PETALING JAYA: National Under-23 football head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee is glad that two of his trusted lieutenants from the National Sports Institute (NSI) have been given the green light to join the team for the three friendly matches in Bangkok, beginning on Sunday.
The 48-year-old said he was informed via SMS late Tuesday night that performance analyst Ahmad Hilmi Abdul Latif and nutritionist Norazmi Ramly would be with him in Bangkok.
The duo, however, has not been cleared to join Kim Swee for the Asean Football Federation Under-22 Championship in Cambodia next month and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 qualifiers on home ground in March.
“I’m waiting for a suitable time to meet the NSI senior officer and get clearance for them to join me for the two tournaments,” he told reporters after the national Under-23 team training session at Wisma FAM, Kelana Jaya, here yesterday.
A local sports portal had reported on Tuesday that Kim Swee was furious after learning that NSI had not given the duo, who have always accompanied him since 2009, clearance to join him in Bangkok.
Meanwhile, Kim Swee announced that only 17 of the 26 players called up for the first training session reported for duty yesterday, with seven more (six from Kelantan and one from Kedah) expected to check in today.
Two others – R. Kogileswaran and Mohd Faizal Abdul Halim – are already in Bangkok with their Pahang team and will link up with the national team there.
Of the 17 who turned up yesterday, two – Muhammad Izzan Syahmi Mustapa (fever) and Ariff Ar-Rasyid Ariffin (right calf injury) – did not train yesterday.
The Under-23 team will play a friendly against MIFA on Saturday before flying off to Bangkok the next day.
In Bangkok, they will play three friendlies, against Bangkok Glass FC on Monday, Army United FC (Jan 16) and Ayuthaya United FC (Jan 18). – Bernama
