Mystery surrounds Lebanese international Mohammed Ghaddar’s refusal to play against Malaysia in Tuesday’s Asian Cup Group B qualifier at the Larkin Stadium in Johor Bahru but it is the venue where Malaysia’s football could begin a new life under new Portuguese coach Eduardo Vingada.
For the record, Ghaddar, who is rated as the highest paid footballer in the Malaysian Super League after the striker signed for three-time league champions Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) from Kelantan. The 33-year-old Ghaddar is on a hot streak in the Malaysian league, scoring 18 goals in 12 appearances for Kelantan.
It is a surprise why the striker has turned his back on his country which left many question marks.
But it stops at that as football crazy Malaysia is focused on the biggie at the Larkin Stadium – which is also the home of the Southern Tigers or JDT.
With some of the big names in Malaysian football, including skipper Safiq Rahim, making a U-turn after quitting the national team last year, and Vingada at the helm many expect a positive result or at least a decent performance from Harimau Malaya.
The winds of change in the national set-up may not bring instant results but football pundits are putting their money on a change of fortunes for the country – currently ranked No 155 to Lebanon’s 135.
Lebanon coach Miodrag Radulovic was quick to admit that the return of the big names like Safiq spells danger. He expects a tough match – a match which is expected to draw a bumper crowd to the Larkin Stadium.
The arrival of Vingada as the new head coach is an added factor for Radulovic to take note of Malaysia.
Vingada has been motivating the team to prove their critics wrong and show their fighting spirit and commitment and embark on a new journey to take Malaysian football to a higher level. – BY RIZAL ABDULLAH
