PETALING JAYA, Sept 20 — The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) remains tight-lipped about the candidate for the new national Under-23 (U-23) squad head coach.
“Be patient; the announcement (of Elavarasan’s replacement) will be made by FAM secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman shortly,” FAM’s deputy president Datuk S Sivasundram said.
He was speaking to the press after the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) and FAM earlier today.
Elavarasan officially relinquished his position as head coach on Monday (September 18), following a discussion with FAM president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin on the team’s direction after the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers.
Noor Azman in a statement said the 61-year-old coach agreed to return to focus on his original responsibilities as assistant national head coach and assist Kim Pan Gon with the senior squad, leaving the duties of guiding the U-23 team to the 2024 U-13 Asian Cup in Qatar, next April to his successor.
Elavarasan became U-23 head coach on September 1 last year, replacing Brad Maloney while still serving as Kim’s assistant in the national senior squad, after FAM chose him to facilitate the continuity process between the senior squad and the national U-23 squad.
Under Elavarasan, the national U-23 squad won the 2023 Merlion Cup in Singapore in March, then reached the 2023 AFF U-23 Championship semifinals in Rayong, Thailand last month, and recently qualified for the 2024 Asian U-23 Cup.
On the five-year MoU between FAM and UMMC, Sivasundaram said national players would benefit from getting the best treatment at the medical centre.
UMMC director Prof Dr Nazirah Hassan, who welcomed the MOU with the country’s football governing body, was optimistic that the strategic cooperation could open up avenues for UMMC to raise awareness in injury rehabilitation programmes, and explore more sports-related medical research.
“To provide excellent service, we need to focus on research to ensure UMMC is always at the forefront of the medical field,” she said.
— Bernama
