Cheng Hoe given full control

NEW national coach, Tan Cheng Hoe, will be given a carte blanche in his mission to revive Harimau Malaya.

Such is the assurance given by FAM president, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim who also confirmed that the former Kedah coach has been given the freedom to choose his own assistants.

Tunku Ismail wants Cheng Hoe to focus on instilling a winning mentality in every player.

“Based on the current situation, Cheng Hoe is the best person for the job. I hope he will do his very best and he has my full support.

“There is nothing else that’s new and he will remain on his existing two-year contract. We will give him the space and freedom to do whatever he thinks is best for the national team.

“There are no high targets and the first thing he has to do is to change the players’ mentality to that of a winning one. Now we need to win matches, change the players’ mentality and work on addressing weaknesses,” said Tunku Ismail yesterday.

On Wednesday, Nelo Vingada resigned as national coach after failing to lead Malaysia to a win after seven games in charge.

Tunku Ismail reminded the players not to think of a call-up to the national team as a burden. “Representing the country is not a burden in any way. As a player, the desire to achieve and win must always be there,” he said. Azlan Muhammad Zain and Mohd Fitrie Muhamad