KUALA LUMPUR, 7 Dec 2017:
Nelo Vingada yesterday officially relinquished his post as head coach of the Harimau Malaya squad – following a poor run of results by the national football team since he took over in May this year.
In a statement issued by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), Vingada said he tendered the resignation after a discussion with FAM president Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, and took full responsibility for the failure.
“I take responsibility for the performance of the national team. With this sense of responsibility, I hereby announce to relinquish my position as national head coach with immediate effect, and the Tunku president has accepted my decision.”
Vingada’s two assistants, Joao Arnaldo Correia De Carvalho and Francisco Jose Bruto Da Costa, also relinquished their respective positions as the squad’s assistant coach and fitness coach.
Vingada, 64, who has been nicknamed ‘The Professor’ from past achievements, failed to win a single match since he took over, recording six defeats and a draw.
The Portuguese-born coach, who was recruited with the hope of changing the fate of the country’s football squad, and at least qualify for the 2019 Asian Cup, failed to carry out the mission – as Harimau Malaya finished bottom of the group in the qualifying stage.
FAM confirmed accepting Vingada’s resignation. FAM secretary-general Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin in a statement thanked Vingada and his two assistants for their services.
“The FAM, after referring the matter to the president, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, has accepted the resignation of Nelo Vingada as national head coach.
Hamidin said, however, the services of assistant coach Tan Cheng Hoe and goalkeeping coach Azmin Azram Abdul Aziz had been retained.
He added that the latest plans and developments from the national squad would be announced by FAM or Tunku Ismail in the near future.
– Bernama