KUALA LUMPUR – National football coach Kim Pan-gon is committed to guiding Harimau Malaya until his contract expires next year.
In a statement released today, the South Korean national denied media reports stating that the 54-year-old and his coaching staff are ready to step down after two crushing defeats to Oman in the 2026 World Cup/ 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
“The statement in the news article quoted from the source is completely inaccurate because I did not send any letter to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) regarding my intention to leave.
“After reading the news article, I immediately contacted FAM President, Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin to explain this matter and I assured him that my mission with the Harimau Malaya squad is not over and I will not leave this team just like that,” said the former Hong Kong coach.
He assured Harimau Malaya fans of his commitment to guiding the team until his contract expires at the end of 2025.
The goal of qualifying for the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, which confirms qualification to the 2027 Asian Cup is still Pan-gon’s main mission with Malaysia.
After guiding Harimau Malaya to two early wins in the qualifying campaign against Kyrgyzstan and Chinese Taipei, Pan-gon’s men suffered identical 2-0 home and away defeats to Oman.
The losses have jeopardised Malaysia’s chance to advance to the next round of qualifying as the team is currently in third place in Group D with six points.
Kyrgyzstan is tied with Oman on nine points but tops the group by way of a better head-to-head record. – March 30, 2024