With nary a hint of suspicion, the Malaysia national football team was rocked on Tuesday when it was announced that Kim Pan-Gon would be stepping down as coach.
In a hastily-arranged news conference, Kim cited personal reasons as the motivating factor behind calling time on his two-and-a-half year spell in charge of Harimau Malaya.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) gave reassurances that they had made concerted efforts to convince Kim to stay on for the remainder of his contract — which was to run till the end of 2025 — but to no avail.
“We are certainly sad and disappointed because he (Kim) has contributed massively in taking Harimau Malaya to the (AFC) Asian Cup and (helped improve our) world ranking during his tenure as head coach,” said FAM deputy president Yusoff Mahadi.
“It’s a huge loss based on what he has done for us.”
On his part, Kim expressed gratitude for the affection he had been shown, stating: “Since I arrived in February 2022, Malaysians have truly gifted me an extraordinary and wonderful journey in my life for the past two and a half years.
“In June 2022, we shared the joy of Malaysia qualifying for the Asian Cup on merit after a period of 43 years and, since then, we have risen to 130th in the FIFA (world) rankings. In our last (game) of the Asian Cup last January in Qatar, we managed to draw 3-3 with South Korea — the 22nd-ranked team in the world — showing that Malaysians should have pride in their football.
“Unfortunately, we did not qualify for the final stage of (Asian) qualifiers for the 2026 (FIFA) World Cup. But, with three wins, one draw, two losses and ten points, we have provided a foundation and momentum to sow hope for a bright future for Malaysian football.”
When all is said and done, Kim can certainly look back on his achievements in Malaysia with a sense of satisfaction, especially considering he was far from a high-profile appointment when he was handed the reins.
Having had a decent playing career, where he debuted with Ulsan HD and then briefly featured for fellow K League 1 powerhouses Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors but was never capped by South Korea at any level, Kim’s managerial experience prior to Harimau Malaya was almost entirely in Hong Kong, who — like Malaysia — are not exactly one of Asian football’s bigger nations.
He did well enough to earn backroom roles with the Korea Football Association before the FAM came calling and, as he rightfully listed in his farewell message, did indeed accomplish plenty.
He helped them qualify for the Asian Cup for the first time since 1980, although they did feature in 2007 by virtue of being co-hosts and overcame a poor start to restore pride with a battling draw against his heavily-fancied home nation.
Malaysia also looked in an excellent position to reach the third and final round of Asian qualifiers for the World Cup for the first time after winning their two opening second-round ties, before they ultimately lost steam and missed out.
And with Harimau Malaya languishing in 154th in the world rankings when he took over, he leaves them 19 positions better if they have since dropped from their previous high of 130th under him.
In the immediate aftermath of his resignation, there was speculation that those “personal reasons” could in fact be another job offer that might be too good to refuse.
A third spell in charge of Hong Kong, who have a vacancy following the departure of Jørn Andersen, has been mooted but it is hard to see that being a step up for Kim.
Instead, a far more tempting destination — as reported in South Korean media — could be Ulsan, who now face a rush to appoint a new coach midway through the season after Hong Myung-Bo was poached by the national team.
As someone who is not exactly a household name in his homeland, taking charge of a team regarded as powerhouses not only in the K League 1 but all of Asia would be a significant job promotion.
The timing of Kim’s departure is far from ideal, especially with the biennial ASEAN Championship taking place at the end of the year. While the likes of Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia will be the favourites, the Malaysian football faithful will always expect their team to make a run for the title or, at least, reach the semifinals.
Nonetheless, Kim has perhaps gifted Harimau Malaya one final present after it was announced that his assistant Pau Marti Vicente will take over as acting head coach, while his entire backroom staff will also stay on and honour their respective contracts.
It at least affords Malaysia some stability and continuity just four months out from Southeast Asia’s premier football tournament which, while paling in comparison to competitions like the Asian Cup or World Cup qualifiers, is nevertheless still hugely important to fans in the region.
Maybe the talk about the foundation for a bright future is not what he has achieved, but what he is leaving behind.
For that, even though there is no doubt Kim’s tenure will always be noteworthy in the annals of Malaysian football, his legacy could just be living on in the immediate future.
