Retain Pan Gon as head coach, urge Harimau Malaya fans

BANGKOK: Kim Pan Gon has won over the majority of Malaysian football fans through the positive changes he has made since being appointed the Harimau Malaya head coach last January.

The work done by the South Korean and his panel of coaches have had an immediate impact on the national football team following their qualification for the 2023 Asian Cup Finals last June, which ended Malaysia's 42-year wait to qualify on merit for Asia's most prestigious football tournament.

Under his guidance, the Harimau Malaya look to be more organised and dynamic and he has also instilled a winning mentality in the team.

These positive changes have given local football fans renewed hope of seeing the national team rise to become a force to be reckoned with.

It's no surprise then that the 53-year-old's name is back on the lips of every local football fan after he guided the Harimau Malaya to reach the semi-finals of the ongoing ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup despite the absence of several first-choice players.

Fans have been paying close attention to his tactical tweaks and selections of the starting XI, which can sometimes be described as "extraordinary" like playing midfielder Brendan Gan in defence.

Malaysia began their AFF Cup campaign with two wins - over Myanmar and Laos - before succumbing to Vietnam in a match full of controversies and that was when many postings with the hashtag #PertahankanKepimpinanKimPanGon (#DefendLeadershipofKimPanGon) went viral on social media.

The hashtag simply meant football fans urging all parties to give their support to Pan Gon in his bid to develop the national team.

Pan Gon and his players reciprocated the fans' full backing by checking into the semi-finals as Group B runners-up after trouncing traditional rivals Singapore 4-1 in their final group match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

The victory led to some raising the issue of the Malaysia A and Malaysia B squads, with the players competing in the AFF Cup being labelled the Malaysian B Team, which led to the players rejecting such comparisons and the fans again throwing their support behind Pan Gon.

Malaysia, however, bowed out of the AFF Cup when they lost 3-1 on aggregate to defending champions Thailand in the last four after winning the first-leg 1-0 at the National Stadium on Saturday (Jan 7) and going down 3-0 in the return leg at the Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani on Tuesday (Jan 10).

Most Malaysian football fans accepted the loss with an open heart, especially after Pan Gon came forward to defend his players while taking full responsibility and asking that all criticisms be directed at him.

Based on the writer's observation, Pan Gon is a coach who adopts a highly professional approach be it on or off the field.

He chooses not to speak about individual players in public either in victory or defeat, besides consistently thanking the players and fans after every game.

In terms of his character, apart from being a perennial optimist, he smiles easily and likes to joke when the team win but turns cold and can seem to be very distant when they lose.

The requests by fans for Pan Gon to be retained as head coach are based on his commitment.

Overall, Pan Gon has helped the national football team accrue 11 victories, four defeats and two draws in all competitions, with the main mission after this being to form the strongest side for the 2023 Asian Cup Finals to be held in Qatar in January 2024.

-- BERNAMA