KUALA LUMPUR – The search for assistants continues for national hockey head coach Sarjit Singh, as the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) is believed to be in talks with Kim Sang-ryul to bring him on board into the revamped system.
Regarded as one of the best coaches in the world, the 69-year-old South Korean is currently in town as a consultant for China’s Liaoning men’s and women’s teams that competed in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).
His women’s side finished second in this year’s MHL. They went on to win the Vivian May Soars Cup by defeating Malaysian University 3-0 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in regulation time at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil today.
According to a highly placed source within the hockey fraternity, Sang-ryul is currently in contact with the governing body and will probably be joining the national team in the weeks to come.
“Sang-ryul is not currently attached to any national teams, and he will be the right person to partner with Sarjit to get the best out of the young players.
“He has the experience with him, and it’s believed that he’s also interested in taking up the performance director position on the team.
“He has a good track record and has learned from the best, and having him on the team will be a big asset for Malaysia. Now it’s up to him whether he will accept the offer if MHC approaches him with a deal,” said the source.
Known for his aggressive style of coaching, Sang-ryul is well known for his 4-3-3 and 4-5-1 systems, where he aims for his players to always burst onto the flanks instead of moving on relatively flat lines, which has been the norm in Malaysian hockey over the past four years.
The Korean guided China’s men’s team to silver at the 2006 Doha Asian Games and the women’s team to fifth place at the 2012 London Olympics.
He received his coaching certificate from India’s National Institute of Sports in Patiala in 1985 after studying under Olympic champion Balkrishan Singh.
The source has also said that the governing body is in talks to bring in two-time Asian Games gold-medallist (1994 Hiroshima and 2002 Busan) Kim Yoon as Sarjit’s assistant if things do not materialise with Sang-ryul.
The 61-year-old Sarjit, who is under a two-year contract, has scouted between 40 and 42 players from the MHL and will begin training on March 19.
Sarjit, who previously coached the Johor state team, led the national side from January 2007 to December 2008.
The former national hockey captain also coached the national junior team from 2004 to 2006. – March 10, 2024