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Hamidin claimed that Pan Gon was in talks with South Korean club, Ulsan HD, about taking over as their head coach, despite having about a year and a half left on his contract with Harimau Malaya, Sinar Harian reported.
He also expressed disappointment at Pan Gon’s departure from the team, saying that the latter’s desire for a higher salary with Ulsan HD led to FAM being blamed for not taking measures to prevent the Korean from leaving.
“FAM is not at fault here because, after the match against Taiwan in the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, Pan Gon clearly stated that he wanted to stay until the end of his contract.
“However, upon returning from his holiday, he repeatedly asked to be released from his contract.
“He claimed it was due to family issues. However, we later discovered that he had been negotiating with Ulsan HD. That’s the real reason he wanted to resign,” Hamidin told a press conference at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya.
However, Hamidin stressed that he was not revealing this information out of spite, but felt compelled to clarify the situation after FAM became the target of much criticism, including calls by football fans to boycott the 2024 Merdeka Tournament.
“I hope this explanation sheds light on what truly happened, and that FAM did try to persuade Pan Gon to stay.
“We didn’t even demand compensation, although we could have requested he pay up the remaining value of his contract,” he added.
On July 16, FMT reported that Pan Gon stepped down as head coach of the national football team, effective immediately. He cited personal commitments as the reason behind his decision to resign.
Pau Marti Vicente has taken over as acting head coach of Harimau Malaya in the meantime.
Just several days later, Ulsan HD announced Pan Gon’s appointment as their new head coach.
Vicente has until December to prove himself
Hamidin also revealed that several prominent coaches, including former Vietnam coach Park Hang Seo, have applied to become Harimau Malaya’s head coach.
However, he said, FAM is focussed on giving Vicente the opportunity to lead the team and that he has until December to prove his worth.
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