By ERIC SAMUEL
PETALING JAYA: The FA of Malaysia (FAM) have made it clear that no favouritism is practised in the selection and assessment process of coaches for the A-licence.
The FAM general secretary, Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad, denied that they had been any kind of abuse in their coaching system and said that there was no truth in the allegations made against them in The Star on Tuesday that they had passed those who failed to meet the grade requirement for the licence. “The FAM have been transparent and have gone by the book, according to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) guidelines,” he said.
Azzuddin added that the selection process and the assessments made on the coaches would have to go through the mill — right from respective State FAs, the FAM coaching department and to the technical committee before they were endorsed.
“It is not a one-man decision. Often the bad guys are the instructors, who are there to help these coaches make the grade.
“There are bound to be some who won’t make the grade.
“A decision has to be made strictly on their performances in a one-month assessment period, which include theory and practical sessions,” he said.
“Both sessions are important and it will be unfair not to pass a candidate who has good football knowledge of the game compared to those with stronger credentials like former internationals.” The coaches are selected by their State FAs before the FAM shortlist candidates for the A-coaching licence.
“Those coaches involved in the domestic competitions get priority and we can give an assurance that selection and assessment are done purely on merit alone,” said Azzuddin.
The head of the coaching department in the FAM is R. Gopal.
The FAM have not received any appeals or complaints from any quarters on the results of their last grading exercise, which saw 10 out of the 21 coaches obtaining the A-coaching licence.
But it is learnt that a complaint has been lodged with the AFC.