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PETALING JAYA – The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) will not only focus on individuals in the process to select the new coach for the national Under-23 (U-23) squad that will be announced soon.
Its president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin said the process, headed by FAM technical director Scott O’Donell, will emphasise finding a coaching line-up that is similar to the senior Harimau Malaya squad’s.
He is confident that the new coaching line-up can raise the national junior squad’s performance and ensure the continuity of quality players in the senior team.
“After discussing with the national team, the technical department and the excos, we have identified certain individuals as well as staff line-ups. The technical director is finalising, almost 70 to 80% ready,” he said at the 58th FAM Congress media conference here today.
The final decision, he said, which would be announced by the end of the month, was made in the interests of national football as the U-23 squad will face a very tight competition schedule next year.
He said FAM wanted the U-23 squad and the senior team to have great working relations, to share the same ideology and be on the same page.
That is why national head coach Kim Pan-gon’s views have been taken into consideration in determining the new U-23 coaching line-up, he added.
“Top. His input is very good….definitely he played a big role,” he said.
Hamidin revealed in June that the U-23 squad would undergo changes in order to strengthen the national senior team.
A month later, FAM decided to release former U-23 head coach Brad Maloney through a mutual agreement. – Bernama, August 6, 2022