GEORGE TOWN: The spotlight is on the Euro 2008 Finals but domestic football gets under way again today with the challenge for the Malaysia Cup.
And most of the teams, including defending champions Kedah, Selangor, Terengganu, Perak, Johor FC, Negri Sembilan and Perlis, do not welcome the timing of the start of the competition. They felt that the kick-off is a little too close to the just-concluded Sukma in Kuala Terengganu.
Back to the grind: Terengganu’s Abdul Manaf Mamat (centre) in action in the Sukma football final against Perlis on Sunday. He is one of the 11 Sukma players in Terengganu’s Malaysia Cup side.
Kedah coach Mohd Azraai Khor had as many as eight players featuring in Sukma and three others were with the national team on a playing tour of Surabaya. He added that only on Monday did he have a full squad in training for the Malaysia Cup.
“The kick-off may seem a little too soon and the players’ absence hampered our preparations. But I am confident that we will be able to pick up from where we left off in the Super League (Kedah made a successful defence of the title),” said Mohd Azraai in a telephone interview from Alor Star yesterday.
“I am pleased that except for Fadli (Baharom), who has a slight hamstring problem, the rest of my players reported back in good condition.”
Kedah will open their campaign in Group B with a home match against Police at the Darulaman Stadium tonight and Mohd Azraai is glad that matches for his boys with the Sukma team and the national side have kept their match fitness intact.
For Terengganu coach Yunus Alif, only nine players were with him on Monday to prepare for the opening Group A match against Selangor.
He had 11 players in the Sukma gold medal-winning side, among them Ashaari Shamsuddin, Abdul Manaf Mamat, Nordin Alias, Ismail Farudi and Cheku Amir Rusdy.
“The kick-off for the Malaysia Cup comes too soon.
“I am still in the dark over whether any of my players are injured.
“And with them still in a celebrating mood after the Sukma success, it can be rather worrying,” said Yunus from Kuala Terengganu.
“Expectations will be high on us to continue with the good job in Sukma and with Selangor always known as tough opponents, we have an extremely difficult task.”cl
Perak coach Steve Darby also faced the same problem of not having a full team in training for the Malaysia Cup. Khalid Jamlus and two others were still bogged down by injury problems and four players were on national or Sukma duties.
“It was only today (yesterday) that I finally managed to get the full team together and I am most relieved that they have returned home from their respective duties unscathed,” said Darby, whose side begin their campaign in Group C with a home match against Perlis tonight.
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