KUALA LUMPUR: Is Australian football legend Tim Cahill set to join the new Harimau Malaya setup?
The FA of Malaysia (FAM) has remained tight-lipped about whether the former Everton forward will be part of a special unit being formed to oversee the national team.
FAM secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman, when asked about the speculation, offered no confirmation.
"No comment, we'll wait and see," he said when met at the launch of "Pablo Dollah Coffee," a venture by Malaysian football legend Datuk Dollah Salleh in Subang Jaya on Saturday.
The rumours about Cahill's involvement began circulating after he was photographed with the Regent of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim recently.
Cahill, in addition to being a global ambassador for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), currently serves as the Qatar Football Association's technical director and chief sports officer at Aspire Academy in Qatar.
Azman added that FAM will make an official announcement regarding the special unit next month.
Last month, FAM deputy president Datuk Yusoff Mahadi confirmed that the governing body would not privatise the Harimau Malaya squad.
Instead, a dedicated unit will be established to manage and monitor the senior and Under-23 national teams.
This comes following the government's allocation of RM15 million for the development of the national team.