MALAYSIAN FOOTBALL'S PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

After two and a half years in charge, Kim Pan-Gon's time in charge of Malaysia came to an abrupt end on Tuesday when he resigned due to "personal reasons". Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

 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.

- Gabriel Tan