KUALA LUMPUR, Former Harimau Malaya assistant head coach Pau Marti Vicente, who took over as head coach after South Korean Kim Pan Gon quit last month, should be given enough room and the chance to show his abilities in guiding the national football team.

Local football legend, Datuk Dollah Salleh believes the Spaniard has his own methods to spur the national team even further.

‘We need to see how he handles the national team and it isn’t fair to assess him now because we haven’t seen the way he plays.

‘Maybe in terms of gameplay, he will introduce a different style from Pan Gon as he is from Spain. I feel if we give enough space and time maybe there won’t be a problem as the focus of Malaysian football is actually towards how Spain plays the game,’ he told reporters at the 2024 Jiwa Merdeka Subang Jaya Convoy programme here today.

When asked about the 2024 Pestabola Merdeka set to begin next Wednesday in National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Dollah said that he hoped that Malaysia could still emerge champions.

‘If we look at the past, this is the cup that players really wait for. If you get to play for Malaysia (in Pestabola Merdeka), you’ll feel happy.

‘If possible, I do hope to see the cup coming back to our country as it would be an achievement for us,’ he said.

Malaysia will play the Philippines, while defending champions Tajikistan will take on Lebanon in the semifinals of the 2024 Pestabola Merdeka.

The winners will play in the final match on Sunday, while the losing teams will play in the 3rd-4th place decider on the same day.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency