FAM ASSURES NO OVERLAPPING OF DUTY BETWEEN CKLAMOVSKI, PAU MARTI

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 17 (Bernama) -- Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) have given an assurance that there is no overlapping of duty between the new Harimau Malaya head coach Peter Cklamovski and interim coach Pau Marti Vicente due to the ongoing 2024 ASEAN Championship.

FAM deputy president Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi said the championship, which ends on Jan 5, 2025, remains the final assignment for Pau Marti before Cklamovski takes over.

"Pau Marti's assignment is to handle the squad for the ASEAN Championship. So, if they go far in the tournament, I think he will continue until the tournament ends. Although we will have a new coach, that will be a new setup.

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"There is an understanding of the new coaching structure and Pau Marti also knows this, so there is no issue. When we appointed the new head coach, it meant that he (Pau Marti) will no longer be in the coaching structure after this," he said after the ceremony to announce the collaboration between FAM and Japanese multinational entertainment and video game company Konami eFootball here today.

Yesterday, FAM announced Cklamovski as Harimau Malaya's new head coach to help the squad achieve their target of qualifying for the 2027 Asian Cup Finals and reaching the top 100 in the world ranking.

Cklamovski, who previously managed Japan's FC Tokyo, will officially take charge of Harimau Malaya on Jan 1, 2025.

Mohd Yusof said Cklamovski will be allowed to pick his panel of coaches to assist him, including a local assistant coach, and which FAM will evaluate.

He also hopes that Cklamovski will be given sufficient time to prove himself in propelling Harimau Malaya to success.

Earlier, the latest collaboration forged between FAM and Konami eFootball aims to connect traditional football with the digital world and, thus, opening new opportunities to attract the attention of Malaysian supporters.

This collaboration will also see the Harimau Malaya squad officially displayed in all eFootball games, where fans can choose to play as their national team filled with local players, thus providing a unique opportunity to represent their country in the virtual field globally.

-- BERNAMA