Vaccine Assurance Is Sweet Music To National Players Ears

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"It’s a huge weight off their shoulders." That’s how Harimau Malaya team manager Mohd Yusoff Mahadi described the national football players’ reaction to being guaranteed Covid-19 vaccine jabs as they gear up for three crucial 2022 World Cup/2023 Asian Cup second round qualifiers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in June.
Yusoff (above) said the latest development was a relief for head coach Tan Cheng Hoe’s men ahead of their Group G matches against the UAE (June 3), Vietnam (June 11), and Thailand (June 15).
In fact, he said the assurance that they would get the jab had boosted the confidence of players and officials as they plan to leave for the UAE earlier for two friendly matches against Kuwait (May 23) and Bahrain (May 28).
“The health of our players is guaranteed. They can now go (to the UAE) with peace of mind and not worry or be concerned about being infected (by the virus). For us, it is very important that the national team is vaccinated before we leave for the UAE,” he told Bernama today.

Previously, it was rumoured that there was no guarantee the Harimau Malaya squad would get the vaccine jabs before they left for the UAE, raising concern among players and coaches.
However, Youth and Sports Minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican yesterday confirmed that all 78 individuals, including players and team officials, as well as Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Hamidin Mohd Amin would receive the first dose of the vaccine in Putrajaya on Monday (April 19).
Yusoff said getting the vaccine would help with team preparation and would give them a period of time to take action should any players suffer from side effects.
“The second dose will be given on May 10, 21 days after the first dose. So, we have more than a week after the second dose to see how they react to the vaccine before we fly off to the UAE on May 19,” he said.
Malaysia is well-placed to qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup Finals as they are currently second in the Group G standings of the 2022 World Cup/2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers after collecting nine points from five matches.
- Bernama

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