Cover image via The StarJust when you thought Malaysian football couldn't get any worse – it did. The national team has slipped to an all-time low of 174th place in the latest FIFA rankings released on 7 April.
Image via FIFA
The national team dropped eight spots from the previous ranking of 166th place. The latest position pits Malaysia ahead of countries like Timor-Leste, Yemen and Bangladesh.
This comes after new coach Datuk Seri Ong Kim Swee's first two games as head coach of the team, which ended in a defeat and a draw
The Malacca-born coach suffered a 2-0 lost to a strong Saudi Arabia side in a World Cup qualifier back in March. The Harimau Malaysia squad then drew 0-0 to a lowly ranked Macau team.
To add to the team's woes, two Asian Cup qualifying victories over Yemen back in 2013 and 2014 has lost value, causing a drop in points from 129 to 119
Image via Four Four Two
However, Ong is adamant that the team will make a comeback when they face Timor-Leste, which is ranked one spot behind Malaysia, in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup play-off match in June
Image via Ball ball
"While it is disappointing to see our ranking fall so low, we have an opportunity to move back up when we play a friendly match at the end of May and the two playoff matches against Timor Leste," said Ong.
The two matches will be held on 5 and 7 June. Aside from the fixture, the team will also be facing Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and Fiji in the same month during the Oceania tour.
Image via Astro Awani
