PETALING JAYA: Harimau Malaya coach Kim Pan-gon wants to make the National Stadium a fortress for his charges as they prepare for the Merdeka Tournament from Oct 13 to Oct 17.
The South Korean wants his players to cultivate a winning habit at home. He thinks his players have the potential but only lack the self-belief.
“We will play this tournament (Merdeka Tourament) at home. We want to have a winning habit at home and we want to make it a fortress here. So, anyone who comes for the home game, we can kill,” said Pan-gon.
“After going through this tournament, we are confident that we will get into the world’s top 100.
“This is a historical tournament. When I was young, I often heard about the Merdeka Tournament and we will try to give our best to become the champions.”
After a fine season with Terengganu, goalkeeper Suhaimi Husin has got his maiden national call-up in Pan-gon’s 25-man list for the national training camp.
Top club Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) have the most number of players with seven, led by goalkeeper Syihan Azmi,.
Selangor saw five players in the team while Sabah have four. Pan-gon has also called up foreign-based players – Junior Eldstal, Nooa Laine and Dion Cools. The coach kept 21 out of the 25 who played international friendlies in Syria and China last month.
Azam Azmi Murad, Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi and Laine are the three players from the Under-23 squad included for the Merdeka Tournament.
Malaysia will face India while Tajikistan play Palestine on Oct 13. The winners will meet in the final on Oct 17.
