KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur Football Association (KLFA) technical director Sulaiman Hussin hopes the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) will find a coach with a similar character to Kim Pan Gon as the latter's replacement.
He believes former Vietnam national coach Park Hang Seo is suitable for the national coach posititon.
Pan Gon unexpectedly resigned as Harimau Malaya coach last week. His former assistant Pau Marti Vicente has been appointed as interim head coach.
"Pau Marti may be suitable for the short term as he has learnt a lot from Pan Gon," said Sulaiman recently.
"However, I feel that FAM have to find a more suitable replacement. But that does not mean we do not want him (Vicente) to succeed.
"If he can continue Pan Gon's legacy and improve the national team, he should be allowed to continue. But if he can't, FAM have to bring in an experienced coach who can adapt to our culture. Sometimes a coach will have success with team A but then fail to make an impact with team B.
"Hang Seo has elevated Vietnam to a higher level. If he becomes the national coach I hope he will be given the support he needs.
"I believe he is a suitable candidates because of his character. In fact his approach is even more brutal and our players have to be prepared for this."
Meanwhile, Sulaiman hopes that Vicente will give new players a chance to don the national colours in September's Pestabola Merdeka competition.
"Pau Marti's main task is to identify players. About 61 players were called up by Pan Gon, and there could be others that have been identified as we know they have been scouting a lot of Super League matches," he said.
"Pau Marti can give these players a chance to shine. Indirectly, it will motivate other players as they know the door to the national team is always open."
Sulaiman was speaking during the latest episode of Berita Harian Online's Borak Hari Ini podcast.
Universiti Teknologi Mara Sports and Recreation Faculty senior lecturer Sadek Mustaffa was also a guest on the show, which can be viewed on YouTube.