Datuk Haji Hamidin Mohd Amin, the president of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), expressed his disappointment with former Malaysia national team head coach Kim Pan-gon, labeling his actions as unprofessional after the South Korean coach left Malaysia for Ulsan Hyundai.
In a press conference at Wisma FAM, Kelana Jaya, Hamidin revealed that Kim Pan-gon had pleaded to terminate his contract early, citing family issues, while secretly finalizing a deal with the South Korean club.
Hamidin shared how Kim Pan-gon initially requested time off after the match against Chinese Taipei, extending his leave before urgently asking for his contract to be terminated, citing personal reasons related to his wife and family. Hamidin and other FAM officials were present during these discussions. Out of respect for the coach’s contribution to raising Malaysia’s ranking, Hamidin eventually agreed to release him from his contract, despite being hesitant at first.
However, Hamidin later discovered that Kim Pan-gon had already secured an agreement with Ulsan Hyundai before meeting with him, leading to a deep sense of betrayal.
He further criticized Kim Pan-gon’s statements during a press conference, where the coach claimed that a lack of support from FAM and player release issues were factors in his resignation. Hamidin stressed that FAM had supported Kim Pan-gon as much as possible and that the coach used false excuses to justify his departure.
Hamidin also mentioned that, according to professionalism, FAM could have demanded one and a half years’ worth of compensation from Kim Pan-gon, but they chose to part ways amicably.
Despite this setback, Hamidin promised fans that FAM would find a coach better than Kim Pan-gon and reiterated the association’s commitment to the national team’s success.
Credit Photo : FAM
