LOCAL football fans have been urged to give former Canadian national player Robert Douglas Friend the opportunity to prove his credibility as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Harimau Malaya squad.
Local football observer Effendi Jagan Abdullah said he was somewhat disheartened by the reactions of some fans who seem to question the appropriateness of appointing the individual also known as Rob Friend.
“We must be patient and cannot immediately push the button. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, so give him time.
“His CV is quite impressive, but people are questioning it on social media, especially by stating that Canadian football is not the best. We need to give him a chance and support him; there’s no need to think negatively all the time; otherwise, we’ll never succeed,“ he told Bernama.
Effendi acknowledged that despite Rob Friend’s extensive experience in Canadian football, he faces the challenge of adapting to the local football scene to elevate the national team’s performance.
He said the first hurdle Rob Friend might encounter upon starting his duties at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya is adjusting to the mentality and work methods here, which differ from his experiences in Western countries.
He also hopes that the former Borussia Monchengladbach player can play a role in boosting Harimau Malaya’s performance over the next three years.
He emphasised that focus should be placed on setting more realistic targets, such as aiming to win the ASEAN Cup first, followed by competing in the Asian Cup, and eventually achieving the mission of qualifying for the World Cup in the future.
Meanwhile, local sports analyst Mohd Sadek Mustafa wants to see the wisdom of the former Borussia Monchengladbach forward in collaborating with local clubs to release players for the national team.
“His major challenge will be dealing with club teams’ reluctance to release their players for matches outside the FIFA calendar, as seen in the last two ASEAN Cup campaigns,“ he said.
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SPORTS-FOOTBALL (FRIEND) 3 (LAST) KUALA LUMPUR
Mohd Sadek also hopes that the former LA Galaxy player can work together with national head coach Peter Cklamovski from Australia and national Under-23 head coach Mohd Nafuzi Zain in revolutionising grassroots development.
Hailing from Rosetown, Saskatchewan, Rob Friend, who will turn 44 this month, brings an impressive portfolio through his involvement in football management and administration since retiring as a player in December 2014.
He began as a managing partner at DRG Investment Group, a real estate investment and management company, from 2014 to the present.
From 2017 to 2021, he served as the founder of Toca Football Canada, a specialised soccer training technology company, and successfully exited after the company’s capital increased to US$150 million (RM670 million).
He is also a managing partner at SixFive Sports Fund, an investment body in professional football and infrastructure through club ownership, stadiums and training facility development, from 2019 to the present.
Among his significant involvements is co-founding the Canadian Premier League (CPL) and increasing the league’s value to US$300 million (RM1.34 billion) within six years.
Additionally, he has led the top management of two CPL clubs, serving as CEO and co-founder of Pacific FC from 2019 to 2022, and as president and co-founder of Vancouver FC from 2022 to the present.
