KUALA LUMPUR: Harimau Malaya’s new head coach Kim Pan Gon today confirmed that he has picked Sarawak United FC head coach E. Elavarasan to be his local assistant coach of the national football squad.
The South Korean through a statement from the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) said that Elavarasan met the criteria he needed - a coach who is familiar with the players and possesses vast experience in the domestic scene.
“After studying the candidates who had been earlier interviewed by FAM Technical Director Scott O’Donell, I personally met Elavarasan. I believe he is the best candidate and the most suitable individual to assist me in providing accurate information and opinions on the team.
“I can see Elavarasan is a committed coach who is geared up to give his full cooperation in helping us to take Harimau Malaya to a higher level,” Pan Gon said on the former Selangor and Public Bank defender.
Elavarasan, 60, who holds the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Pro Licence (from 2018), has been in charge of Sarawak United since February 2020, and steered the Golden Hornbills to gain Super League promotion by finishing runners-up to Negeri Sembilan in the 2021 Premier League.
Meanwhile, Elavarasan, who is going to get involved in the FAM set-up for the first time, considers the opportunity as a huge honour and a national duty.
“I see this assignment as a challenge and also the opportunity for me to contribute at the national level, happy to be part of this new project. My hope is that the coaching team is able to adapt quickly to the head coach’s work ethics and philosophy ahead of a few major tournaments this year.
“I wish to thank Sarawak United for giving me an early release from my contract and not forgetting the players and the fans who had given their fullest cooperation to me throughout my stint at Sarawak United,” he said.
Pan Gon during his first press conference on Feb 17 after reporting to FAM, had unveiled his coaching team comprising of assistant coach Pau Marti Vicente, Cho Junho (goalkeeper coach), Dr Gokhan Kandemir (fitness coach) and Lim Jaehun (performance analyst).
The new coaching team has scheduled to convene the first centralised training camp for the Harimau Malaya on March 14 ahead of two Tier 1 International Friendly Matches against the Philippines on March 23 and Singapore on March 26. Both matches will be held in Singapore. - Bernama