Leading his men: Kim Pan-gon jogging with his players during a training session.
Kim quits but says he cannot share the reasons
PETALING JAYA: After Malaysia failed to make it into the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers last month, national football coach Kim Pan-gon vowed that he would stay on and lead the Harimau Malaya to the 2027 Asian Cup.
Yesterday, he sprang a surprise – he has decided to quit with immediate effect although his contract runs until next year.
After weeks of intense talks, the South Korean has convinced Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin that it was time for him to move on.
Both men had numerous discussions since last month, with the 55-year-old Pan-gon revealing that he made the decision to call it quits on Saturday.
It came as a shock because on June 12 he had said that he dearly wanted to help the national team get to the Asian Cup on merit for the second time in a row.
“I wish to have stayed here for as long as possible,” Pan-gon told a special press conference at the FAM headquarters in Kelana Jaya yesterday.
“But after the final game against Taiwan (in the World Cup qualifiers), I had numerous discussions with Datuk President (Hamidin). He tried to convince me to stay.
“I was honest and open with him during those meetings. He knows what I told him and the reasons that need to be addressed for the betterment of Malaysian football.
“I cannot share the reasons with you and the public. Only the Datuk President will share them with his executive committee members and put up a strategic plan to develop Malaysian football.”
Pan-gon deflected all further questions by saying that it was his farewell day and that was supposed to be the focus.
Pan-gon celebrating with his team.
“In the past, I have mentioned what needs to be done. Take it from there. I am here to state my appreciation to the fans, FAM, media, clubs and the Malaysian government.”
Pan-gon, however, said he wanted to keep in touch with Malaysia and to contribute in other ways to develop the game here.
“I might want to establish an academy. If there is an opportunity to be a coach or technical director, I will consider it. Even a consultancy role, I would not mind it. I want to maintain relations with Malaysia.
“I will remember the white-blue skies of Malaysia. The friendly, lovely and polite Malaysian people. The taste of prawn mee and the smell of durian, all of which I love.”
FAM executive committee members revealed that they had tried for days to convince Pan-gon to stay on, but the South Korean was firm with his decision.
FAM deputy president Datuk Yusoff Mahadi said he and the other executive members including his fellow deputy Datuk S. Sivasundaram and technical director Scott O’Donell had spoken to Pan-gon.
“He told us that he wants to leave due to personal commitments, and we have to respect that. I will miss him a lot because he has made the national team stronger over the years,” said Yusoff.
Pan-gon was hired in June 2022 to improve the fortunes of Malaysian football and he led the team to 17 wins, two draws and eight defeats. At one point, Malaysia were ranked 130th in the world, up from 154 before that.
This year, Malaysia lost to Jordan 0-4 and Bahrain 0-1 in the Asian Cup but achieved a historical result by holding Asian giants South Korea 3-3 in the group stages.
In the World Cup 2026-Asian Cup 2027 second-round qualifiers, Malaysia lost to Oman 0-2 twice in Muscat and Kuala Lumpur, and were then held by Kyrgyzstan 1-1 in Bishkek.
They eventually got their first win of the year by beating Taiwan 3-1 in the final group match but it was not enough for Malaysia to get to the third round as they finished third in the group with 10 points. Malaysia are now ranked 135.
With Pan-gon out, his assistant Pau Marti Vicente will take over with E. Elavarasan as his assistant.
