KUALA LUMPUR: Stepping into Qatar, early in the year, for their first Asian Cup appearance since 2007, Harimau Malaya brought excitement to their long-suffering fans, showing that the country has regained its standing to compete in the continent's premier tournament.
With a mix of local, heritage and naturalised players, Harimau Malaya, under then-coach Kim Pan Gon, went down to Jordan (4-0) and Bahrain (1-0) before securing a historic 3-3 draw with 2022 World Cup semi-finalists South Korea.
The nation celebrated the result against a Son Heung Min-led Korea as though Malaysia had won the Asian Cup, raising hopes that the national football team would build on this achievement.
However, except for their September victory in the Merdeka Tournament — Asia's oldest competition which has lost much of its allure in recent decades — Malaysian football's fortunes declined across all levels, from junior to senior squads.
The FA of Malaysia (FAM) and fans alike had expected Pan Gon's side to progress to the third round of the World Cup qualifiers for the first time.
Instead, Malaysia finished third in Group D in the second round of the joint-World Cup/Asian Cup qualifiers, behind Oman and Kyrgyzstan.
A 3-1 victory over Taiwan in their final group match in Bukit Jalil in June turned out to be Pan Gon's last match as national coach.
He resigned and returned to South Korea to join Ulsan Hyundai, despite being under contract with FAM until December 2025.
Spaniard Pau Marti Vicente took over as interim coach and led Harimau Malaya to the Merdeka Tournament title in September.
FAM had promised him a full-time position if the team excelled in the ongoing Asean Cup. However, not only did Vicente announce his departure days before Malaysia's opening game, FAM also revealed that Australian Peter Cklamovski would take over as head coach next year.
Malaysia's Asean Cup campaign was chaotic and disorganised. Vicente's mixed squad laboured to a 2-2 draw with Cambodia and a narrow 3-2 win over Timor Leste before suffering a 1-0 loss to Thailand.
Needing a win against Singapore in their final group game to qualify for the semi-finals, Malaysia managed only a 0-0 draw, thus failing to finish in the top two of their group.
While Vicente bore some responsibility for the disappointment, much of the blame lay elsewhere.
Key players were unavailable, and several squad members left camp during the Asean Cup — held outside the FIFA window — to fulfil club commitments.
At the junior level, the Young Tigers failed to progress from the group stage of the Under-23 Asian Cup in Qatar, losing all their matches.
The Under-20 and Under-17 teams also fell short of their goals.
In May, Faisal Halim, whose strike against South Korea earned him the Goal of the Tournament at the Asian Cup, was the victim of an acid attack. He suffered burns across his body, including his face.
Following several surgeries, Faisal returned to play for Selangor in the M-League but has yet to regain his form.
To date, no arrests have been made in connection with the attack. In the aftermath, Selangor officials also faced threats, prompting the Red Giants to withdraw from the Charity Shield against Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) in May.
This led to the Malaysian Football League (MFL) imposing severe sanctions against Selangor, but which were later reduced after Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah voiced his displeasure over the decision and endorsed the withdrawal.
Controversy rocked FAM in March when a poison pen letter surfaced, which the organisation denied the allegations.
Earlier this month, FAM president Tan Sri Hamidin Amin surprised the football fraternity by announcing that he would not seek re-election in February, paving the way for new leadership.
Though many fans urged Hamidin to stay — with a banner reading "Your services are still needed for the nation's football" displayed during Malaysia's 0-0 draw with Singapore on Dec 20 — nominations remain open until mid-January.
In September, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim allocated RM15 million for Harimau Malaya and the Under-18 and Under-13 squads to recruit top coaches, upgrade facilities and support development.
The Regent of Johor Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sultan Ibrahim is spearheading the initiative, with a special FAM unit to be formed to manage the national teams.
Former Australian international Tim Cahill has been appointed as Tunku Mahkota Ismail's special adviser, while Cklamovski and ex-Kedah coach Nafuzi Zain will lead the senior and Under-23 squads respectively.
On the domestic front, the M-League introduced the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system this year, aligning with international standards.
The M-League's kickoff date has been shifted to May to correspond with the AFC calendar.
However, unpaid salaries in the M-League remain a major problem with some teams fined and had points deducted. The MFL needs to implement innovative solutions to resolve the issues.
JDT continued their dominance, clinching the FA Cup with a commanding 6-1 victory over Selangor in August. The Southern Tigers are also favourites to retain their Super League and Malaysia Cup titles.