KUALA LUMPUR: FA of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Hamidin Amin is disappointed with Kim Pan Gon's sudden resignation as national coach.
However, the president urged fans to support Spaniard Pau Marti Vicente, who is now the acting coach, in his quest to take Harimau Malaya to the next level.
Hamidin said that this was because Pan Gon, who took over the reins of national team head coach in 2022, had previously said he was fully committed to seeing out his contract with Harimau Malaya until December 2025.
"I want to thank Pan Gon because, in the two-and-a-half years he was with us, the national team's ranking improved and Malaysia qualified on merit for the Asian Cup Finals after 43 years. His huge contribution will never be forgotten.
"But then, coaches come and go. That's the reality. So, even though Harimau Malaya will be without Pan Gon, I hope all Malaysians will give their undivided support to Vicente and the Harimau Malaya squad, starting with the Merdeka Tournament in September," he posted on FAM's Facebook page on Wednesday.
Pan Gon resigned as the national football team head coach on Tuesday, citing personal commitments.
FAM then appointed assistant coach Vicente as acting head coach and E. Elavarasan as his assistant.
Hamidin, meanwhile, held discussions regarding the Harimau Malaya's direction and plans when he met Vicente in Mallorca, Spain on Wednesday.
Hamidin, the Malaysian chef de mission for the 2024 Paris Olympics, is in Spain to monitor the national track cycling team undergoing training there.
"Coincidentally, Vicente is also holidaying in Spain. I contacted him to come to Mallorca today to discuss his direction and plans for the team after he was announced as acting head coach for the national team.
"Although we are both stunned by Pan Gon's drastic decision to quit the team, Vicente said he is ready to shoulder the responsibility left behind by the South Korean and will continue to bolster the Harimau Malaya squad," said Hamidin.
He also gave an assurance that FAM will continue to support and give full attention to the Harimau Malaya squad's needs to ensure they can continue to improve their Fifa world ranking and gear up for the Merdeka Tournament and the AFF Cup in November.
Meanwhile, Vicente said he and his panel of coaches will continue with what Pan Gon had implemented to ensure consistency within the Harimau Malaya squad.
Besides thanking Hamidin for having faith in him, Vicente is also confident that the existing coaching lineup will stay together to take the national team to a higher level.
"We always speak about consistency. Not for a year or two. But we want this team to continue to perform consistently for a longer period and never look back," he said.
Although sad about Pan Gon's resignation, the former Barcelona Under-18 team assistant coach is also grateful to the South Korean for convincing him to leave Spain to handle the Malaysian team.
Pan Gon played a pivotal role in raising the national team's performance on the international stage, including helping the team to reach the 130th position in the world last November, which also happens to be Harimau Malaya's best position in the past 18 years.
The former South Korea FA technical director also steered the Harimau Malaya to runner-up positions in the 2022 Thai King's Cup and the2023 Merdeka Football Tournament. – BERNAMA