By FRANCIS XAVIER Francis@newsabahtimes.com.my
KOTA KINABALU: Mohd Yassin Aman wants his young charges to be fully focused on their preparations for the Youth Cup challenge, which is scheduled to kick off early March.
He said that now they have cemented their place in the squad after signing their respective contracts with the Sabah FA over the weekend, they must entirely focus solely on the team’s preparations.
A total of 25 players put pen to paper on Friday, while one Mohd Shariman Mukarim, might not make the team after failing a medical.
“We are still looking at his (Mohd Shariman) case, but if he cannot make the squad, we are fine with just 25 for the new season,” the state Under-19 team manager said when contacted yesterday.
Yassin said he has a good talk with his squad during Saturday’s training, and that he expect them to maintain high discipline in the team.
“I would like to reiterate that our top priority will be on discipline. We want to educate them the importance of discipline … be it in football in our daily life. Without discipline, no matter how good you are, you will not go far in football.
“We will not tolerate on this (on and off the pitch). This is our future, so I will be strict as far as discipline in the team is concerned.
“We will not hesitate to act accordingly if any players are found to have breached the disciplinary code,” he added. So far, Yassin said he was happy to see the commitment and determination shown by the players.
“Our coaches (Jelius Ating and Awang Sabtu Jamil) have been working hard in building the squad and the boys seemed to be enjoying what they are doing, which is good for us all.
Yassin also expressed his hope of giving the team a good pre-season warm-up matches.
“We are looking at a carnival-type tournament for them and hopefully we’ll get this opportunity,” he stressed.
