An exciting talent identification programme will reward several lucky Malaysian footballers with a chance to train with English Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur in London, England.
The brainchild of S. Visnu Nair and Jonathan Abishegam from Football Talent Asia (FTA), NextGen Harimau is a nationwide football talent identification initiative designed to discover, develop, and export Malaysia’s most promising young players to top-tier training and competitive opportunities in Europe. According to Visnu, NextGen Harimau is a joint partnership between FTA and MyCoachingHub.
This programme aims to become the premier pathway for Malaysian footballers.
Visnu, who holds an Asian Football Confederation B coaching licence and a football diploma from the University of Barcelona, also runs the Villarreal Malaysia Academy. He hopes to transform the landscape of Malaysian football by unearthing new superstars.
“We are looking at players aged between 13 and 15, as we hope to help them get into the national Under-17 squad in 2027,” said Visnu, managing director of MYCoachingHub — an online sports platform for coaches that provides a wealth of resources and solutions for coaching education.
“I’m looking at expanding the talent identification beyond the Klang Valley, with Kedah as a confirmed venue. We also hope to have camps in Melaka, Kelantan, and Sabah.
“I will speak to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) next week. It would be good to get them on board the programme,” added the son of former national coach B. Satianathan.
Visnu said there is a lack of scouting infrastructure beyond state and club systems in Malaysia, and hopes NextGen Harimau can address this issue. He expects the programme to attract between 300 and 400 participants.
The aim is to get at least six talented players to train with Tottenham — though the dream is to send a full squad to London.
“I believe it is possible to send a squad to Tottenham, but for now, we pledge to send at least six of them.”
Visnu, a former goalkeeper who played for Petaling Jaya Rangers, Selangor, Felcra and MOF FC, said he was inspired by Mencari Ramli, a football talent search reality show that discovered national winger Faisal Halim.
Recently in Indonesia, Garuda Select — a docudrama and talent development programme — was a huge success and concluded after five seasons.
“We hope to tie up with Astro to produce a programme,” said Visnu. “The show will give extra exposure and mileage to sponsors, and hopefully, help some players become household names.”
Separately, Visnu said his Villarreal football academy provides scholarships for 40 players in the B40 category at his three centres in Klang and Kota Kemuning.
“The programme is going strong, but it is time to reach out to potential players outside the Klang Valley,” he said.
NextGen Harimau will kick off in July.