Malaysia leave out JDT players as club faces congested schedule
JDT are scheduled to play 18 competitive matches between October and December, more than Real Madrid and Barcelona in Asean Football's comparison.
Johor Darul Ta'zim's packed calendar has led Malaysia interim coach Tan Cheng Hoe to exclude the club's players from selection for friendlies against China and Yemen in Guangdong. Neither the 24-man squad nor the standby list of 15 includes a JDT player.
Tan said the omissions would allow JDT to manage their workload and prioritise Asian competition. Arif Aiman Hanapi, Matthew Davies, Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed and Feroz Baharudin are among the regular internationals not selected.
Asean Football's fixture tracking lists 18 competitive games for JDT across four competitions from October to December. Real Madrid and Barcelona each have 16 over that period, while Manchester City and Liverpool lead the clubs compared with 20 apiece.
Alongside domestic fixtures, JDT are competing in the Asian Champions League Elite and Asean Club Championship. Tan said their continental results could help Malaysia accumulate Member Association ranking points. That ranking influences how many AFC competition places Malaysian clubs receive.
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris senior lecturer in sports coaching science Assoc Prof Dr Zulakbal Abd Karim questioned the absence of key internationals. He warned that Malaysia could miss a limited opportunity to improve cohesion during the international window. Malaysia are ranked 133rd in the world, while China are 96th.
