PETALING JAYA: Former Police coach Wan Rohaimi Wan Ismail (pic) is expected to take charge of Penang when the Panthers announce their new man at the helm today.
The former Kelantan and Terengganu player, who is currently Kuala Lumpur’s assistant coach, will be attending a press conference in Georgetown today to confirm his appointment.
A source close to Wan Rohaimi said he has said his goodbyes to the KL players.
“When it was announced that he was leaving, many players were sad but they knew it was an opportunity he can’t let go,” said the source.
Wan Rohaimi was a highly sought this season with Negri Sembilan being the favourites to hire him until they opted for Azzmi Aziz.
Then Wan Rohaimi, who was the head coach of Kuala Lumpur II, was pushed to the first team to assist City Boys boss Miroslav Kuljanac.
Wan Rohaimi started his coaching career in 2012 when he led WR Soccer Kids, before moving to the National Football Development Programme (NFDP) in 2014.
In 2019, he coached the Perlis Piala Belia team before going to Penang in 2020 to coach the President Cup team.
His first professional break came in 2021 when he was hired to coach Police before moving to Kuala Lumpur II last year.
On Oct 21, Penang announced that Akmal Rizal Ahmad Rakhli would be replaced due to the team’s poor performances in the Super League.
The 43-year-old coach’s position had been a topic of discussion after he failed to lift the lacklustre Panthers.
The rumours of his impending departure intensified when he was absent during their match against Sabah at the City Stadium here on Oct 25, where the team suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat.
Penang, who have played 13 matches so far with only two wins, five draws and seven losses, are in 11th position in the standings with just 11 points.
