Teong Kim does not fit into the typical Malaysian mould

HIRING people, they say, is an art, not a science.No CVs can tell whether someone can fit into a company’s culture, or in this case, a football club’s DNA.

Less than a year into his coaching stint at Perak FC, Datuk Lim Teong Kim has been shown the exit.

Despite his consistent plea to every stakeholder that his young team needed time to prosper and mature, Teong Kim was given the boot on Thursday.

In the highest tier of the league, results matter.

The process of developing youngsters and the team, unfortunately, comes second.

And sometimes reacting negatively or venting your anger at your team’s supporters may prove to be your undoing, particularly when results are not forthcoming.

At one time hailed as the saviour of Malaysian football when he was made the director of the National Football Development Programme (NFDP) in 2013, Teong Kim is struggling to adapt to the Malaysian football culture.

Individually, Teong Kim has always been a character who keeps on pushing the boundaries.

Whether as a defender or midfielder with a ruthless streak or a coach who brooks no nonsense, Teong Kim does not like mucking around.

Perhaps he subscribes to the notion, why fit in, when you were born to stand out?

Teong Kim began his career with Malacca in 1983 before moving to Selangor (1984-86), where he stamped his mark as a ramrod straight midfielder who appeared stiff but highly effective in covering the ground.

His style suited the German DNA that values hard work and team ethics above elegance and everything else.

So Teong Kim broke new ground when he took up the challenge of going to Hertha Berlin SC in 1987.

Upon his return from Berlin, Teong Kim came back a better player. He featured for Kuala Lumpur, winning Malaysia Cup winners’ medals for a record three consecutive times from 1987-1989.

Always eager to leave his comfort zone, Teong Kim gave Europe another shot in 1990, this time with Grazer AK in Graz, Austria.

Married to a German, Teong Kim became a member of the Bayern youth coaching staff in 1995 after obtaining his German B licence and later earned his A licence at the Hennef Sports School in 1997.

His heart remains in Malaysia though. So Teong Kim returned in early 1998 to take up the offer as the head of the academies at the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).

He led the Malaysian side to the Nike International Premier Cup Asian Pacific Zone Under-14 title after a splendid 3-0 win over Thailand in the final in June 1998, winning them a trip to the World Finals in Paris to coincide with France’98. Teong Kim, however, left abruptly in 1999 after his attempt at pushing for reforms was resisted by certain quarters.

Then in 2005, while assuming the role as assistant coach in the Bayern Munich youth set-up, he set a new benchmark for Malaysian coaches after successfully completing the German Football Association (DFB) coaching course in Germany, which earned him the title Fussball Lehrer, or Football Master.

Over a mug of hot chocolate in Cologne, I listened intently as Teong Kim, during a break from the course, said: “I hope to coach a Bundesliga team before I reach 50.”

He did get a job upon reaching the milestone, but in Malaysia, as the then Sports Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, lured him back to head the NFDP, giving him a second chance to work at the youth set-up.

Undeniably, Teong Kim rubs people the wrong way with his straight-talking and abrasive style.

His employers at NFDP, the National Sports Council (NSC), felt Teong Kim’s hefty salary added to their financial burden. When Teong Kim and his Under-16 charges failed to advance to the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, it became a great excuse for the NSC to reduce his role and gradually ease him out of the system.

His detractors claim Teong Kim does not understand the Malaysian psyche. Some say Teong Kim is better suited to coaching the youth. Some claim he is uncompromising.

The truth is, Teong Kim does not fit into the typical Malaysian mould that perpetuates feudalism, apple-polishing, brown nosing and blind loyalty.