KUALA LUMPUR – As Brad Maloney and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) part ways, the position to lead the U-23 national team is vacant.
However, after today’s executive committee meeting, FAM general secretary Mohd Saifuddin Abu Bakar said that there is a high possibility of current U-19 head coach Hassan Sazali Mohd Waras will take over.
“Right now he has his own target, which is to prepare for the U-20 Asian Cup qualifiers in Mongolia in September.
“But there is a high chance that he will lead the U-23 squad. This depends on the decision of the technical committee, head coach and team manager of the national team,” he said.
Since the U-23 squad works closely with the senior team, Saifuddin said national team head coach Kim Pan-gon will be involved in the selection process of the new coach.
“We want the new U-23 coach to be aligned with the same philosophy as Pan-gon because these players will eventually be promoted into the senior team.”
Hassan recently led the U-19 team to victory at the Asean Football Federation (AFF) U-19 Championship in Jakarta after beating Laos 2-0 in the final.
He is also the coach for the FAM-NSC Project squad that currently plays in the Malaysian Premier League.
Meanwhile, Harimau Malaya will take part in the Four Corners Friendly Tournament, scheduled to take place from September 22 to 25 in Thailand.
This tournament will help prepare the national team for the upcoming AFF Cup, which will take place from December 21, 2022, to January 17, 2023.
“It will be good for our players as they will play against higher ranked teams,” said Saifuddin
Although the list of teams has not been finalised yet, Saifuddin believes that the teams will be from Asia, Middle East, and Latin America. – The Vibes, July 21, 2022.
