PETALING JAYA: The Under-17 football team manager Christopher Raj (pic) is a man of his word.
Christopher has stepped down from his position after the Under-17 team failed to qualify for the Asian Cup following their 2-2 draw with Laos on Sunday in the qualifiers.
He had previously said that he would resign as manager if Malaysia didn’t make it to the Asian Cup.
“The journey of our national U-17 squad came to an end in the race for the Asian Cup when they drew 2-2 with Laos,” said Christopher in a statement yesterday.
“In light of this, I, as the team manager, take full responsibility for this failure by stepping down and immediately resigning as the U-17 team manager.”
The youth squad’s draw at the New Laos National Stadium saw them finish second in Group H, and with that failing to secure their spot in next year’s Under-17 Asian Cup.
In their opening match, Malaysia lost 0-2 to the United Arab Emirates, who secured their qualification to the Under-17 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia by finishing top of the group with six points.
Christopher, who is also the chairman of the Communications and Media Committee of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), added that leaving the role would allow new faces to take on the challenge of managing the youth.
“Stepping down as manager is the best way to allow new faces to take on the responsibility of leading the national squad to higher levels, eventually achieving the mission of reaching the World Cup,” he said.
Seeing that the team had qualified for the 2023 edition, Christopher said not making it this year was a tough pill to swallow.
“This failure is very hard to accept and deeply saddening, especially as we couldn’t repeat last year’s success, where the team qualified for the 2023 Under-17 Asian Cup.
“I extend my thanks to FAM, especially president Tan Sri Hamidin Mohd Amin, for the opportunity, support, and invaluable experience I gained while serving as the team manager under his guidance and administration.
“I greatly appreciate all the opportunities that were given to me, and the experience of serving this country is something I will cherish forever.
“Though there is still much that the team need to improve, I am confident that the new face who replaces me will be able to carry out the responsibilities even better,” he added.
