DOHA: Yazan Al Arab may be serving a lifetime ban from the Malaysian League but the Jordanian defender still holds a lot of love for his once second home.
Yazan played an instrumental role in Jordan 4-0 win over Malaysia in Monday's Asian Cup Group E match in Doha.
Yazan harbours no grudges against Malaysian football and expresses hope that Harimau Malaya will advance to the second stage alongside the Chivalrous Ones.
The 28-year-old, whose contract with Selangor was terminated following a lifetime ban from the M-League for attacking a referee in a Malaysia Cup match against Terengganu on Sept 24, reflected on the challenging three months that followed.
"It was the toughest three months because I also missed five matches with the national team," said centre-back Yazan.
"If given another chance, I would love to be back in Malaysia. I know I was wrong (regarding the incident). After watching the video, I told myself it couldn't be me. It was the worst five seconds of my life."
Yazan said the match on Monday was made easier as a few Jordan players had played in the M-League.
"This was an advantage. We know and studied the qualify of several Malaysian players, including Arif Aiman Hanapi and Faisal Halim," said Yazan.
Jordan will next take on favourites South Korea on Saturday.