Malaysia coach speaks out after 0-3 loss to Vietnam

Coach Peter Cklamovski made his first comments after Malaysia received a heavy penalty from AFC, thereby losing their Asian Cup 2027 qualification spot.

Peter Cklamovski's dream of participating in the AFC Asian Cup officially ended after Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ruled a 0-3 loss for Malaysia in the matches against Nepal and Vietnam. Specifically, all points from these matches were forfeited, leading to Malaysia losing their top position in the group and officially losing the chance to advance.

The professional setbacks quickly led to financial repercussions. Speaking about the current situation, Coach Cklamovski frankly admitted: “All the money we had, we had to spend to pay the fines… and then we had to start over from scratch.” The pressure is not only from the match results but also weighs heavily on the entire operational system of Malaysian football.

These are also the first comments from the Australian strategist since AFC imposed penalties on FAM and the Malaysian national team. Nevertheless, despite facing many difficulties, this strategist still expressed determination to rebuild. He emphasized a sustainable development direction, focusing on internal resources rather than relying on naturalized players: “We must think about local development, young players, and building a solid foundation.”

After the scandals involving seven naturalized players, Coach Peter Cklamovski's reputation has been seriously affected. Many domestic experts, including Zakaria Rahim, expressed the view that Coach Cklamovski should resign soon:

“To me, they are no longer valuable because their presence in the Malaysian national team stems from the 15 million RM budget the team received. The budget will not be increased despite the government previously promising a total of 30 million RM. I am not sure the budget will continue after this phase.”

Furthermore, there will be no major tournaments until the next World Cup qualifiers. Regarding the AFF Cup, we do not need such an expensive coaching team. A coach who can rebuild the national team and prioritize local players is enough.”

On March 31st, Coach Cklamovski will lead the Malaysian national team against Vietnam in the final match of Group F, Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers.