Myanmar hopes hit as footballers pull out over coup
Yangon (AFP) – Myanmar’s football coach Antoine Hey said he hasn’t given up hope of ending a 55-year absence from the Asian Cup despite a withdrawal by players in protest at the country’s military coup.
Hey will take a weakened squad to the joint 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers in Japan after several players pulled out following the February coup that ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
An estimated 780 people have been killed by security forces in the Southeast Asian country during protests against the takeover.
An official at the Myanmar Football Federation told AFP that as many as half of the usual squad may be absent from the qualifiers, starting on May 28 against Japan.