KUALA LUMPUR: Despite returning to action in January, Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) defender, Muhammad Feroz Baharudin, admitted he still needs to boost his confidence to elevate his performance.
Feroz said he also faced a tough challenge after being sidelined for a year due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury since January 2025.
“I feel I need to be more confident and do more to show good performance to the coach as well as my teammates at JDT, who support me every day during training sessions.
“The recovery process was not easy, and returning to my current level of performance has been challenging. I also feel I need to be more careful and be more consistent with my warm-ups before matches,” he said in a video shared by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) with the media on Friday.
Since making his return against Negeri Sembilan FC in the 2025/2026 Super League on January 9, he has played nine matches so far, including four appearances in this season’s Malaysia Cup.
At the same time, Feroz expressed his gratitude for being called up to represent Harimau Malaya for the team’s upcoming final Group F match of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers in Nam Dinh on March 31, after last being named for the friendly match against Laos in November 2024.
Besides being determined to deliver his best performance against Vietnam, the 25-year-old is also resolute in ensuring Malaysia’s pride remains intact in the match at Thien Truong Stadium, despite their hopes of qualifying for the 2027 tournament having been dashed.
Vietnam have already secured their place in the Asian Cup 2027 finals after collecting 15 points, followed by Malaysia in second place with nine points, while Laos and Nepal are third and fourth respectively with three points each.
Malaysia’s bid to qualify for the Asian Cup for a second consecutive time on merit fell short after being handed a points deduction by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Recently, the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee found the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in breach of Article 56 of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code for fielding an ineligible player in two Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers matches against Nepal and Vietnam. – BERNAMA
