PETALING JAYA: Harimau Malaya coach Pau Marti Vicente has work cut out for him as he has been given until December to prove himself as head coach.
The Spanish coach will be leading the team for the national football team’s upcoming six international friendly matches until year end as they prepare for the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup starting in December.
Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin said the matches also serve as preparation for the team as they begin the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers campaign in March next year.
“These six matches are important for the team to prepare for their upcoming tournaments and for Vicente to show his capabilities and improve the team’s rankings,” said Hamidin.
“I hope that with all the resources that Vicente has, including the same technical staff, we can form a better team than before.”
Vicente took over the head coach position after South Korean Kim Pan-gon resigned for allegedly personal reasons last month, but has since been appointed as the head coach of Ulsan.
Hamidin added that while Vicente has been given the reins to the national team, FAM are still keeping their options open for a new head coach, and among the notable names is former Vietnam head coach Park Hang-seo.
“Many coaches have reached out to me after Pan-gon left, Hang-seo was one of them,” he said.
For the criteria of a new head coach, Hamidin said they would need to be able to understand the quality and potential of homegrown players and their ability to read the opponents.
“The coach must understand our players thoroughly as well as the opponents, especially for next year’s Asian Cup qualifiers. A coach must possess this knowledge,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Harimau Malaya will face New Zealand in a Tier 1 International friendly match in Auckland on Oct 14, a long-time coming fixture since both sides last met 18 years ago, where Malaysia lost 0-1 and 1-2 in the second friendly match.
Before that, Vicente will get his debut during the Merdeka Tournament when they take on the Philippines on Sept 4, while the other semi-final fixture will see defending champions Tajikistan play Lebanon.
