Harimau Malaya hope to get on the Asean money trail

KUALA LUMPUR: Harimau Malaya is not only aiming for regional glory, but also a substantial share of the prize money from the inaugural FIFA Asean Cup, scheduled from September 24 to October 3 in Indonesia. The competition boasts a total prize pool of US$4 million (RM17.6 million). The Premier Division winners will receive US$1 million (RM4.4 million), while each participating nation is assured a minimum of US$125,000. Harimau Malaya hopes to capitalize on this financial opportunity alongside their pursuit of trophies.

Unlike traditional regional tournaments that feature two-legged semi-finals, the FIFA Asean Cup will only see the winners of Group A and Group B progress to the final. Malaysia will kick off their Group A campaign against Bangladesh on September 25 at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. They will face hosts Indonesia at the same venue on September 28 and Singapore on October 1 at the Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung.

A poor performance in any of the first two group matches could severely impact Malaysia's title hopes.

Interim head coach Tan Cheng Hoe stressed the importance of managing player workload and avoiding injuries during the domestic M-League run-in, which will officially commence on September 21 once the FIFA window opens. The team is expected to head straight to Jakarta for their preparations starting on September 22. Meanwhile, the players have club commitments with the FA Cup quarter-finals scheduled on September 19 and 20, which is why the national team will only report after those matches.

The biggest hope for now is that the players remain injury-free after the congested M-League schedule leading up to the international tournament. Interim coach Cheng Hoe also mentioned that discussions with the Football Association of Malaysia (FA) of Malaysia regarding player availability are progressing well.