Malaysia coach directly points out the reason for playing 'age-accepting' against Vietnam team

Coach Ong Kim Swee explained the reason Malaysia U17 is fielding a U16 team instead of a full U17 squad for the 2026 Southeast Asia U17 Championship.

At 3:30 PM on April 13, the Vietnam U17 team will begin their opening match in the Southeast Asia U17 Championship against opponent Malaysia U17. Notably in this competition phase, the "Malayan Tigers" are only fielding a U16 lineup instead of players eligible for U17.

Speaking about this decision, Coach Ong Kim Swee - former Malaysia national team coach - also a member of this country's U17 delegation stated"

"Even though we only prepared domestically and had over three weeks before the Southeast Asia U17 Championship, this is very important for the players to gain experience. It should be understood that this tournament is for the 17-year-old age group, but we are sending a squad comprising 16-year-old players to compete early in order to prepare for the Asian qualification round", Ong Kim Swee shared.

"My goal is to see the players accumulate experience and be ready for the AFC qualifiers. Any coach or team participating in a tournament wants to advance deep. We know it's not easy, but the whole team must focus on tackling each match one by one", the Malaysian strategist added.

In the SEA U17 Championship, Malaysia U17 is grouped with two strong opponents including Indonesia and Vietnam, alongside Timor-Leste U17. Coach Ong Kim Swee affirmed that his team clearly recognizes the upcoming difficulties. However, this strategist also confirmed this is an opportunity to help the young players improve.

"We know this is not an easy tournament, especially when our players are one year younger than the opponents. However, if we want to progress, we must face teams like Vietnam U17, Indonesia, Thailand, or Australia to understand where our shortcomings or strengths lie".