KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah FC defender Mohd Rizal Mohd Ghazali(pix) has chosen to keep mum regarding his absence from the national training camp which began on Monday.
Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) secretary-general Mohd Saifuddin Abu Bakar said that as of this morning, there had been no word yet from Mohd Rizal.
Mohd Saifuddin said the 29-year-old player can still answer his call-up for the Harimau Malaya squad training but it is up to coach Kim Pan Gon whether to admit him or not.
“That (chance to join team) is up to the chief coach, and he (Mohd Rizal) does not need to inform FAM if he wishes to report to camp. He can just go straight to the chief coach,“ he told Bernama when contacted today.
On Monday, Pan Gon said in a statement that Mohd Rizal had rejected his national training call-up to replace Muhammad Syahmi Safari, ahead of the FAS Three-Nation 2022 Series in Singapore next week.
This forced the South Korean coach to call up Negeri Sembilan FC defender Ahmad Khuzaimi Piee as replacement.
Meanwhile, Mohd Saifuddin said the national team’s training session at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil here had been slightly affected by rains which usually fell in the afternoon.
However, he said this did not dampen the spirit of the players and coaches as they continued to give full commitment to both the morning and afternoon training sessions.
The national squad will leave for Singapore on Tuesday for the Tier 1 International Friendly FAS Three-Nation 2022 Series where they will play the Philippines (March 23) and Singapore (March 26).
During the Singapore trip, which is part of the team’s preparation for the Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers in June, the squad will also play Singapore club Albirex Niigata FC in a friendly on March 28.-Bernama
