TMJ: Swollen-headed players wrecking Harimau Malaya

PETALING JAYA: Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim admitted that swollen-headed players are creating discord in the national squad.

In fact, the Tunku Mahkota of Johor (TMJ) said the mentality of these players that hurt the performance and future of Harimau Malaya also existed in the teams and clubs playing in Malaysia League (M-League).

“All teams in the country are besetted by the same woe, you have some senior players that dictate the club, so no matter have many young talents can come into the senior squad of a club or the country, they will be influenced by this group.

"That is the job of each club and state to identify these individuals and try to ensure they do not have that much authority to control. We should have a complete overhaul.

“It is of no use even if we appoint Carlo Ancelotti, when 8 or 9 players can protest and they have no winning mentality, then we will never win.

"We are now trying to get the liabilities out of the team and to bring in more assets,” he told a media conference after an FAM Exco meeting at Wisma FAM here.

In this regard, TMJ said the new Harimau Malaya chief coach, Tan Cheng Hoe,       was tasked with shaping the players into a squad with winning mentality as he was given a free hand to manage the team.

The former Kedah coach was appointed to replace Nelo Vingada on Thursday who took full responsibility for squad's recent failure and resigned.

Apart from Vingada, his assistants, Joao Arnaldo Correia De Carvalho and Francisco Jose Bruto Da Costa, also resigned as assistant coach and fitness coach of the national squad.

For the record, Cheng Hoe was the assistant coach to Datuk K. Rajagobal when Malaysia won the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup. - Bernama