'Malaysia Cup should adopt knockout format like FA Cup'

Johor Football Association (PBNJ) president Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has proposed that the Malaysia Cup competition adopt the knockout format just like the FA Cup.

Tunku Ismail said adopting the format would ensure the local competition is not congested, thus giving players who are picked for National duty, more time to concentrate on their preparation and training.

"The poor performance of the senior National squad could be due to the cramped playing schedule, giving players little or no time to recover," he said in the official Johor Darul Ta'zim Facebook 'Johor Southern Tigers' today.

Tunku Ismail also suggested that Harimau Muda (National Under-22) squad players return to their respective teams to continue playing competitive football.

The U-22 squad coached by Razip Ismail had come under heavy criticism from local football fans after failing to qualify for the 2016 Asian Football Confederation (AFC Cup) Under-23 championship after finishing third in the Group I Qualifier.

Tunku Ismail said his suggestions were based on findings by the PBNJ technical committee that carried out a study for the development of National players.