No Definition Of First Or Second National Team - Dollah Salleh

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 (Bernama) -- Former Harimau Malaya squad head coach Datuk Dollah Salleh believes that there is no defition of a first or second team involving the squad that will represent the country at the 2024 ASEAN Cup competition starting Dec 8.

He said the players under the management of Pau Marti Vicente, which features a blend of senior and junior players, should instead put aside such notion and keep setting their sights on going far in the competition.

"I think there is no difference even though some people say this is the second team. Whoever (the player) is called to play must give all their best as this is a special opportunity for local players.

"You have to prove that you don't lose and later use it as an excuse by claiming to be the second team. I believe the Harimau Malaya players who played (this time) are the best," he said when met at a press conference in conjunction with the Royal Selangor Club-Dato' Chu Ah Nge International Youth Football Championship in Bukit Kiara, here today.

He also expects the competition this time to be more intense with the average ASEAN country competing and showing improvement and quality of play.

"We can't take it easy anymore, looking at the first time in this group, there was confidence to enter (go far) but now there is no difference in any group, all standards (teams) are more or less the same," said Dollah who once guided the Harimau Malaya squad to the final in the 2014 edition.

Earlier, the 18th edition of the Royal Selangor Club (RSC)-Dato' Chu Ah Nge International Youth Football Championship will be more lively this year as it involves the participation of 120 teams from six countries, namely Singapore, Brunei, Maldives, Indonesia, India and Malaysia.

The youth football competition, which is also an ongoing step to unearth more young talents and subsequently polish to a higher level, will last for three days starting this Friday.

-- BERNAMA