replacement. "It was important for us to act with integrity and preserve the strong relationships we value within the global football community." Further details regarding kick-off times and ticketing for the two friendly matches will be announced later.
New Straits Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Enough is enough, Cklamovski wants to move on
KUALA LUMPUR: Peter Cklamovski had wanted to move on, but the issue just refused to die down, much to the chagrin of the national football team head coach. And Cklamovski is not amused with another round of claims that Malaysia were facing a FIFA ban over alleged misuse of naturalised heritage players. Cklamovski admitted at a press conference today that he's getting tired over the matter. It all started when Harimau Malaya fielded five new heritage players: Jon Irazabal, Joao Figueiredo, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca and Facundo Garces in the 4-0 win over Vietnam in an Asia Cup qualifier in Bukit Jalil on June 10. This led to allegations of illegal naturalisation by the FA of Malaysia (FAM), and Cklamovski refuted it numerous times. He said the win over Vietnam should fill Malaysian fans with pride and get all to stand behind the national team. But yet the heritage players issue continues to ignite debate. The 46-year-old Australian said: "I'm getting tired of it, to be honest. It's been weeks since the Vietnam game, but the talks over the players have never stopped. I have moved on from the match and am looking forward to our upcoming matches. "We had the documentation issued by the Malaysian government and FIFA giving the clearance before the Vietnam match. I don't know what more can be done to prove the legitimacy of the players. "Machuca missed his son's birth to play for the national team and Holgado took a long flight and went back almost immediately after the match to return to his club... I don't know how much more these players can show that they want to play for Malaysia. "Indonesia had been naturalising players before us and I have read that Vietnam had amended their law to allow naturalisation. "The national players are playing for Malaysia, no matter where they are from and they need the support from Malaysians." Cklamovski added that Malaysia will play friendlies against Singapore and Palestine on Sept 4 and Sept 8 in Kuala Lumpur respectively. However, fans have questioned FAM over Malaysia's withdrawal (due to logistical and player availability issues) from the Central Asian Football Association Nations Cup from Aug 29-Sept 8. "We will be playing two quality opponents in September, it will be a derby match against Singapore and another tough match against a top 100 side Palestine," said Cklamovski. "There's plenty of rivalry between Malaysia and Singapore so it will be a good test for the players, and Palestine have qualified for the 2027 Asian Cup and had a good run in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. "These two matches will be a good test for the team before we face Laos in our Asia Cup qualifier in October. We hope to get the best players to join the training camp," said Cklamovski.
