PETALING JAYA: Newly appointed national team chief executive officer (CEO) Robert Friend believes that the Harimau Malaya squad have yet to reach their full potential, describing them as the “sleeping giants of Asian football.”
In a statement shared by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), Friend said he is proud and honoured to be part of the national team’s restructuring efforts, which aim to strengthen the team.
“This is a great opportunity for me. I am very excited to join the Harimau Malaya revolution.
“Malaysia are like sleeping giants.
“I am ready to work with FAM, the stakeholders and everyone involved to collectively develop football in this country,” he added.
Friend, who was appointed as the national team CEO on Dec 31, officially reported for duty at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya yesterday.
He was joined by Dr Craig Duncan, head of high performance and sports medicine.
The Canadian brings extensive experience to the role, having been involved in football management and administration since retiring as a player in 2014.
The 44-year-old is the first to take on the newly created position to manage the national team.
The FAM had earlier announced the appointments of Australian Peter Cklamovski as the new national coach and former Kedah coach Nafuzi Zain as the national under-23 squad coach.
