National men’s indoor hockey captain Najmi Farizal Jazlan believes the team needs to get off the blocks quickly for the World Cup in Croatia following their unsuccessful attempt at defending the Asia Cup title in the final in Kazakhstan.
“Now that we have qualified for the 2025 World Cup for the first time, there is an urgent need to put this team into motion early on the road to Croatia. We need to create awareness of the tough journey ahead of us with proper training and more matches,” said Najmi, who scored nine goals in the Asia Cup – four more than teammate Khaliq Hamirin.
The other Malaysians scorers were Faridzul Mohd (4 goals), Aminuddin Zain Mohd (3), Muhammad Azhar (2), Firdaus Omar (2) while Ashran Hamsani and Aslam Hanafiah scored a piece.
In total the Malaysians scored 30 goals in the Kazakhstan Asia Cup leading to the final.
“A full-time training programme will be good for the national indoor team as we embark on the journey to the World Cup. We need full support from MSN, ISN and the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Look at the other teams that competed in the Asia Cup. They have been training for several months with proper facilities,” said Najmi.
“I believe we need to move a step higher in our preparations for the World Cup. The players need to be exposed to a lot of international matches. Playing against regional teams will not help much. The World Cup is a different stage. We will face the strongest teams in the world,” he added.
Najmi, 30, admitted that his biggest disappointment was not being able to help the team defend the title. The Iranians won 7-1 in the final en route to winning the title for the ninth time in 10 editions.
The former national outdoor senior team player who has 150 international caps under his belt, led the Speedy Tigers to their first ever indoor championship title at the 2022 Asia Cup held in Bangkok.
“As captain of the team, I was deeply shattered when we in lost to Iran in the final. Now that we are on the road to the World Cup, I would like to continue this momentum and stay focused on our mission,” he said, adding that he has intentions of seeking a callup in Sarjit Singh’s outdoor senior team at the moment.
“The indoor team is ‘One Family’ and all us have a good understanding. We need the support from all quarters to prepare for the World Cup,” said Najmi.