Kuala Lumpur head coach, Wanderley Junior will be replaced after his contract expired yesterday with Timor Leste head coach, Joaquim da Silva among the candidates.
Why are KLFA letting Wanderley go?
Turns out, it’s a lot more complicated than it sounds. Junior has problems getting his coaching license approved as it’s not recognized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
According to Harian Metro’s source, the Kuala Lumpur Football Association (KLFA) had no choice but to let go of Junior since he has failed to provide the necessary documents needed by the AFC.
“There are documents needed to be given to the AFC because the certificate he (Junior) has is only recognized by CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation). There are a few new things that was decided by the AFC that resulted in Junior’s certificate not being recognized other than CONMEBOL,” said Harian Metro’s source.
In addition, the source also said Kuala Lumpur’s poor performance in the Premier League may also be a factor in ending Junior’s contract.
Who is Joaquim da Silva?
39-year old Fabio Joaquim Maciel da Silva, also known as Fabio Magrao, is the current Timor Leste national head coach. Timor Leste is so far the only team he has managed in his coaching career.
As a player, he started out with Flamengo and moved to numerous clubs in Brazil. He then embarked on a journey to Asia where he played for numerous clubs such as Iran’s Zob Ahan, Hong Kong’s Shatin and Thailand’s Sisaket.
Other than that, there is not much known about the Brazilian so it will be interesting to see if the KLFA will take him on.
Are there any other candidates?
Harian Metro said that there are two other candidates other than Da Silva in the shortlist. But the names of the other candidates are not known.
“I have understood there the Timor Leste’s head coach’s name is in the list. Other than him, the list also has an ex-Cambodia national head coach and another one is maybe a local candidate. As of right now, it is still under discussion,” said Harian Metro’s source.
KLFA is expected to announce the new head coach in the near future.
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