National coach Dato Ong Kim Swee was perplexed that some quarters raised the issue of a "silent protest" by players a day before the crucial first leg playoff against Timor Leste.
And the Malacca born was left scratching his head to figure out what was the agenda of the critics in raising this issue at a crucial time.
Labelling the accusation as akin to sabotage, Kim Swee voiced out his feelings when the question was posed to him at the post match press conference at the Larkin Stadium.
The issue arised after a question was posed to FAM President Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah on Wednesday on the possibility of players conducting a "silent protest" in relation to the lack lustre performances of the national team lately.
" This was a shocking accusation against the players and we had a heart to heart talk with the team," said Kim Swee.
" We wanted to know if there really was such an issue and frankly the players themselves wee just as shocked as the coaches and management.
" I believe we have a good relationship between the players and coaches and as such treat all these accusations merely as sensationalism by some quarters to gain fame or any other agenda they may have.
Kim Swee said that the performance of the players on the pitch last night against Timor Leste was a perfect way to answer these accusations.
" If there was any doubt on the players commitment to the national cause, it was answered by the performance over the 90 minutes," said Kim Swee who said that he did not want to react to the accusation before the match,
" It was a good win and really we should have scored more had we been more clinical in our finishing.
" This is only the first half as we have another 90 minutes to play on Monday night."
