Fans hoping to see Ong Kim Swee display his coaching skill in the M-League will be disappointed.
Though Kim Swee has received several offers to helm M-League teams, he is not keen on them.
Kim Swee, whose contract as the national Under-22 coach was not extended by FAM after Malaysia failed to reach the semi-finals in the recent Sea Games, is keen to work on youth development.
Kim Swee feels that his 20-year experience is better served in a role as FAM’s Head of Youth Development.
The 49-year-old had discussed with FAM secretary general Stuart Ramalingam last Friday on his new role for this year.
“There were several (coaching) offers but I had to consider a lot of factors,” he said.
“The role with FAM is something that I’ve been doing for the past two to three years and it’s not really new. I will be working on youth development for the long-term.”
This will see Kim Swee’s work being part of the National Football Development Programme (NFDP) and he will also visit state football associations to keep track of their progress.
“There’s a particular section which I will dive deeper into... youth coaching licences. My career has mainly centred on that,” he added.
Kim Swee admitted that he will miss training teams for competition but he doesn’t rule out the possibilities of returning to “competitive” coaching, a role he has often excelled in for the past 16 years.
As a coach, Kim Swee has won numerous trophies, including the 2009 Premier League title with Harimau Muda, 2011 Sea Games gold, 2013 Merdeka Cup and 2015 Bangabandhu Cup.