PETALING JAYA, Jan 5 — The newly appointed technical director of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), Scott O’Donell will among others prioritise the development of youth football and education for coaches.
The 54-year-old Australian said competitive matches for young players were something crucial in the development of football that was lacking in the region.
“If we look at the number of competitive football in Europe and South America, they’re playing around 50 games a year. I think that is an aspect we need to look at, to get more boys and girls to play as many games as we can to increase the talent pool.
“But it’s a whole package, setting high standards, coaching education, grassroots development, women’s football. I am back to South-east Asia to enjoy the challenges that lie ahead,” O’Donell said in a press conference at Wisma FAM here, today.
“There are no quick fixes and no shortcuts in football development, you need to work hard, get everyone on board, can’t expect FAM to do everything. Need to engage with all the stakeholders, including states, professional clubs, academies, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Education, players and coach associations, media and fans. In short, we need everyone on board to achieve our goals,” he added.
Looking forward to the future, O’Donell said FAM president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin and secretary-general Mohd Saifuddin Abu Bakar understood his plan for Malaysian football and were willing to extend all the support he needed.
O’Donell had previously served as technical director of Capital Football, the governing body of women’s football in the Australian capital, Canberra, since 2017, before resigning last November.
The former defender is also familiar with the region’s football culture, having played for Kuala Lumpur in 1994-1995, besides playing in the Singapore League with Tampines Rovers (1996-97, 1999-2000) and Marine Castle United (1998-99).
Apart from being the coach of Geylang United (2003-2005) in Singapore, his credentials include experience as head coach of the Cambodian national squad twice (2005-2007 and 2009-2010) before becoming the technical director of All India Football Federation Technical Director (AIFF) (2015-2017). — Bernama
