KUALA LUMPUR: The national Under-23 (U-23) squad have the potential to end a decade-long wait to win the gold medal in the men's football event at the SEA Games in Hanoi next month, said Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu .

Ahmad Faizal believes the national team have a good selection of players who can bring home the gold.

"Although the team's preparation was a bit delayed, but with the ability of the players, I think we are no pushovers. We are a team that are (still) feared at the Southeast Asian level.

"So I'm quite sure we will give a good fight," he told a press conference at the Jalur Gemilang (National Flag) Handover Ceremony for the Malaysian contingent to the Hanoi Games at the National Sports Council, Bukit Jalil, here yesterday.

Meanwhile, Malaysia's chef de mission to the Games, Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad said he hoped to see the national team under the guidance of Head Coach Brad Maloney achieve excellent results in Vietnam because football is one of the top sports in the country.

"If we can, we must get a medal in football because it is a sport that people say completes the SEA Games and the Malaysian contingent's achievement will be complete if there is a medal from football," he said.

Maloney has not set any specific targets for his team, but assured that he would form the best squad that would be capable of providing fierce competition.

The last time Malaysia won the gold medal in the men's football event of the SEA Games was in the 2011 edition in Indonesia when Datuk Ong Kim Swee was the coach.

Malaysia's best achievement after that was winning the silver medal in the 2017 edition in Kuala Lumpur, also under Kim Swee, before being eliminated as early as the group stage in the 2019 Philippine SEA Games.

Malaysia, who are drawn in Group B at the biennial Games, are scheduled to face Thailand on May 7, Laos (May 11), Singapore (May 14) and Cambodia (May 16) at Thien Truong Stadium, Nam Dinh to grab one of two slots to the semi-finals. .

-- BERNAMA