PETALING JAYA – Malaysia head coach Kim Pan-gon will remain in charge for the entirety of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup, even though his contract status is now a question mark.
Confirming the matter, Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman said the national governing body backs the South Korean to continue developing the national team.
He said any decision involving Pan-gon’s contract, which is understood will end in January next year, will be made in the next meeting of the national team management committee, which will be chaired by FAM president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin.
“There have been discussions (on the contract extension) but let us finish the World Cup and Asian Cup qualifying campaign first… it is true that he (Pan-gon) will continue to have the opportunity to lead the national team because he has drawn up all the programmes until next year,” he said.
He said this at a press conference after an FAM executive committee meeting chaired by Hamidin at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya here, today.
Pan-gon, who was appointed to lead the Harimau Malaya in January last year to fill the void left by Tan Cheng Hoe, has succeeded in breathing new life into the national team and improving their performance.
However, he is reportedly yet to sign a contract extension.
In the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, Malaysia are drawn in Group D with Oman, Kyrgyzstan and Taiwan.
The Harimau Malaya will start their campaign against Kyrgyzstan at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium on November 16, before travelling to Taipei for the second match against Taiwan on November 21, with the remaining matches taking place next year. – November 6, 2023