“I’ll be lying if I say I want to turn down a call-up for the national squad,” he says.
The 2010 AFF Golden Boot winner says he is ready to prove his worth to coach Tan Cheng Hoe.
“I must be ready physically and mentally if I am called (to the national team’s training camp). If given the chance, I feel I will have no problem proving it,’’ Safee said after the Super League game between PJ City FC and Felda United, last night.
The 35-year-old scored his third goal for the season in the match to help PJ City FC record a narrow 1-0 win over the bottom of the table Felda at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil.
Speaking about the match, Safee said the three points were very valuable for the team, who are in eighth place out of twelve teams, to avoid relegation to the Premier League next season.
“All the players showed their determination and worked hard to win because they know our position in the standings. Indeed, we faced difficulties at this match because Felda United is also in the danger zone, so their players also wanted a win,” Safee, who had scored twenty-three goals in seventy-three appearances for the Tigers, said.
Meanwhile, PJ City FC coach, K Devan said the players showed focus, commitment and confidence to win, to put the team in a more comfortable zone to avoid relegation.
“The three points are important and will help us be more confident in the next few games because we would feel pressured if we are in the relegation zone,’’ he said.
Commenting on their next 5 matches, which will see them face Kedah, Melaka, defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim, Selangor and PKNP FC, Devan said there aren’t many differences in terms of quality between the teams and his squad.
“We have never lost badly to strong teams, we played well against them. Maybe, we lost due to mistakes, but the gap in quality is not much.
“We were successful in overcoming Pahang (2-0), not that we want to thump our chest but we can play well and win over strong teams.
“Now the team must focus and avoid simple mistakes. PJ City, with the commitment and the group of players we have, can play against any teams, except we have several inexperienced players in key positions … This is why we encounter problems at crucial times,’’ he said.
With the two teams at the bottom of the standings will be relegated at the end of the season, PJ City (20 points) are above PKNS FC (19 points), Kuala Lumpur (14 points), PKNP FC (13 points) and Felda United (12 points) in the Super League.