Football legend Dollah Salleh endorses Datuk Ong Kim Swee as the right choice for Technical Director of the Mokhtar Dahari Academy
KUALA LUMPUR: The appointment of Datuk Ong Kim Swee as Technical Director of the Mokhtar Dahari Academy (AMD) has been hailed as a good decision by national football legend Datuk Dollah Salleh.
Dollah, who is also the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Vice President, said Kim Swee is the right candidate to shoulder the responsibility.
He described Kim Swee as capable of boosting the performance of the nation’s young players based on his vast domestic and international experience.
“To me, this is the best path,” said the Deputy Chairman of the FAM Technical and Development Committee.
“His experience is vast, including from the grassroots level… I feel his experience is what we need a lot, and I believe we will help.”
The Ministry of Youth and Sports confirmed yesterday that Kim Swee had been recommended by FAM for the AMD role.
Minister Hannah Yeoh said the plan to appoint Kim Swee was a positive development for the country’s football programme.
She said it provides an opportunity for local talent to be involved in football development at the grassroots level.
Kim Swee has a strong reputation after guiding Malaysia to the gold medal in the 2011 SEA Games men’s football in Indonesia.
The former FAM Technical Director is currently not tied to any team after leaving Indonesian club Persik Kediri.
He also led Malaysia to a silver medal at the 2017 SEA Games hosted here.
Furthermore, he guided the national team to the quarter-finals of the 2018 AFC U-23 Asian Cup in China.
It was previously reported that Kim Swee is expected to start his duties at AMD as early as January 1 next year. – Bernama
