CKLAMOVSKI SURPRISED BY CLAIMS ABOUT HIS FUTURE, INSISTS FOCUS IS ON NEPAL GAME

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 (Bernama) -- Australian Peter Cklamovski is adamant that he won't allow speculation that his days as the national football head coach are numbered to distract him from the task at hand.

The 47-year-old said he is not the least bothered by the speculation, which has gone viral on social media.

"It was a bit of a surprise to me, but that's football and things like that can happen. What's most important for me now is about today (the team's preparation)... then, making sure we do the right thing tomorrow and get all three points.

“Finishing this year at the top (of the standings) and continuing to give the country confidence in the team we are building. That's all I'm thinking about right now,” he told reporters at a pre-match press conference here today.

Malaysia will take on Nepal in their fifth Group F match in the 2027 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup Qualifiers at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil tomorrow, and Cklamovski's sights are firmly set on his men trooping out with full points. 

On Saturday (Nov 15), Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) acting president Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi reportedly said that news about Cklamovski's future was nothing more than wild speculation played up by external parties.

On tomorrow's match, Cklamovski said his men are ready to go full throttle this time, having defeated Nepal 2-0 in their opening group match in March.

“I’ve challenged my men to play the best football and score as many goals as they can. They (Nepal) have come with a new manager (Hari Khadka) and they will fight to disrupt us, but the most important thing is that we have to control the game,” said Cklamovski.

After four matches, Malaysia top Group F with 12 points, followed by Vietnam (nine points), Laos (three points) and Nepal, who have nothing to show for after losing all four matches.

-- BERNAMA