NATIONAL coach Tan Cheng Hoe will come up with a contingency plan if he is unable to call up players for centralised training during the June international window.
All international matches scheduled until June have been postponed by Fifa due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to a recent Fifa statement, clubs do not have to release players while footballers can also decline national call ups in June.
Cheng Hoe is unlikely to get his wish as the June window could be used for domestic competitions.
“If the clubs decide not to release players, I will have to find other options.
“As a coach, I would like to have the best players report for centralised training.
“I hope things will get better. I just have to wait until it is really safe out there.
“Hopefully, the Covid-19 can be contained soon, as at the moment, football is at a standstill.”
Cheng Hoe’s side were supposed to play the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Thailand in the pre-World Cup in March and June before the pandemic affected the international football calendar.
“The only worry here is the schedule.
“We might have a tighter schedule and this might lead to injuries when the football season resumes.
“We have to prepare for all possibilities. I also need to have a bigger pool of players.”
The 51-year-old, who is now in Penang, said he is keeping in touch with the national players on social media networks during the Movement Control Order.
“I follow some of the players’ social media pages and watch their home training videos,” he added.
“But playing competitively and individual training are two different things. I hope the players will be mentally strong to keep going.”