KUALA LUMPUR: It is a case of better late than never for national defender Dion Cools, who is en route to Qatar to join the Harimau Malaya squad for their Asian Cup campaign (Jan 12-Feb 10).
Cools posted a picture of him on a flight to Qatar on social media today, which came as good news for both Malaysian fans and national coach Kim Pan Gon.
The 27-year-old was unable to join the national team's centralised training camp, which started on Dec 26, due to commitments to his club, Buriram United. The latter competes in the Thai league.
The versatile defender is a key player in the national squad and had scored a brace in Malaysia's 4-3 win over Kyrgyzstan in the second round of the 2026 World Cup-cum-2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers in November.
He will join forces with fellow defenders Shahrul Saad, Matthew Davies, La'vere Corbin Ong, Dominic Tan and Khuzaimi in Doha.
Despite missing the training camp, Cools is expected to fit into the team without any hiccup. The squad will play Syria on Jan 8 in a closed-door friendly in Doha before kicking off their campaign.
Malaysia, ranked No. 130, will kick off their Group E campaign against Jordan (No.87) at the Al Janoub Stadium (Jan 15), Bahrain (No. 86) at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium (Jan 20) and South Korea (No. 23) at the Al Janoub Stadium on Jan 25.
The Koreans are coached by Germany legend Jurgen Klinsmann and have several Europe-based players, including Tottenham Hotspur hitman Son Heung Min, Lee Kang In (Paris Saint-Germain) and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hwang Hee Chan.