KUALA LUMPUR: Many football coaches are eyeing the national men's head coach position. One wonders it has anything to do with reports that FAM is willing to give a massive RM200,000 monthly salary.
FAM deputy president Datuk Yusoff Mahadi revealed that many coaches had expressed their interest in filling the vacant post caused by the sudden resignation of South Korean Kim Pan Gon in July.
But he stressed that FAM will vet the candidates thoroughly.
Yusoff said FAM is also giving Spaniard Pau Marti Vicente, the interim coach, the opportunity to prove himself until the end of this year.
"There are many candidates because a lot of people are interested in becoming Malaysia's coach after seeing that the team are now capable of competing at a higher level," said Yusoff.
"We will choose someone suitable for us, for example, someone who understands our culture like we have done before. If we take on a big name but they do not understand what we need, it will cause problems later on.
"As for Pau Marti, we are giving him the chance to do his best for the national squad, and we will decide after the AFF Cup.
"Perhaps Pau Marti will deliver the best results for the national team, so who knows, we might consider continuing his service."
Vicente's first assignment saw him guiding Harimau Malaya to the Merdeka Tournament title with wins over Philippines (2-1) and Lebanon (1-0) last month.