KUALA LUMPUR - If indeed Tan Cheng Hoe's time with the Harimau Malaya is running out, the national team’s management will have to go back to the drawing board and think hard before selecting a new head coach, says former national coach B. Sathianathan.
Speaking to Bernama, he described the recruitment of a new head coach as a “gamble”, which should take into account various aspects, including the high cost of hiring one who could bring positive results.
Taking the example of Vietnam’s head coach Park Hang-seo, Sathianathan said the South Korean was said to receive a salary of RM230,000 a month, half of which was borne by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF).
“What I hear is it’s (Park Hang-seo’s salary) USD55,000 (RM230,000) a month, without tax, without anything. In Vietnam, the federation pays half, the team manager or vice president of the squad pays half. That's just his salary alone, not including that of his assistants.
“In Malaysia, are there any parties who wish to help the FAM (Football Association of Malaysia)? Who will help FAM find such funding to hire a coach?” said the president of the Football Coaches Association of Malaysia, who had also led the national team from 2007-2009.
Vietnamese media have quoted a report by the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) that Hang-seo’s salary, although not formally disclosed, was said to be around USD50,000 (RM230,000) a month, making him the highest-paid head coach in the country’s history.
Cheng Hoe’s tenure with the national squad is being hotly debated following the decline in performance, culminating in the recent ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup 2020 campaign in Singapore which saw the national team eliminated in the group stage.
The local media have also reported that the fate of the 53-year-old coach whose contract runs until the end of 2022, will be decided by the National Team Management Committee after evaluating a complete report on the team's performance.
It raises the question of whether Cheng Hoe will remain in charge of the Harimau Malaya ahead of the tough mission to get through the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers in June next year.
The best performance of the national squad under Cheng Hoe was in 2019, when they recorded nine wins from a total of 13 matches, including Tier 1 friendlies which saw them beat four higher-ranked teams at the time.
Sathianathan, meanwhile, said the recruitment of coaches from South Korea and Japan was currently a trend in the Southeast Asian region, with Indonesia also coached by Shin Tae-yong of South Korea, while Cambodia and Singapore used the services of coaches from Japan.
According to him, the time period and “freedom” given by Vietnam to Hang-seo to turn the Golden Dragon squad into the best in the region and capable of competing at the Asian level, should also be emulated.
The 63-year-old coach said, therefore, the authority to determine the overall planning of the national squad, including the selection of players and coaches, apart from the playing style, should be completely handed over to the potential new coach.
“The head coach should have a long-term plan. We have to get a really great candidate, who is qualified to lead the national squad, and we have to be patient,” he said, adding that the selection of the candidate should be done by a panel of experts in the field. – Bernama, December 25, 2021
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