KUALA LUMPUR: Midfielder Zhafri Yahya, who is thrilled to have been called up for his first Harimau Malaya centralised football training camp, does not intend to waste this golden opportunity.
The Kuala Lumpur City (KL City) FC player is determined to prove his capability to the panel of coaches, headed by South Korean head coach Kim Pan Gon, as well as to repay the faith shown by his fans.
The 27-year-old, who hails from Selangor, however, admitted that he might need a little more time to get used to the tactics and playing style of Pan Gon.
“I’ve always dreamed of playing for the Harimau Malaya since I joined KL City (in 2016). When I trained under coach Bojan Hodak, he always afforded me the time and space to showcase my abilities and, finally, I managed to prove myself to him and my KL City teammates.
“After two days of training (with the Harimau Malaya), I feel that Pan Gon’s training is quite similar to Bojan’s. My first target here is to make it to the Harimau Malaya squad. Secondly, to at least get some playing time,” he said when met during the national team’s training session at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil today.
Zhafri, who was initially placed on the standby list, was called up to join the centralised training on Tuesday (March 15) to replace Petaling Jaya City (PJ City) striker Darren Lok, who tested positive for COVID-19.
The Harimau Malaya are set to take on the Philippines on Wednesday (March 23) and hosts Singapore on March 26 in the Tier 1 tri-nation series at the Singapore National Stadium before facing Singapore League side Albirex Niigata at the Jalan Besar Stadium on March 28. - Bernama
