PETALING JAYA – Datuk Ong Kim Swee has been elected the new president of the Football Coaches Association of Malaysia (FCAM) after winning the election uncontested held at the annual congress for the 2022-2026 term here today.
Formerly the vice-president, Kim Swee assumed the role of acting president following the passing of B. Sathianathan, who had succumbed to cancer.
Meanwhile, Mohd Asri Ninggal was elected the new vice-president after defeating Datuk Richard Scully for the post.
Kim Swee expressed commitment to carrying out the plans initiated by the late Sathianathan for the association.
Additionally, the Sabah FC coach anticipates that the newly elected exco will implement its own strategies to prioritise the welfare of local coaches.
The 52-year-old added that there have been plenty of issues that surfaced recently and he wants to create the best formula between the Malaysian Football League and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
“I want to ensure that the coaches are given what we deserve, just like the players where they have a strong association behind them.
“This is not an easy job, to helm a big association like this. We can see the presence of the likes of Irfan Bakti Abu Salim, Mat Zan Mat Aris and Ramli Junit at this congress proves the senior coaches follow the progress of this association and this is very important.
“At the same time, I have an exco line-up that is balanced and made up of senior and younger coaches, this is important to ensure our programmes are not catered only to certain coaches,” he said at a press conference after the congress.
Kim Swee added that he also wants grassroots coaches to be involved in the association as they play an integral part in unearthing talent so the country does not have to entirely rely on naturalised players.
He said FCAM will work together with FAM’s technical department to implement better programmes for younger coaches to produce better trainers that can discover and mould the talents of tomorrow. – November 25, 2023
FCAM executive council for the 2022-2026 term:
President: Datuk Ong Kim Swee
Vice-presidents: Mohd Razif Ismail and Mohd Asri Ninggal
Deputy-presidents: Md Dali Wahid, Rezal Zambery Yahya, Ishak Kunju Mohamad, Aminuddin Hussin
Executive committee members: Ridzwan Abu Shah, Sulaiman Hussin, Rashid Mamud, Noor Zaidi Rohmat, Chew Chun Yong, Farhana Abdullah, Siti Suhaila Johari, S. Balachandran, Haris Lajid