FAM appoints Elavarasan as U-23 head coach

KUALA LUMPUR – The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has appointed E. Elavarasan for the national U-23 head coach position.

Elavarasan replaces Brad Maloney after the Australian was released by FAM on mutual agreement earlier this year.

However, Elavarasan will still maintain his position as assistant coach for the senior team under Kim Pan-gon.

FAM technical director Scott O’Donell, said the appointment of Elavarasan is in line with Pan-gon’s philosophy. 

“The main job for the U-23 head coach is to provide Pan-gon with a bigger pool of players to select from the U-23 squad.

“It made sense to appoint coach Elavarasan because he has been part of Pan-gon’s coaching staff for the past six months. He can implement the same philosophy from the national team into the youth squad,” he said in a press conference today. 

Previously, FAM president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin said the new coaching line-up should be similar to that of the senior squad. 

Meanwhile, Elavarasan said that identifying young talents will be crucial for the future of the national team.

“The U-23 squad will definitely follow the principle of the first team, trainings will be more aggressive, we will push them to take more risks and be dynamic so they can handle the demands of the senior team.

“We need to find talents, so Pan-gon can choose the best players for the national team,” said the former Sarawak United head coach. 

At the same time, FAM appointed Juan Torres Garrido from Spain as the U-23 assistant coach. The 42-year-old was head of talent scouting at FC Barcelona in the Catalunya area for four years and holds a Uefa A license. 

Meanwhile, others in the setup include Kris Yong (goalkeeper coach), Park Ji Hyeon (fitness coach), and Lee JeYoon (performance analysis coach). – The Vibes, September 1, 2022