Cklamovski Remains Optimistic Despite Harimau Malaya Ranking Drop

KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 (Bernama) -- Harimau Malaya’s 14-place drop to 135th in the world rankings has dealt a heavy blow to head coach Peter Cklamovski.

However, the Australian coach stressed that his squad remains positive despite the controversy surrounding the local football scene, and believes the effort to break into the world’s top 100 is still on the right track.

He said everything within the team’s control has been carried out well, including training, style of play and tactical analysis, while describing external obstacles as temporary challenges that must be overcome.

“Yeah, obviously in the last 12 months, you know, we’re moving in the right direction in that regard. Again, everything that we can control - the way we train, the way we play, the way we analyse our opponents, the way we analyse our football, and how we can keep growing our football.

“So, things off the field have affected us - that’s a bit of a speed hump - but I guess in every great story there are negatives and we’ve got to use it as that,” he said when met ahead of the final Group F match of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers against Vietnam here yesterday.

Cklamovski said time will be the deciding factor in realising the target after taking over Harimau Malaya in 2024.

“Step by step, yeah, step by step and time,” he said.

Yesterday, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) released the latest rankings, with Harimau Malaya dropping 14 places to 135th in the world with 1095.90 points.

The significant drop was due to heavy sanctions imposed by FIFA following a document falsification issue involving seven ineligible heritage players.

In December last year, FIFA annulled the results of friendly wins against Singapore and Palestine, and a draw against Cape Verde, which had been overturned as 3-0 defeats.

The situation worsened when the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) took similar action on two 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers against Vietnam and Nepal, in which the players were also fielded.

AFC’s ruling to hand Malaysia 3-0 forfeits not only stripped the team of crucial ranking points, but also confirmed Harimau Malaya’s failure to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup.

-- BERNAMA