KUALA LUMPUR – Nafuzi Zain will play a key role in helping Peter Cklamovski adjust to the national team and settle into the dressing room, according to Datuk Dollah Salleh.
The national football legend’s comments followed the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) announcement of Cklamovski’s appointment as head coach of the national team and Nafuzi’s role as head coach of the under-23 team.
The 46-year-old Australian with extensive experience as an assistant coach for the Socceroos and a successful coaching career in Japan’s J-League, will take over from the outgoing Pau Marti Vicente after the AFF Championship concludes.
Speaking to Scoop, Dollah, who made 81 appearances for Harimau Malaya between 1984 and 1996, acknowledged the challenges Cklamovski would face in adjusting to the national team, including potential language barriers and difficulties in understanding his players’ personalities.
“It won’t be easy for Cklamovski, as he has no experience as a national team head coach and is unfamiliar with working with such a diverse group of players, unlike Pau Marti or coach Kim Pan-gon,” Dollah said.
“It took coaches like Pan-gon and Pau Marti more than two years to understand the dressing room dynamics and analyse their players to get the best out of them.
“Cklamovski will need to put in the work to understand his players better.”
Dollah emphasised that Nafuzi would be crucial in helping Cklamovski settle in, as he knows Malaysian footballers well, including their personalities and mindset.
“It’s time for Nafuzi to step up, step out of his comfort zone, and ensure constant communication with Cklamovski. Local coaches like him should seize the opportunity to learn from Cklamovski.
“Since Nafuzi is also in charge of the under-23 team, he must ensure that the right players are identified and transitioned into the senior squad for Cklamovski,” Dollah added.
Nafuzi, who previously managed Kedah FC, has held coaching roles at Terengganu FC, Kelantan, and T-Team’s under-21 squad, earning a reputation for nurturing young talent.
Meanwhile, defender Datuk Santokh Singh, who was instrumental in Malaysia’s qualification for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, expressed that FAM’s decision to bring in a foreign head coach would only be effective if the players changed their mentality on the pitch.
“They can bring in any coach, but nothing will change if the players don’t play with passion,” said Santokh.
“The disparity between the current and past generations is evident, and I hope this new appointment helps the players improve their game.”
Cklamovski began his coaching career as an assistant with the Australian national team (2014–2017) before moving to Yokohama F. Marinos (2018–2020).
He later took on head coach roles at Shimizu S-Pulse (2020) and Montedio Yamagata (2021–2023), where he led the team from the relegation zone to playoff contention in the Japanese second division.
Harimau Malaya will kick off their 2027 Asian Cup qualification campaign in March, starting with a match against Nepal, followed by games against Vietnam and Laos in the group stage. – December 17, 2024