PETALING JAYA: Tan Cheng Hoe has described his appointment as interim national coach as a huge honour, but he knows the hard work begins well before a ball is even kicked.
The 58-year-old Cheng Hoe is expected to struggle to form a team for the AFF Hyundai Cup from July 24-Aug 26 due to players’ club obligations.
With the AFF Hyundai Cup falling outside the FIFA international calendar window, he will have a tough time to convince clubs to release their top players for Malaysia’s campaign.
It is a task made more complicated by the fact that many players are still in the off-season or entering pre-season with their respective clubs.
“It’s a huge honour for me. I’m grateful and will take this responsibility to ensure the team move in the right direction,” said Cheng Hoe. “A lot of players are in the off-season, and some will enter pre-season next week, and so I hope whoever we want to pick is ready mentally and physically.
“We hope the clubs can release the main players for both training and matches.”
The squad are scheduled to begin preparations on July 15. With the FIFA Asean Cup in Jakarta following in September, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) face a compressed window to get Harimau Malaya ready on two fronts.
“We will take it game by game and aim for a good result. The target, as it is for every team, is the semi-finals,” Cheng Hoe added.
“I urge the fans to continue backing the team. Your support will be our strength.”
Cheng Hoe’s elevation to the interim role came after the sudden departure of Peter Cklamovski and Nafuzi Zain from the national setup last week.
Nafuzi had originally been lined up to lead the team for the AFF Hyundai Cup with a squad built predominantly around Under-23 and Under-20 players.
Cheng Hoe needs little introduction. He helmed Harimau Malaya from 2017 to 2022, guiding them to a runners-up finish at the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup and recording a win rate of 50 per cent across 40 matches, 20 wins, four draws and 16 defeats.
Among the four technical directors currently on FAM’s books, which also include Scott Ollerenshaw, Soleen El-Zoubi and Datuk Ong Kim Swee, Cheng Hoe emerged as the most credible option for the stopgap role, with the others committed to existing assignments.
With his credentials beyond dispute, the focus now shifts to whether FAM can secure a full complement of senior players before the tournament begins and whether Cheng Hoe can hit the ground running with the clock already ticking.
