Right man for the job

Pan Gon still suitable coach to guide Harimau Malaya, says Mohd Saifuddin

FORMER Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) secretary-general Mohd Saifuddin Abu Bakar described Kim Pan Gon as still the right person as head coach of Harimau Malaya. Mohd Saifuddin, who was one of the important individuals in the process of appointing Pan Gon in January 2022, said the coach from South Korea has proven his ability to transform the national team to qualify on merit for the Asian Cup after 42 years.

Besides that, he said with Pan Gon’s touch, Malaysia’s position in the world ranking rose sharply from 154th to the best position of 130th and the 54-year-old coach also proved his professionalism and impressive work quality.

“He (Pan Gon) has brought Malaysia to a level that we didn’t expect we could be there in the near future, we have to understand that the city of Rome was not built in a day but for me he has done something miraculous.

“This is because he is a very particular person and very passionate and he works 100%, he also revises regularly to successfully lift Malaysia to a higher level,” he said when contacted by Bernama yesterday.

Despite a series of unsatisfactory results recorded by Harimau Malaya earlier this year, Mohd Saifuddin believes that Pan Gon should be given more time.

“I think Pan Gon is the right person for Harimau Malaya at the moment,” said Mohd Saifuddin who held the FAM secretary-general post for two years starting in 2021 before leaving in 2023.

On Saturday, the national football arena was rocked by news reports that Pan Gon and his coaching staff had recently sent a letter to FAM and were ready to leave the national team if their services were no longer needed.

However, in a statement on FAM’s official Facebook page, Pan Gon denied the news report and expressed his commitment with the team until his contract expires at the end of 2025. – Bernama