Under E Elavarasan, Malaysia’s Under-23 squad won the 2023 Merlion Cup and qualified for the U-23 Asian Cup in Qatar. (Bernama pic)
KUALA LUMPUR: E Elavarasan has stepped down as head coach of Malaysia’s Under-23 team, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) announced today.
FAM secretary-general Noor Azman Rahman said this was decided after recent discussions between Elavarasan and FAM president Hamidin Mohd Amin on the future direction of the U-23 team, fresh after the Harimau Muda squad’s showing in the recent U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers 2024.
Noor Azman said the 61-year-old coach has agreed to focus on his tasks as Kim Pan-gon’s assistant coach in the national senior squad, paving the way for a new coach to prepare the young Tigers for the U-23 Asian Cup in Qatar in April next year.
“Elavarasan’s successor will only be announced after evaluations and discussions with the relevant parties,” he said in a statement today.
He said Hamidin had also conveyed his highest appreciation for Elavarasan’s contributions in guiding Harimau Muda into the U-23 Asian Cup, despite their 1-0 loss to Thailand in the final qualifying match on Sept 12.
Elavarasan was announced as the national U-23 head coach on Sept 1 last year, replacing Brad Maloney, while at the same time holding the position of Pan-gon’s assistant in the national senior squad.
He was appointed based on the basis that he would be familiar with Pan-gon’s coaching system, which FAM felt would be helpful in facilitating continuity between the senior squad and the national U-23 squad.
The national U-23 squad successfully won the 2023 Merlion Cup in Singapore last March, as well as qualified for the semifinals of the 2023 AFF U-23 Championship in Rayong, Thailand in August.
They qualified for the 2024 Asian U-23 Cup after emerging as one of the top four second-placed teams in the qualifiers played in Chonburi, Thailand recently.