KUALA LUMPUR: While Nelo Vingada continues to receive support from various quarters, the Portuguese has made the worst start of any of Malaysia’s national coaches after seven international matches over the past 30 years.
Following Malaysia's 4-1 defeat to North Korea in an Asian Cup qualifying Group B match in Buriram on Monday, Vingada has overseen two draws and five defeats since taking up his appointment in June.
Only Ahmad Shafie and Hatem Souissi had failed to win a match as national coach over the past three decades but they were both only in charge for four matches each before being replaced.
Norizan Bakar, too, went six matches without a win in 2006 but secured his first victory at the seventh attempt in the following year by beating the Philippines 4-0 at the AFF Cup in Bangkok.
The national team ended a calendar year without a win for the first time since 2006 while extending a winless run since last beating Cambodia 3-2 at the AFF Cup last November to 10 matches.
That is the longest streak the national team have gone without a win since 2003-04 under Allan Harris and K. Rajagobal, the latter in a caretaker capacity, when they combined for a 10-match winless run.
That futile period saw Malaysia play five Asian Cup qualifying matches, three World Cup qualifiers and two friendly games without success before the appointment of Hungarian Bertalan Bicskei earned Malaysia a welcome win against Singapore in a friendly.
Vingada's position appears secure despite setting all kinds of unwanted records with Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin coming to the coach's defence on Tuesday.
FA of Malaysia (FAM) president Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim also took the pressure off Vingada by assuming responsibility after a 4-1 defeat to North Korea in the first qualifier last Friday.
“As FAM president, I take full responsibility for the national team's defeat today (Nov 10) and any future defeats,” said Tunku Ismail in a posting on the FAM Facebook page.
“Once the team returns from Thailand, I will have a meeting with our technical director and make a decision to improve the national team in all aspects.”
FAM have not issued a statement since then, leaving Vingada still in charge with the national team not due to play another game until facing Lebanon in their final Asian Cup qualifier in Beirut on March 27 next year.
Vingada must brace himself for another slide in the national team's Fifa ranking after the two defeats to North Korea cost Malaysia 15 points in the ranking calculations.
When Fifa issue the next rankings list on Nov 23, World No 170 Malaysia could slide below their all-time worst position of No 174 with only 95 points on the board.