KUALA LUMPUR: Former National coach Datuk K. Rajagobal believes the Harimau Malaya squad are on the right track after registering two victories in the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asia Cup Qualifiers against Kyrgyzstan and Taiwan recently.
Rajagobal said the two wins are a clear sign of a positive development in the country’s football arena and hoped the players can continue to sustain their excellent performances in the World Cup and Asia Cup Qualifiers after this.
“As a former coach, we want to see a positive aspect in football in terms of play. I believe the win over the two countries would serve as an inspiration and motivation for the players,” he said when met during a media conference in conjunction with the Royal Selangor Club Youth Football (RSC-Dato’ Chu Ah Nge) tournament.
The Harimau Malaya squad produced an outstanding performance to beat Kyrgyzstan 4-3 on Nov 16 and followed up that fine performance by beating Taiwan 1-0 on Nov 21 in Group D action of the Qualifiers.
Rajagobal added that coach Kim Pan Gon’s charges are certainly looking more confident in their play, especially after having played against much higher ranked teams in the world.
“We are now looking at a transformed team and it is exciting to see the players going all out in a committed way throughout the match and until the final whistle. It shows their commitment and mentality...what is important is that we can see their confidence and their ability,” he said.
Meanwhile, speaking of youth development in the country, Rajagobal said all stakeholders should be responsible to uplift the standard of football at the grassroots and not just depend on the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
He added that more programmes like RSC’s Youth tournaments must be organised to unearth talented young players who can be groomed at a higher level later on.
“Programmes or competitions at youth level will provide opportunities for coaches to see future potential. If such programmes are held throughout the country, it will become a platform for youths to showcase their talent and learn something new,” he said.
The 17th edition of the RSC-Dato’ Chu Ah Nge is a youth competition that features 80 teams from six countries, namely Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia. -Bernama
Filepix: Datuk K. Rajagobal/BERNAMAPix
