PETALING JAYA, June 19 — The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has introduced the ‘Elite Games’ project aimed at scouting talented young players with the potential to don the Harimau Malaya jersey in the future.
National Under-23 (U-23) head coach Mohd Nafuzi Zain said an initial group of 26 players from across the country will be called up for the project’s first camp, scheduled from June 23 to 26.
He said the inaugural camp also formed part of preparations to shortlist 30 players for centralised training ahead of the Asean U-23 Championship 2025, to be held in Jakarta from July 15 to 29.
“We have many young players with potential, so the Elite Games initiative is to monitor them in preparation for the Asean U-23 Championship.
“We’ll bring in players from June 23 to 25 for a short stint, during which we’ll conduct sparring games where players compete against each other. If they perform well, they stand a chance of being included in the 30-man squad for the Asean U-23 central training camp,” he told reporters today.
He said the centralised training for the Asean U-23 tournament will run from July 1 to 12 before the team departs for Jakarta on July 13.
Malaysia have been drawn into Group A alongside host nation Indonesia, the Philippines and Brunei for the Asean U-23 Championship 2025, which runs from July 15 to 29 in Jakarta.
The national U-23 side will kick off their campaign against the Philippines on July 15, followed by matches against Brunei on July 18 and Indonesia on July 21.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals scheduled for July 25, with the third-place playoff and final set for July 29.
Meanwhile, Harimau Malaya technical director Tan Cheng Hoe said the ‘Elite Games’ project was the result of discussions with national team head coach Peter Cklamovski and Mohd Nafuzi.
He said beyond the Asean U-23 tournament, the initiative will also help Mohd Nafuzi prepare for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers 2026 from Sept 3-9 and the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, scheduled from Dec 9-20.
Cheng Hoe also expressed hope that the programme could be held monthly, with a focus on identifying emerging talent from U-20 and U-18 players nationwide, who could later be included in the Harimau Malaya squad. — Bernama
