Football

New head coach won’t solve anything, claims Peter Velappan

It doesn’t matter who becomes the head coach of the national team, what matters is the future plans by Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in order to revitalize Malaysian football.

This came from former general secretary of Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Datuk Peter Velappan, who expects the football body to come up with a solid plan after much criticism following Malaysia’s heavy defeat to United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Photo credits: news.asiaone.com
Photo credits: news.asiaone.com

“FAM needs to identify the root of the problem before taking any decisions. I don’t think a new coach will be able to patch up national football if the quality of players remains the same,” said Velappan, as quoted by Utusan.

“They need to start putting together players from age 12 to 18 years old. We currently lack talented players, even on an international stage. Just look at our national players.”

Photo credits: sinarharian.com
Photo credits: sinarharian.com

After the resignation of Dollah Salleh as national team head coach, FAM has taken the initiative to offer the position publicly.

The action was heavily criticised by Velappan, stating that FAM needs to send local coaches abroad to gain more experience instead of finding a foreign coach.

“Honestly, any local task force would not be useful at this moment. We need a committee of foreign experts to advice on the development of Malaysian football.”

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