KUALA LUMPUR — Australian football icon Tim Cahill has been appointed the national team technical advisor by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), with an official announcement expected in the coming days.
A trusted source within the football fraternity has revealed that Cahill, who earned 108 caps and scored 50 goals for the Socceroos between 2004 and 2018 while featuring in four FIFA World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018), will focus on enhancing the technical and coordination skills of the Harimau Malaya squad while monitoring the team’s overall progress.
Previously, many speculated that the former Everton midfielder would play a key role in the effort to revolutionise the Harimau Malaya squad through a special unit aimed specifically at monitoring the performance and management of the national football team.
This speculation arose when a photograph of Cahill posing with the Regent of Johor, Tunku Mahkota Ismail; Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim; and Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) chief executive officer Alistair Edwards was uploaded to Tunku Mahkota Ismail’s (TMJ) Facebook page in August.
Tim Cahill (far right) with (from left) JDT chief executive Allistair Edwards, Regent of Johor Tunku Mahkota Ismail and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in August. – HRH Crown Prince of Johor Facebook, December 6, 2024
“Cahill will be joining FAM’s special national team unit structure, which will be overseen by the Prime Minister and TMJ. Plans to bring him on board began a month before FAM was granted the RM15 million allocation in the latest Budget 2025.
“The official announcement will be made soon by FAM, as they are currently waiting for him to settle some of his other commitments. However, Cahill is still in Malaysia at present.
“Cahill was specifically chosen to instil a world-class mentality in the Harimau Malaya players, which has been lacking over the years. His appointment aims to create a more competitive environment for the national team as a whole. He has a proven track record in several football-related roles over the years.
“He is currently tasked with analysing the national team’s performance in the AFF Championship, which is scheduled to kick off this coming Sunday. Following the tournament, he will begin reporting to the new head coach, whom FAM will hire after the AFF Cup, on areas that can be improved within the national team structure, such as the type of international friendly matches they should play,” said the source.
In addition to being an icon and ambassador of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Cahill has served as the chief sports officer at Aspire Academy and as the technical director for the Qatar Football Association.
Aside from his time at Everton, where he spent the majority of his club career (2004–2012), the 44-year-old also played for Millwall, New York Red Bulls, Shanghai Shenhua FC, Hangzhou Greentown FC, Melbourne City, and Jamshedpur FC. – December 6, 2024