Why did the Malaysian coach declare he was betrayed?

Despite a very favorable start with the Malaysian team, coach Peter Cklamovski fell into an extremely awkward situation because of his 'slip of the tongue'.

Coach Peter Cklamovski - Photo: FAM

At a time when it was under heavy pressure from regional public opinion surrounding the controversial naturalization strategy, Malaysian football suddenly became "internally chaotic" due to the tense relationship between coach Cklamovski and the Malaysian Football Association (FAM).

After the 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on June 10, coach Peter Cklamovski suddenly attracted attention with an unusual statement.

In the post-match press conference, the Australian strategist frankly mentioned internal issues, as well as political factors that are weighing on the Malaysian team.

"There are internal problems in the team, from betrayal, political factors, to the problems we have to face every day. If we don't beat Vietnam, everything will come crashing down. I will be considered a bad coach," The Star newspaper quoted coach Cklamovski as telling the Malaysian media.

It is worth mentioning that this statement did not cause a stir at that time, perhaps because of the jubilant atmosphere when the Malaysian team achieved such impressive results.

But suddenly yesterday (July 1), FAM President Datuk Joehari Ayub spoke up and asked Coach Cklamovski to explain.

This move is no different from "showing one's back to others", making the regional football community curious - for what reason did the head coach of the Malaysian team say his team was betrayed?

Malaysian media reacted cautiously to the incident. Newspapers such as The Star, Bernama and Sinar Daily all reprinted the coach’s statement, quoting the FAM president, but did not comment further.

But many news sites and football fanpages still focus on Coach Cklamovski's statement. Many fans are curious about what Coach Cklamovski said.

"FAM said it could be a translation issue, but it definitely wasn't. He spoke in English, and a lot of Malaysians speak English," one fan commented on Facebook (about 60% of Malaysians speak English).

Many other fans began to dig up previous criticisms that the country's football experts had put pressure on coach Cklamovski shortly after he took office.

Specifically, football expert Sadek Mustaffa once criticized Mr. Cklamovski: "I think this Australian coach has not yet come up with the right tactics. His predecessor, Mr. Kim Pan Gon, understood the strengths of the Malaysian players and used his tactics more appropriately."

Along with that, there is a lot of pressure surrounding the issue of Malaysia's massive naturalization. Even in the post-match press conference, Coach Cklamovski said he was fed up with having to listen to questions about his country's naturalization.

For months, the Australian strategist has been doubted by the Malaysian media and questioned by many experts about his naturalization policy, and that may be the source of his anger.

Of course, the "betrayal" incident that Mr. Cklamovski mentioned may be at another level, which only those inside Malaysian football understand clearly.

Back to topic

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/vi-sao-hlv-tuyen-malaysia-tuyen-bo-bi-phan-boi-20250702190301498.htm