KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 — Harimau Malaya head coach Kim Pan Gon has denied news reports that he has sent a letter to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and is ready to leave the national team.
The 54-year-old South Korean said he did not send any such letter to the national governing body and remains committed to coaching the team until the end of his contract.
“After reading the news report, I immediately contacted FAM president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin to explain the matter.
“I have personally assured him that my mission with the Harimau Malaya squad is not over, and I will not leave this team just like that,” he said in a statement on FAM’s official Facebook page yesterday evening.
Kim added that he remains committed to guiding the team until his contract expires at the end of 2025, with the main mission to lead Malaysia to qualify for the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers and automatically qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup.
Earlier, local media reported that Kim and his coaching staff sent a letter declaring their stand should they be forced to leave the national team.
He is having a tough time with Harimau Malaya fans following two consecutive 0-2 defeats to Oman in the Group D action of the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers recently, dropping to third position with six points after having topped the group.
Lying three points behind Oman and Kyrgyzstan, who share the top two positions, Malaysia faces a must-win mission in the remaining matches against Kyrgyzstan and bottom team Taiwan in June in order to qualify for the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers and secure an early spot for the 2027 Asian Cup.
Two defeats to Oman saw Harimau Malaya without a win since January after five matches, including the 2023 Asian Cup campaign in Qatar, which saw them lose to Jordan and Bahrain before drawing with South Korea in group matches.
— Bernama
