Australian Peter Cklamovski has been appointed head coach of the Malaysia national team as the country ushers in a new and exciting era.
Ange Postecoglou’s former assistant and an ex-Perth Glory, Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory coach in the A-Leagues, Cklamovski will officially begin working with Malaysia on January 1.
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The 46-year-old, who has vast experience in Asia with Yokohama F.Marinos, Montedio Yamagata and FC Tokyo, represents a new era for Malaysia, with the football federation re-structuring football in the country with a new to breaking into FIFA’s top 100 in the world rankings.
He also arrives as Malaysia look to “compete more strongly on the international stage starting with the 2027 Asian Cup Qualification campaign next March.”
In a statement, the Football Association of Malaysia said: “To begin with, Cklamovski’s main mission is to ensure that the Harimau Malaya squad successfully overcomes the Group F qualifying competition to achieve the target of qualifying for the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, in addition to improving the FIFA ranking to reach the top 100 in the world.”
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Cklamovski has spent the past six years in Japan, having also coached Shimizu S-Pulse and Montedio Yamagata after teaming up with Postecoglou to win the 2019 J1 League title at Yokohama F.Marinos.
At J2 League outfit Montedio Yamagata, Cklamovski turned the club from relegation candidates in 2021 to promotion hopefuls, despite a limited budget.
In 2022, the club fell agonisingly short in their bid to return to the top flight for the first time since 2015.
Montedio drew 2-2 in the second round of the play-offs, meaning Roasso Kumamoto advanced to the deciding play-off with their higher finish during the regular season, before the Aussie was sensationally sacked in 2023.
After joining FC Tokyo midway through 2023, Cklamovski guided the capital club to seventh place this year after an 11th-placed finish last term.
