PETALING JAYA: The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) have regained full control of the national team.
And the first thing they did was remove several key figures, including Harimau Malaya chief executive officer Rob Friend, in a sweeping overhaul announced yesterday.
Also leaving the national setup by mutual agreement are head coach Peter Cklamovski, technical staff members Matthew Smith and Seiya Imazaki, national Under-23 head coach Nafuzi Zain, and goalkeeping coach Mohd Yazid Mohd Yassin.
Cklamovski did not waste any time in securing a new role, having already joined English League Two club Salford City.
Previously, although the national team was overseen by FAM, Friend was given responsibility for managing the setup.
During his tenure, seven mixed-heritage players were recruited, but FIFA later imposed a ban over doctored documents.
FAM expressed gratitude for the contributions of all the departing personnel and said appropriate steps would be taken to fill the vacant positions.
The departures appear to be a direct response to advice from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) during FAM’s extraordinary congress on June 4.
At the congress, AFC deputy secretary-general Vahid Kardany said: “We strongly recommend that the federation be in charge of the national team. That is our clear recommendation.”
FAM later acknowledged Kardany’s remarks and posted on X: “The Harimau Malaya squad are always under the control of the FAM, where all positions in the team are appointed by FAM.”
