Kuala lumpur: The Minister of Youth and Sports, Hannah Yeoh, has confirmed that former Harimau Malaya coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee has been recommended to be appointed as the technical director of Mokhtar Dahari Academy (AMD) by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Hannah Yeoh said the plan to appoint Kim Swee is a positive development as it provides an opportunity for local players to be involved in the national football development programme at the grassroots level. "The recommendation to hire Kim Swee as technical director of AMD came from FAM and the National Sports Council (MSN) is also aware of the decision," she stated at a press conference after attending the 2025 Sepak Takraw Perpaduan Kaum 2025 Basic Sports Training Course (KLAS) here.
Yesterday, reports emerged that Kim Swee would commence his role as early as January 1, considered an apt candidate due to his success in guiding Harimau Muda to a gold medal victory in men's football at the 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia. He is currently not affiliated with any team after his departure from Indonesian club Persik Kediri.
In addressing the direction of the National Football Development Programme (NFDP), Hannah noted that the MSN had to temporarily halt the programme to transfer it to FAM. This change follows a crisis that affected the national football governing body concerning the documentation issue of seven national heritage players recently.
The NFDP, launched in 2014, aims to enhance the quality of national football by training players at the grassroots level to produce players capable of competing on the international stage. On November 3, the International Football Federation (FIFA) rejected the appeal by FAM and seven heritage players, namely Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.
The FIFA Appeals Committee upheld the penalties imposed by the organization's Disciplinary Committee on FAM and the seven players for offences related to forged documents under Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC). Consequently, FAM was fined CHF350,000 (approximately RM1.8 million), and each player received a CHF2,000 (approximately RM11,000) fine. The seven players were also suspended for 12 months from all football-related activities.