"Stop Blaming Others" – Safiq Rahim Slams Kim Pan-gon After Selangor's Semi-Final Disaster

Former Malaysia, Selangor FA, and Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) captain Safiq Rahim has pulled no punches following Selangor FC’s shocking Piala FA semi-final elimination at the hands of Kuching City FC, pointing the finger directly at head coach Kim Pan-gon.

Taking to Instagram following the Red Giants' 2-2 aggregate collapse—which ended in a dramatic extra-time own goal scored by substitute Mukhairi Ajmal—Safiq openly questioned Pan-gon's tactical approach and complete lack of self-criticism.

"Selangor FC's failure to reach the Piala FA final after losing to Kuching City FC should be a matter that Kim Pan-gon needs to reflect on and re-evaluate," Safiq posted on his Instagram account. "As the head coach, he naturally needs to take full responsibility for what happened to his team. If you look at how Selangor played, they were mostly defending, and the tactical approach used can certainly be questioned."

Safiq also targeted what he perceives as a recurring narrative surrounding the club, accusing the leadership of deflecting blame onto external factors whenever results do not go their way.

"Every time there is a problem or failure, refereeing issues, FAM, and MFL are frequently brought up. The exact same thing seems to repeat every season," the veteran midfielder declared. "How long do you want to keep looking for fault in others? Is there really no weakness within your own team that needs to be acknowledged? In football, we must be brave enough to admit if our own team simply played poorly."

The former national team playmaker did not stop at tactical criticisms, highlighting the chaotic touchline incidents that marred the final whistle at Stadium Taha Ariffin. Safiq questioned the behavior of Nazmi Faiz Mansor, whose confrontation near the opposition bench triggered a late brawl that resulted in straight red cards for player Eduardo Sosa and fitness coach Joel Dones, alongside controversial money-mimicking hand gestures aimed at officials.

Contrasting Pan-gon's post-match media presence with that of JDT head coach Xisco Muñoz, Safiq urged the Red Giants boss to alter his focus.

"Kim Pan-gon frequently appears in the media to talk about refereeing decisions, criticize other parties, and raise off-field issues," Safiq noted. "If compared to Xisco Muñoz at JDT, his approach is quite different. Xisco focuses much more on match analysis, team performance, and football-related matters during post-match interviews."

Concluding his blunt post, Safiq emphasized that the passionate Selangor fanbase deserves concrete results on the pitch rather than post-match rhetoric.

"Supporters do not want to hear various excuses every time the team fails to achieve its target," Safiq stated firmly. "They deserve more than just promises and rhetoric. They want achievements proven through hard work and results on the pitch."

Credit Photo : JST