KUALA LUMPUR: Seasoned hand Datuk Ong Kim Swee needs a team of technical experts to identify why Malaysia continues to struggle to produce top-level football talent, says football technical expert Dr Zulakbal Abdul Karim.
Kim Swee is set to return as FA of Malaysia (FAM) technical director, replacing Scott O'Donell, who will leave the position when his contract expires in December.
Zulakbal believes Kim Swee's priority must be to examine the weaknesses in the country's football development system and find solutions based on evidence, rather than assumptions.
He said FAM should assemble a technical think tank comprising specialists across different areas of the game, including goalkeeping, to assess the country's shortcomings and chart a way forward.
He also questioned whether Malaysia's existing development structure was delivering the desired results, pointing to the longstanding reliance on school competitions and the Mokhtar Dahari Academy (AMD) to produce emerging talent.
"Kim Swee needs a technical think tank for Malaysian football, a team of able technical experts to cover from goalkeeping to all technical aspects of football. Malaysian football needs to move forward based on knowledge," said the AFC elite instructor.
"We have only had the Ministry of Education League and the MSSM (national schools) competitions for the longest time, but there's no result in qualifying for any youth-level World Cups and in recent times have been relying on AMD for new talents," he said.
Malaysia's struggles at youth level are not new. The national team featured at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, now known as the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, only because Malaysia hosted the tournament.
More recently, Malaysia's Under-16 side reached the quarter-finals of the 2014 AFC Under-16 Championship but lost 2-1 to Australia, missing out on qualification for the 2015 FIFA Under-17 World Cup.
Zulakbal said Kim Swee's experience as a player, youth coach and national coach should give him a clear understanding of the domestic league structure and why it has struggled to produce players capable of competing at the highest level.
Kim Swee has identified grassroots development and better coordination of the national Under-19 and Under-20 teams among his priorities, while also highlighting women's football and futsal.
And Zulakbal believes he must now set out a clear vision for the wider game and explain how he intends to deliver it.
"I believe Kim Swee needs to be bold, call the media for a press conference and share his plans. Anyone in a leadership role will have their vision and they must be clear with it. On top of doing work, Kim Swee also must be seen doing work," he said.
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