Uzbek youngster Aziz Haydarov has apologized for the cheeky "Iran go home" message he showed to media ahead of their Asian Cup opener, his coach said yesterday.
The jibe apparently angered Iran and Haydarov took a kick to the hip during the 2-1 loss that could rule him out of today's clash with Malaysia, Rauf Inileyev said.
"It seems to me that Iran were a bit angry," Inileyev said. "I didn't see what he wrote on the paper in the press conference but I think he didn't mean it."
"He's young and he just wanted to stir things up a bit. He made a mistake and he realizes that now. He's said sorry to Iranian officials and journalists. He just wanted to spice things up before the match," Inileyev said.
The 22-year-old midfielder and faces a late fitness test on his injured hip but Uzbekistan will welcome back star striker Maksim Shatskikh, who was suspended for the Iran match.
The Dynamo Kiev marksman will be keen to make an impression after sitting out the last Asian Cup in China. The illness-prone Shatskikh was rumored to be fearful of catching SARS, which had swept through China a year earlier.
"Every player here has his own motivation and I'm no exception," said the four-time Uzbek Player of the Year, who arrived in Malaysia on Wednesday.
"It's very difficult to get used to this kind of climate after a very long trip but I've adapted very quickly and I'm 100 percent ready for the next two matches," he said.
Uzbekistan will be confident of keeping pressure on Group C leaders China and Iran but Inileyev insisted they were approaching Malaysia with caution, despite the co-hosts' 5-1 loss in their first match.
"Malaysia had good chances to score but they were unlucky," the coach said. "China are well organized and they're a tough opponent for anyone but some of their goals came off ricochets and were a bit lucky."
"I think Malaysia will improve against Uzbekistan because they are out to prove they can do better, and also they are the hosts," he said.
Inileyev was also hoping for a better turn-out than for the Iran match, which was played in front of a near-empty National Stadium.
"We had a similar crowd when we played in South Korea. It doesn't affect us too much but I think bigger crowds do stimulate players more," he said.
Meanwhile, coach Chanvit Polchovin believes Thailand's first-ever Asian Cup win can become a turning point to help ween Thai fans off their infatuation with the English Premier League and support the national team.
Substitute Pipat Thonkanya became an instant sporting hero with two goals in eight minutes to claim a pulsating 2-0 win over Oman on Thursday.
The victory has edged the tournament co-hosts towards a place in the quarter-finals.
Chanvit has steered the perennial under-achievers to the cusp of the last eight and a point in a draw with Australia on Monday may be enough to clinch a quarter-final berth.
The Thais have played before a half-filled stadium with the locals preoccupied with the stars of the major English Premiership clubs at the expense of local soccer.
But Chanvit sees Thailand's heady progress at the Asian Cup as an opportunity for the country to fully get behind their national team as crunch time looms.
"This is an important turning point for Thai soccer to change the attitude of the Thai people and make them want to cheer their national team," Chanvit said.
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