hodak-exposes-squad-to-cold-conditions-ahead-of-qualifiers-in-south-korea (video)

PETALING JAYA: Coach Bojan Hodak (pic) is thinking outside the box to get the national Under-19 football squad ready for next month’s AFC Under-19 Championship qualifiers in South Korea.

Malaysia are drawn in Group F with hosts South Korea, Timor Leste, Brunei and Indonesia in Paju from Oct 31-Nov 8.

As it will be cold in Paju with the temperature around 15-20ºC, Hodak is making sure that nothing goes wrong in his preparations.

“Our players are not used to playing in cold weather, but it’s much more comfortable than playing under the scorching sun,” said Croatian Hodak.






“We brought the team to the iCity Snow House in Shah Alam to expose the players to the cold conditions. It was below 5ºC in the theme park and some players complained of breathing difficulties.

“We will play at around 15-20ºC so I don’t think the players will have breathing difficulties in Paju.”

Hodak also sent his players to undergo a full medical and physical test for three days at the National Sports Institute (NSI) last week to have a better idea on the players’ condition.

“The tests have been a big help. Now, we have data on every player. We will use it to prepare the players based on their conditions.”

For Hodak, it will be his second major assignment since he was appointed in August. Last month, he managed to guide Malaysia to the Asean Football Federation’s (AFF) Under-19 Championship final in Myanmar before losing 2-0 to Thailand.

“The AFC Championship is of a higher standard than the AFF tournament. The teams are also better prepared.

“Timor Leste are already in South Korea to make their preparations. Indonesia are also going early to acclimatise. We can’t afford to think that we are the better team based on past results,” said Hodak.

Hodak and his players will travel to Paju on Oct 28. Malaysia will kick off their campaign against Timor Leste on Oct 31 followed by Brunei (Nov 4), Indonesia (Nov 6) and South Korea (Nov 8).

The 10 group winners and five best second-placed teams will qualify to the Finals in Indonesia in October next year.