J1 LEAGUE EXPERIENCE HELPS COOLS GROW AND GUIDE HARIMAU MALAYSIA

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 (Bernama) -- Playing in Japan’s top-flight football, J1 League, has given national defender Dion Cools a new perspective about the game, one that he hopes will benefit both himself and Harimau Malaya.

Cools, who plies his trade with Cerezo Osaka since last June, said the exposure to different systems and tactical approaches in Japan has helped him read the game better and share those insights with his compatriots on the pitch.

The 29-year-old, who has earned 37 caps and scored six goals since his debut for Harimau Malaya in 2021, said playing in Japan has also broadened his appreciation for the tactical discipline and diverse styles that define J1 League.

“I know Japanese football is for sure different than Southeast Asian football in my opinion. So it's not really the playing style that might translate on the pitch but I think it's more coming into exposure of new systems that I'm seeing maybe in Japan that I can recognise on the pitch.

“I can help my teammates on the pitch to explore or tell them what I see from my view and then maybe I can help the backline or the attack to find solutions that maybe we might struggle in a game,” he told reporters here, today.

Cools acknowledged that he enjoyed his time in Japan, where every team plays with its own distinct style.

The variety of tactics and quality of competition in Japan, he added, has given him valuable experience and exposure to a higher level of Asian football.

He also said that Malaysia has improved steadily since he first joined the national team, with stronger squad depth and greater cohesion among players.

“We have a good base. We have a lot of quality players in the team now with a lot of young players as well. So, they're lifting the level in our team,” he said.

Despite ongoing challenges in Malaysian football, Cools said the national team remains upbeat and united in their mission to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup ahead of their Group F match against Nepal in the qualifiers next Tuesday (Nov 18).

The Harimau Malaya, under the guidance of coach Peter Cklamovski, are sitting pretty at the top of the four-team standings with a perfect record of four consecutive wins, including seeing off Vietnam, their nearest challengers, 4-0 in June.

Malaysia top the group with 12 points, followed by Vietnam (nine points), Laos (three points) and Nepal, with no points.

Only the group champions will qualify for the Finals to be held in Saudi Arabia in January 2027.

Previously, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) rejected the appeal made by FAM and the seven heritage players involved, namely Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel regarding of their documentation issue.

The FIFA Appeals Committee upheld the sanctions imposed by the governing body's Disciplinary Committee against FAM and the seven heritage players for offences related to forgery of documents under Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC).

Following this, FAM was ordered to pay a fine of CHF350,000 (approximately RM1.8 million), while each player was fined CHF2,000 (about RM11,000) and suspended for 12 months from all football-related activities.

-- BERNAMA