KUALA LUMPUR: National coach Tan Cheng Hoe hopes Malaysia will get to host the Asian Cup final round of qualifiers.
He is looking at this after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) dropped the home and away format for a single centralised venue due to Covid-19.
The final round, which has Malaysia vying with three other countries, will be held in June next year.
AFC will let the countries involved bid for the hosting job.
Cheng Hoe admitted that the national team miss their fans since the pandemic outbreak.
This was evident from their record of only one win in seven international matches this year.
In the past five months, the team moved away from the home fans to play in the Middle East. Malaysia played their World Cup/Asian Cup qualifiers in the United Arab Emirates in May, and earlier this month, two friendlies in Jordan.
The national team struggled without their 12th man as the losses piled up.
Cheng Hoe said Harimua Malaya need the roar of their fans to get them fired up again.
"We missed the home support. Our supporters at the stadium (Bukit Jalil)
have always given the team a positive impact."
Cheng Hoe believes that the relaxed but controlled Covid-19 situation in the country is a positive sign for Malaysia to host the final round of the Asian Cup qualifiers.
"We will only have three matches to play in the group, and being the host of the qualifiers is crucial. We will need all the advantages we can get."