AIDIL OUT OF AFF SUZUKI CUP 2010

Aidil, who was a crucial member of the SEA Games in Laos last year when Malaysia won the gold after a 20-year drought, is out with an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury.

“It is frustrating for sure. I was keeping my fingers crossed that it would not be an ACL but it happened. I was so looking forward to playing in the AFF Suzuki Cup and not only that, I will also have to give the Asian Games next week a miss,” said Aidil.

In the meantime, the Malaysian team heading to the Asian Games in Guangzhou scored a morale-boosting 4-0 win over Maldives in a friendly last night with goals off
Mohd Safee Sali, S. Chanturu, Ahmad Fakri Saarani and Amirulhadi Zainal.

But the victory also added to chief coach K. Rajagobal’s injury woes when another defender Mohd Nasriq Baharom was stretchered out five minutes from the end.

“I don’t know what to say. The boys played well and I did not expect this to happen,” said Rajagobal, who has already lost the services of nine key players due to injuries.

Other than Aidil and Nasriq, the other players on the injured list are goalkeepers Farizal Marlias and Mohd Sharbinee Allawee, defender Mat Sabree Abu, midfielders Baddrol Bakhtiar and Gary Steven Robbat and striker Mohd Zaquan Adha Abdul Razak.

Malaysia’s first game at the Asian Games will be against Kyrgyzstan on 8 Nov.