KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 — Selangor FC 2 winger Muhammad Fahmi Daniel Mohd Zaaim is set to play in the 2022 Asean Football Federation (AFF) Under-23 Championship in Phnom Penh, Cambodia after all.
According to a statement from the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) today, Fahmi Daniel has been confirmed as the replacement for defender Ahmad Zikri Mohd Khalili, who has been ruled out with a knee injury.
FAM said the last-minute replacement was done before the national squad submitted their final team list to the AFF for registration on Sunday.
In the statement, national Under-23 head coach Brad Maloney said he wanted to give Ahmad Zikri a chance to recover and rejoin training but the 20-year-old had to be omitted due to the serious injury.
“Zikri suffered the injury after a series of friendly matches with Selangor FC. However, he could not recover in time. So, we have re-listed Fahmi, who is still undergoing quarantine in a hotel,” said Maloney.
According to the latest standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the AFF, Fahmi Daniel and another player, Shafi Azswad Sapari, are required to undergo a five-day quarantine before they will be allowed to rejoin their team for training.
Earlier, Shafi Azswad joined the team at the last minute as a replacement for Fahmi Daniel, who tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival in Phnom Penh last Friday. — Bernama
