Arif Aiman not training with Harimau Malaya

JOHOR BAHRU, March 26 (Bernama) -- The whereabouts and status of winger Arif Aiman ​​Mohd Hanapi has become a mystery after he was not with the national team that underwent training at the Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) Training Centre , Padang Mawar in Pasir Gudang last night.

Based on Bernama's observation, Arif Aiman's absence saw only 26 players return to participate in the team's training session for almost two hours which started at 10 pm.

The training session started late to honour the month of Ramadan. It was part of the preparation of the Harimau Malaya led by Kim Pan Gon ahead of their second Tier 1 international friendly against Hong Kong at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri on Tuesday.

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) have so far not issued any statement regarding the 'mystery' of Arif Aiman's absence in last night's training session.

Usually, the injury factor with the confirmation of the team doctor is among the reasons that allow a player to be excluded from assignments with the national squad during the FIFA international matches window.

Before this, the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the National Football Awards in 2021 and 2022 was not in Pan Gon's squad when Malaysia beat Turkmenistan 1-0 in a Tier 1 international friendly at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium last Thursday.

On Wednesday, Pan Gon at the pre-match press conference before the clash against Turkmenistan had confirmed that all 27 players who were called up for the Harimau Malaya's centralised training camp here were at the best level of fitness and ready to be fielded.

The last time Arif Aiman ​​donned the national team jersey was during the Thailand King's Cup tournament in September last year, which saw Malaysia emerge as runners-up after losing in the final to Tajikistan.

-- BERNAMA