The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) today announced a squad of 20 players for the 12th edition of the Sultan of Johor Cup which will be held from Oct 19-26 at the Johor Hockey Stadium, Taman Daya, Johor Bahru.
The Young Tigers will be led by eight players, including goalkeepers Mohamad Rafaizul Mohamad Saini and Muhammad Danish Afnan Mohd Faizal, who played in both the 2023 edition of the SOJC and the Junior World Cup in Kuala Lumpur last year.
Two players – midfielder Muhammad Khairul Norizam played in the 2023 SOJC only, while Muhammad Addy Jazmi Jamlus saw action in the JWC but not in the SOJC. Six of the 20 players in the squad are below the age of 21.
The Johor Hockey Stadium in Taman Daya has been the home of this prestigious tournament since its inception in 2011. This year’s hockey extravaganza will witness the participation of Australia, Great Britain, India, Japan, New Zealand, and host Malaysia.
National junior team assistant coach I Vikneswaran, said: “For this tournament we are preparing the team for the Junior Asia Cup in Oman which is not very far away. It is just about a month away.
“We have to be very careful about the way we prepare the team and move forward. Obviously, the pinnacle this year is the Junior Asia Cup (qualifying round for the Junior World Cup). I will not put pressure on these boys.
“But what I can be sure of is we will play a dignified game in every match in this tournament. I am very sure of these boys and what they are capable of,” he added.
He also stressed that of the 20 players in the squad, six will not be eligible to play in the Junior World Cup 2025 and that includes the goal goalkeepers – Rafaizul Mohamad and Danish.
“The Junior Asia Cup is our focus and we really want to do well. We are really gearing towards that. We started off the selection with a very open process that included Sabah and Sarawak. We gave everybody equal opportunity. The only group that we did not take were the players who were going to sit for the SPM examination at the end of the year. But we have tagged these players for the future.
“We looked at the Junior League and then went to Australia for a six-match tour, came back and held another open selection at the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) and selected the final squad,” he said.
National Junior Squad for SOJC 2024
Goalkeepers – Mohamad Rafaizul Mohamad Saini, Khairul Amirin Mohd Kamarul Azlan, Muhammad Danish Afnan Mohd Faizal.
Defenders – Andywalfian Jeffryrius, Mohamad Zulhanif Safran, Muhammad Aqil Danial Mat Ruslee, Disairul Fazrien Muhammad Nazrien, Muhammad Nabil Irfan Mohd Yusof
Midfielders: Muhammad Khairul Norizam, Muhammad Danish Daniel Abd Wahab, Mohd Adam Ashraf Mohd Johari, Muhammad Addy Jazmi Jamlus, Muhammad Handzalah Abdul Hadi, Aiman Safwan Hisham.
Forwards – Mohammad Haris Iskandar Osman, Che Nur Aqirullah Che Mohd Khaurulzi Anwar, Muhammad Danish Aiman Khairil Anwar, Mohammad Harris Iskandar Osman, Azimuddin syakir Kamaruddin, Muhammad Yadiy Mohamad Saifuddin, Naaveennash Panicker.
