KUALA LUMPUR – The future of the national men’s hockey head coach, Arul Selvaraj, will be decided by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) after the Olympic qualifiers.
Speaking to Scoop, Arul said his main focus for now is to lead the Speedy Tigers to next year’s Paris Olympics and is currently not worried about his contract extension.
“A discussion will definitely take place with the MHC president, Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal, and the deputy president, Datuk Ahmad Najmi Abdul Razak, on my future after the Olympic qualifiers in Oman.
“For now, I don’t want to think about my contract extension or anything related to my contract as I have a bigger job to do, which is to bring our national team to next year’s Olympics,” said Arul.
Arul also hinted that the Olympic qualifiers will be the last chance for him to continue his job as the head coach of the team.
“When I came to Malaysia to take the job from Dublin, my KPI was based on bringing the team to the Paris Olympics.
“We couldn’t do it in the Hangzhou Asian Games, and the Olympic qualifiers can be considered the last chance for the team to make it to the biggest multi-sports event in the world.
“I’m not sure what will be my fate if we don’t make it, but in case we happen to qualify, of course, I will be able to continue with my job,” Arul added.
Earlier, MHC said that all national coaches will see their contracts end on December 31.
Arul came on board as the head coach for the Speedy Tigers in 2020.
Before Arul’s appointment, the current Pakistan junior head coach Roelant Oltmans was heading the Speedy Tigers from 2018-2020.
Malaysia has not featured in the Olympics since Sydney in 2000.
Malaysia finished sixth in the Asian Games and missed a direct Olympic qualification slot after their 5-2 defeat to Pakistan.
Malaysia’s only hope now is the qualifiers, scheduled to take place from January 15 to 21 in Oman.
Coach Arul’s charges are grouped together with Great Britain, Pakistan, and China in Pool A.
The Speedy Tigers are currently ranked 12th in the world rankings with 1881.87 points. – December 23, 2023