AFF Cup: De Paula's services still sought after by Harimau Malaya

PETALING JAYA, Nov 17 -- Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) striker Guilherme De Paula continues to be a valued member of the national team when he was among 28 players called up to the centralised training camp of Harimau Malaya squad ahead of the 2020 Asean Football Federation (AFF) Cup in Singapore next month.

The 35-year-old naturalised player is among five strikers on head coach Tan Cheng Hoe's list. The others are Muhammad Syafiq Ahmad (JDT), Muhammad Shahrel Fikri Md Fauzi (Selangor FC), Darren Lok (Petaling Jaya City FC) and Luqman Hakim Shamsudin (KV Kortrijk).

Only players whose teams have been eliminated from the group stage and quarter-finals of the 2021 Malaysia Cup will report for duty first when the national camp begins on Nov 22 at an unspecified location.

Players from teams that are eliminated in the semi-finals of the Malaysia Cup will then report for duty on Nov 28 while those who play in the Nov 30 final of the prestigious competition will check in on Dec 1.

“Overall, I think we have the best senior players. We have Aidil (Mohamad Aidil Zafuan Abd Radzak), Apek (Khairul Fahmi Che Mat) and also Baddrol Bakhtiar.

"These three are the most senior players in the team and, of course, with the young players, I think we can offer the best challenge in the AFF Cup this time," said Cheng Hoe.

He said this at a press conference to announce the players for the national squad's centralised training camp ahead of the 2020 AFF Cup at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya here today.

Cheng Hoe said that overseas-based players on the list would check in according to the release dates given by their respective clubs.

According to the 53-year-old coach, only 24 players will be in the final squad scheduled to leave for Singapore on Dec 3 before the group stage competition starts on Dec 5.

The 2020 AFF Cup (postponed by a year from August 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) is scheduled to be held from Dec 5 to Jan 1 next year with Malaysia, runners-up in the 2018 edition, being drawn in Group B with reigning champions Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia and Laos.

Malaysia, who are aiming to advance to the final for the second time in a row, will open their AFF Cup campaign against Cambodia on Dec 6, followed by Laos (Dec 9), Vietnam (Dec 12) and Indonesia (Dec 19) in a bid to emerge among the top two teams in the group and qualify for the semi-finals.

The following is a list of the 28 players called up for the Harimau Malaya's centralised training camp starting Nov 22 in preparation for the 2020 AFF Cup in Singapore from Dec 5 (2021) to Jan 1, 2022.

The following three players are placed on the standby list:

-- BERNAMA