KUALA LUMPUR — The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is expected to name John Hutchinson as the new head coach of Harimau Malaya, with an official announcement of his arrival to be made on December 15.
Speaking to Scoop, a reliable source within FAM revealed that Hutchinson, who was recently in charge of Yokohama F. Marinos in the J1 League (Japan Professional Football League), will take over from outgoing interim coach Pau Marti Vicente following the ongoing AFF Championship.
Prior to committing to the role with Harimau Malaya, the 44-year-old Australian recently led Yokohama to top their group in the Asian Champions League Elite East region, which includes teams such as Gwangju FC, Vissel Kobe, Kawasaki Frontale, Pohang Steelers, JDT, Shanghai Port, Buriram United, Shanghai Shenhua, Shandong Taishan, Ulsan Hyundai, and Central Coast Mariners.
The source also revealed that Hutchinson was brought in as a more affordable option after consultations with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is overseeing the new national team structure to ensure that FAM’s expenditure on coaches aligns with the RM15 million allocation in Budget 2025.
“Previously, FAM considered several options, including coaches with experience leading national teams to the World Cup, but their salaries would cost around RM7 million per year. Therefore, Hutchinson is a wiser and more cost-effective option, especially given his experience and track record.
“At the same time, Hutchinson also shares a good relationship with the new FAM national team technical advisor, Tim Cahill, and together they can significantly change the landscape of the national team with their combined experience.”
“Hutchinson will be arriving in Malaysia in the next few days, and FAM is set to unveil him on December 15. He will also be monitoring the national team’s performance in the ongoing Asean Cup to assess the players he wishes to retain or remove in the revamped squad,” said the source.
For the record, Hutchinson, who played for the Malta national football team between 2009 and 2011 due to his Maltese ancestry, has extensive coaching experience.
In addition to Yokohama, he has coached Australian A-League sides Central Coast Mariners and Western United, as well as El Paso Locomotive FC, which competes in the United States Soccer League.
However, unlike his predecessors Pau Marti and Kim Pan-gon, Hutchinson does not have prior national team coaching experience.
Meanwhile, FAM is also expected to appoint former Kedah FC head coach Nafuzi Zain as the new under-23 head coach, replacing Juan Torres Garrido.
“It’s confirmed that Nafuzi will take charge of the under-23 side, as he has previously worked with young players at all the clubs he has coached. He will be the right coach to identify promising talents and transition them into senior team players,” the source added.
The 46-year-old Nafuzi, who was previously head coach of Kedah, has also coached Terengganu, as well as Kelantan and T-Team’s under-21 side. – December 10, 2024