PETALING JAYA: The Football Coaches Association of Malaysia (FCAM) has received reports about teams attempting to appoint “puppet coaches”, so-called because they rent their licences to third parties, for next season.
B. Satiananthan (pix), who was returned unopposed as FACM president today, said with the teams busy charting their fortunes for the 2023 season, one Super League team and two M3 League teams had been identified to have offered local coaches to act as puppets.
According to Malaysia Football League (MFL) regulations, a Pro A Licence (AFC Pro-Diploma) is compulsory to serve as head coach in the top tier Super League, while only local coaches are allowed to train the M3 League, which is under the jurisdiction of the Amateur Football League (AFL).
“We have received reports for next season, not just in AFL but Super League too. We have news that a coach who doesn’t have a pro licence is running the show and has invited some local pro licence holders to be his dummy.
“In M3, lately we heard that they (teams) have appointed foreign coaches but need a local coach to become a puppet, with the work done by a foreign coach,” he told reporters during the FACM Annual Congress here today.
Therefore, Satiananthan urged all local coaches not to be puppets.
“So my advice is to avoid selling ourselves short,” he said.
Early this year, there were reports that an M3 League club tried to appoint a local coach to act as dummy for a foreigner, who was named as the club’s technical director.
Satiananthan, who is a former Harimau Malaya coach, said although FACM had information on the issue, the association was unable to take action against the teams.
“Usually the team will be handled by others, like in naming the first eleven and training regime, but during match day, the puppet coach will be on the bench. I can blame two people - the management and local coach who sold his licence,” he added.
Meanwhile, former Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) technical director Datuk Ong Kim Swee said only coaches should do the coaching task, while technical directors should focus on the development part.
“This involves management because technical directors and head coaches must have their respective tasks, and a technical director who involves himself in coaching is wrong from an ethical standpoint,” he said. - Bernama