Johnny Dominicus
KOTA KINABALU: Eight Sabah junior players are hopeful of getting the nod to challenge for a place in the national under-23 squad.
Sabah FC III head coach Johnny Dominicus said they have proposed eight names to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to be considered to undergo preliminary selection process.
They are Gerald Gadit, Abdul Hanafie Tokyo Abdul Hasim, Mohd Hizaz Mohd Lokman, Mohd Naaim Firdaus Stibin, Mohamad Sahrizan Saidin, Azlizan Mohd Azlan, Nureizkhan Isa Japar and Mohd Faqrul Idris.
“However, there is still no decision from the FAM yet,” said Johnny here on Monday.
For the record, the FAM is preparing the national under-23 squad to face the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022 qualifiers.
Meanwhile, Johnny is satisfied with the progress made by Sabah FC III in preparation to face the President Cup challenge.
“The players have made improvement as a whole even though we are unable to play as many friendly matches due to the (Covid-19) pandemic.
“We have only the state seniors and juniors to play against with at the moment but the team is making progress,” he said.
Sabah FC III, nicknamed the Junior Rhinos, took on the state senior squad Sabah FC recently and did well to force a 2-2 outcome at the Likas Stadium last Friday.
Midfielder Mohd Naiim put the juniors in front with a firm header but fellow President Cupper Harith Naem Jaineh, who was called up to train with the senior team, levelled the tie.
Mohd Naiim was again in the thick of action when he restored the Junior Rhinos’ lead with a precise free-kick but veteran striker Bobby Gonzales equalised for Sabah FC for the second time in the game.
The match was then called off due to heavy rain as the teams settled for the draw.
For the Junior Rhinos, it was already an improvement having lost their previous friendly game to the seniors 0-1.
Johnny hoped it was a positive sign that his players would be ready to face the delayed President Cup challenge, which is now likely to start either in September or October.