The sighting of two drones hovering over the training ground at the FAM headquarters in Kelana Jaya, in Petaling Jaya recently brought the issue to light.

It was later confirmed by Harimau Malaysia coach Ong Kim Swee, who said it would help his players immensely.

“The players will thrive with the use of aerial video technology during training.

“The drone serves a good purpose in our tactical trainings, as it gives me an overall view of the sessions,” Ong was quoted as saying by the sports portal.

Ong is currently preparing his squad for the 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup tournament, which begins next week in Myanmar, with Malaysia playing in Group B with the host nation, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Some former European footballers and coaches have also endorsed the use of drones in traning, including former England and Liverpool striker Michael Owen and former Everton manager Roberto Martinez, who currently coaches the Belgium national side.

Ong believes that the technology will help his players get a wider perspective on the training ground, as compared with the previous use of video clips from a ground-based point of view.

“I’m going to show my players their overall movement, and how we can improve tactically. We have been using it for four days and it has helped,” ESPNFC quoted Ong as saying.

Speaking on the preparation for the tournament, Ong said there are morning sessions to gauge and improve the players’ fitness levels, but there have also been two sessions at 3pm, to get the players used to the heat that they will face in Yangon.

“Our trainings have been intense in their own way. We have drafted the types of programmes to be done at 3pm, and the players have adapted well,” Ong said, according to ESPNFC.

Malaysia starts its 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup campaign on Sunday, Nov 20 against Cambodia. This will be followed with the match against Vietnam on Nov 23 (Wednesday) and host Myanmar on Nov 26 (Saturday).

With the first two matches being played at 3pm, the Harimau Malaysia boys will be preparing for the heat by playing a full 90 minutes in a friendly against Papua New Guinea next Monday (Nov 14) at the Shah Alam Stadium at 3pm.

To encourage more football fans to attend the game, FAM has decided to let fans in for free.

“As a sign of appreciation for the fans who have supported us throughout 2016, we will allow fans free entrance for the friendly,” FAM Secretary-General Hamidin Amin said in a statement recently.

“We hope they will come and support the team in droves before they leave for Yangon.”