Football: Kim’s here to stay
No truth in talk of Pan-gon leaving Malaysia, says Yusoff

PETALING JAYA: There is no chance of Kim Pan-gon (pic) leaving Harimau Malaya.

That was the assurance given by Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) deputy president Datuk Yusoff Mahadi, who said the rumours of Pan-gon leaving Malaysia to coach the South Korean national team was baseless.

On social media, many South Korean football fans have been urging the Korean Football Association (KFA) to replace German coach Juergen Klinsmann, who is under fire after the team lost their Asian Cup semi-final tie to Jordan.

There was even talk that the association have approached Pan-gon, but Yusoff said that did not happen. In fact Pan-gon recently extended his contract with FAM to 2025.“It’s the request of outsiders. FAM have their own plan to ensure whatever is done now continues,” said Yusoff after attending the 10th FAM executive committee at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya yesterday.

“Kim Pan-gon has done well and we want to ensure he continues on that trajectory. We have the qualifiers coming up and he has a plan.

“There is no request from any association to show interest in hiring Pan-gon.

“We need him and all his efforts for Harimau Malaya has been fruitful. We will keep him for a long term.

“With him, we will be even more prepared. The Asian Cup challenge has boosted us to do well in the World Cup qualifiers.”

After the Asian Cup, Pan-gon’s next target is to take Malaysia to the third round of the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, which would be a first in the nation’s history.

FAM have even extended his contract until 2025, with the World Cup third-round qualification in mind.

The side are well on track to do that as they are currently top of Group D with six points from the first two games. They beat Kyrgyzstan 4-3 and Taiwan 1-0.

They will face Oman twice on March 21 and 26, and if they win both these matches, Malaysia will surely earn a spot in the next stage.

Since taking over in 2022, the Pan-gon-led team have recorded 17 wins, two draws and eight defeats and are now ranked 130th in the world.
Football,Malaysia,Kim Pan-gon
PETALING JAYA: There is no chance of Kim Pan-gon leaving Harimau Malaya.