KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian football legends have applauded Harimau Malaya boss Kim Pan-gon’s efforts in bringing back entertaining football for the fans through his tactics.
Speaking to Scoop, former national midfielder Bakri Ibni praised the South Korean’s commitment to bringing back the dignity of Malaysian football, which used to suffer heavy defeats when playing higher-ranked teams.
“I would like to congratulate Pan-gon for rebuilding the squad and giving hope to the future of Malaysian football through his impressive tactics. He has elevated the standards of Malaysian football from scratch.
“The communication among the players on the pitch is great, and the team looks solid under his guidance. They have the vision to go further with their current performance,” said Bakri, who turned out for the national team from 1972 to 1983.
The 70-year-old also commended the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) for making the right decision in bringing Pan-gon on board and hopes that the footballing body continues to trust his process.
“FAM should take credit for making the right decision in hiring Pan-gon.
“It’s not easy to get a positive result against a team ranked higher than Malaysia in the world rankings. I believe that we can win the upcoming Merdeka tournament if the team continues this fighting spirit,” he added.
Meanwhile, Abdul Rahman Ibrahim, a former Harimau Malaya coach, echoed a similar sentiment, saying that he admires the revolution within the team with the emergence of young talents.
“I’m delighted with the positive impact created by Pan-gon within the Malaysian dressing room and admire the players’ winning mentality that they are showcasing on the pitch.
“I’m happy to see young footballers like Ariff Aiman, Quentin Cheng, Shahrul Nazeem, and Azri Gahni making their way into the team and hope to see more young talents playing for Malaysia in the coming years,” Rahman said.
The 77-year-old, who also had successful coaching spells with Selangor and Terengganu, also highlighted that the FAM should come up with a contingency plan to ensure that the current momentum is maintained for the next 10 years.
“We can’t deny the fact that the team is doing well for now. However, FAM should develop more young talents to play for Malaysia in the future instead of relying on heritage and naturalised players.
“I’m aware that we are not the only nation that relies on naturalised players. Other countries are doing the same but we should not continue with this formula for the years to come, or else we will start losing our identity as an authentic Malaysian team,” Rahman told Scoop when contacted.
In a friendly last Saturday, Malaysia earned an impressive 1-1 draw with China – almost shocking their opponents by taking the lead, only for the Dragons to equalise in the 36th minute.
Malaysia have previously played against the 80th-ranked nation in 13 outings, with their worst defeat coming in a 7-1 loss in the 1978 Asian Games held in Bangkok, Thailand.
Pan-gon’s men will next participate in the 42nd edition of the Pestabola Merdeka tournament, which is set to take place from October 13 to 17 at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
Malaysia will face Palestine, India, and Tajikistan in the tournament. – September 12, 2023