PETALING JAYA, 2024, JULY 16 – Kim Pan-gon has announced his departure as head coach of Malaysia during a special press conference held at the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) headquarters in Kelana Jaya on Tuesday (16 July). The 55-year-old cited personal commitments for his resignation, expressing sadness as he thanked Malaysian fans for their support throughout his tenure since June 2022.
Kim’s impact was profound, leading the Harimau Malaya to significant achievements in international football. From 2022 to 2023, he guided the team to 17 wins, two draws, and eight defeats, notably securing qualification for the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in 43 years. During this period, Malaysia achieved a notable 3-3 draw against South Korea but did not progress beyond the group stage of the Asian Cup earlier this year.
Under his leadership, Malaysia reached their highest world ranking in 18 years, peaking at No. 130. Despite challenges in the 2026 FIFA World Cup / 2027 AFC Asian Cup second-round qualifiers, including losses to Oman and a draw with Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia showed resilience, ending their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Chinese Taipei. However, their third-place finish in the group with 10 points was insufficient to advance further.
In a separate statement, the FAM confirmed Kim’s resignation and announced his assistant, Pau Martí Vicente, as interim head coach. The South Korean’s departure comes despite earlier speculation in March that he and his coaching team were considering resigning due to dissatisfaction with the national team’s situation, a report that was dismissed as inaccurate at the time.
Looking ahead, the FAM now faces the task of finding a new head coach to prepare the team for upcoming tournaments, including the Merdeka Tournament in September.
