PETALING JAYA: Tengku Hazman Raja Hassan is facing one of the biggest challenges of his football career as Terengganu’s interim head coach, but the former midfielder is ready for the task.
After all, the 48-year-old has been recognised for his natural leadership qualities, dating back to his playing days.
From representing the nation at the 1997 World Youth Championship held in Malaysia to captaining Harimau Malaya during Allan Harris’ tenure between 2000 and 2004, Hazman has earned widespread respect for his calm authority on and off the pitch.
He has been thrust into the forefront following the Terengganu management’s decision to rest Badrul Afzan Razali after a run of inconsistent Super League performances.
Hazman has extensive coaching experience since 2013 and previously served as the club’s assistant coach.
“There is certainly a big and challenging task ahead of me to restore the team’s performance in the second round of the league,” said Hazman, who had earned 16 international caps for Malaysia between 1998 and 2005.
“However, I accept this responsibility with full commitment and will do my best to achieve positive results in every match.
“I hope this appointment will strengthen cooperation with the management, and that the players will accept me as interim head coach in the best possible way.”
Hazman’s coaching journey began with Kelantan’s Under-19 Youth Cup side from 2013 to 2016, before moving to T-Team’s President’’s Cup squad from 2018 to 2019.
He later joined Kelantan United in 2020 and Perak in 2024 as an assistant to Yusri Che Lah.
In 2025, he returned to Terengganu, a club he represented as a player in 2010, to assist Badrul.
Meanwhile, Badrul admitted he was surprised by the management’s decision.
“I was shocked but I know I gave everything to the team during my time as head coach. It’s a learning phase while I wait for future opportunities,” said Badrul.
Badrul’s journey with Terengganu spanned eight years, beginning with Terengganu III (President’s Cup) from 2018 to 2020, followed by Terengganu II (MFL Cup) from 2021 to 2022, before taking charge of the Super League side from 2023 to 2025.
“I believe Terengganu will continue to progress and achieve greater success in the future. Thank you for eight meaningful years.”
