SEPANG, Jan 4 — "I respect Tan Cheng Hoe’s decision because I am confident that he has discussed the matter with the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) leadership.”

This is the response of Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu when asked on Cheng Hoe’s decision to resign as the Harimau Malaya chief coach yesterday, a post he had held since December 2017.

Ahmad Faizal declined to comment further but described the Kedah-born Cheng Hoe as an outstanding coach who had tasted much success.

"I can only hope that he will continue to contribute to the country’s football development,” he said after a ceremony to receive contributions under the ministry’s post-flood volunteers programme.

When announcing his resignation yesterday, Cheng Hoe said he had decided to give way to any individual who is more suited to take the national squad to a higher level.

Asked on candidates who can replace Cheng Hoe, Ahmad Faizal said it was more important to focus on increasing the level of discipline and fitness of the Harimau Malaya squad if Malaysia was to regain its glory in international football.

"We can recruit the best coach in the world but if players do not step up in terms of training, discipline and health, it still won’t help,” he added.

On another matter, Ahmad Faizal said he would raise at tomorrow’s Cabinet meeting the issue of Israeli athletes’ participation in competitions that would be organised by Malaysia in the future.

"I cannot comment further without discussing it at the Cabinet level,” he said.

Recently a foreign news portal reported that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had issued another warning to countries which refused to allow athletes from certain countries to participate in major competitions on political grounds.

IOC cited the World Team Squash Championship from December 7 to 11 last year which was cancelled due to hosts Malaysia’s refusal to allow Israeli athletes to enter the country, and the AIBA World Boxing Championship which saw the Kosovo team being barred from competing in Serbia. — Bernama