PETALING JAYA: Peter Cklamovski’s reign as national football head coach lasted only 18 months, but he has no regrets about stepping down on his own accord.
The Australian left the top Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) role before his contract was due to expire in December, saying the decision was driven by personal ambition rather than external pressure.
The 48-year-old has moved to England to take charge of English League Two side Salford City.
“It was a personal decision because I’m still chasing dreams in my coaching career,” said Cklamovski.
“I’m in Salford with a great opportunity to do something special, and it’s a great challenge.
“The owners have lofty ambitions, the club have big aspirations to achieve something special, and that resonates with me.”
His exit from the national team however caught many by surprise.
Cklamovski had built a genuine rapport with his players, and with the FIFA Asean Cup on the horizon in September, the timing felt particularly jarring.
“It would have been a privilege to lead the national team in the Asean Cup but a personal decision has led me in a different direction,” he said.
His record in the dugout, three wins and six defeats from nine matches, tells only part of the story.
Five of those six losses were not lost on the pitch, but were result of the controversial issue surrounding the use of ineligible mixed heritage players.
FIFA launched an investigation in September on the eligibility of their mixed heritage players in Malaysia’s 4-0 victory over Vietnam in a World Cup qualifier in June 2025 and eventually they found them guilty over doctored documents.
That result, along with a 2-0 win over Nepal in March of the same year, were both overturned by the Asian Football Confederation’s disciplinary committee and converted into 3-0 forfeits.
Three friendly fixtures in 2025, against Cape Verde (1-1), Singapore (2-1) and Palestine (1-0), were also forfeited, sending Malaysia’s FIFA ranking tumbling from 121 to 139.
Through it all, Cklamovski stood tall – never once pointing fingers to anyone.
“I have a great relationship with all the players, they were amazing,” he said.
“Our journey cannot be explained in words but it will stay in our hearts forever.
“They know what values and standards we have built over the past 18 months. It is up to them to use that as a foundation and keep growing.”
“I tried to help Malaysian football grow, raise standards and reach the potential I truly believe they had. I hope they can build for the future with their next generation of players in mind.”
