Arul not part of four names shortlisted for head coach post

JAYA: Four names have been shortlisted to lead the national hockey team, but former head coach A. Arulselvaraj isn’t among them.

Out of 23 candidates that had applied for the coaching position, Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) coaching committee chairman Datuk Majid Manjit Abdullah said they had narrowed their choice down to two foreigners and two locals.

They are former international Sarjit Singh, K. Dharmaraj, South African Brendon Caralon, and Australian Glenn Turner.

“We will go through these candidates again after the interview processes this week and select one head coach whom we will recommend to MHC, they will endorse the selection,” he said after the committee’s meeting at the National Hockey Stadium yesterday.

Caralon and Turner both have had experience in the national setup under Arul, with Caralon assisting during the 2023 World Cup and Turner during the Hangzhou Asian Games qualifiers.

“We found that their credentials were good enough to be considered,” he said.

“They have been with the Malaysian team at one time or another and have the coaching experience.

“These are the best candidates available at the moment based on the applications we received.

“Other big-name coaches didn’t apply because they are already attached to their teams and are in the midst of preparing for the Olympics,” he said.

Out of the four candidates, only Sarjit is currently in Malaysia as Dharmaraj is coaching in Indonesia, while the foreign coaches are based in their home countries.

MHC are looking far ahead as the contract will be a two-year deal with an option for a two-year extension.

Manjit added that the new coach will be expected to be announced by the end of the month, and will get to work immediately in preparation for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup (May 4-11) in Ipoh and the Nations Cup (May 31-June 9) in Poland.