
Cklamovski should explain after dropping bombshell
Joehari said Cklamovski should clarify his claims of "internal sabotage" and "political interference".
"We need to find out what Cklamovski meant by that," said Joehari after FAM's Extraordinary Congress at a hotel in Subang Jaya today.
During a post-match interview at Bukit Jalil on June 10, Australian Cklamovski claimed that if Malaysia had lost to Vietnam, he and the Regent of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, would have come under fire from some people.
Cklamovski's startling words then were: "Internal matters are going on, elements of betrayal, politics, and daily internal challenges we face.
"If we hadn't won tonight, they would have gone after TMJ (Tunku Ismail), they would have gone after me, saying I'm a terrible coach. They would have blamed the players. But now, suddenly, they'll become our best friends. That's good, because we're united as a country."
Cklamovski's tense comments raised eyebrows, as football fans speculated and discussed the cause of his unhappiness.
Responding to Cklamovski's post-match comments, Joehari said today FAM remains fully behind the Harimau Malaya project, and urged the media not to jump to conclusions.
"We, at FAM, support the national team 100 per cent, that I am sure of. Our support for Harimau Malaya is strong and consistent.
"What has been said is speculative, and to be fair, better ask Cklamovski himself to explain what he meant by that."
Though Joehari has responded to the issue, football followers will be wondering what is happening behind closed doors after the Cklamovski bombshell.
At the congress, Joehari also talked about the national team's heavy reliance on heritage players, and emphasised that FAM had followed all procedures to the highest level.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
Tennis-Perricard exits Wimbledon but makes mark with fastest serve
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 1, 2025 France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in action during his first round match against Taylor Fritz of the U.S. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq LONDON (Reuters) -Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard departed Wimbledon as a first-round loser but the Frenchman left his mark on the Grand Slam with the fastest serve recorded in the tournament's history - a 153 mph (246 kph) missile against Taylor Fritz on Monday. Perricard, whose match was later suspended due to the local 11pm curfew and resumed on Tuesday, was beaten 6-7(6) 6-7(8) 6-4 7-6(6) 6-4 but much of the talk in his press conference was about his status as a "serve-bot" in the men's game. That was largely due to the 21-year-old's reputation for consistently hitting huge serves and his record-breaking effort in the opening game of the contest which eclipsed the previous tournament mark of 148 mph set by American Taylor Dent in 2010. "I didn't check the speed, to be honest. I saw that last night. I lost the point. I'm not doing some special technique to have a big serve or a fast serve. I'm serving like I'm supposed to do," Perricard told reporters. "We don't train a lot to be honest on this part of my game. It comes naturally." Australian Sam Groth hit the fastest recorded serve at a professional event with a 163.7 mph (263.4 kph) rocket at the Busan Challenger in 2012, a match he lost in straight sets to prove big serves can be blunt weapons in the modern game. Perricard, whose thundering deliveries are greatly aided by him being 6ft 8in, said he expected serves to only get faster in the future as players push the limits of their physicality. "Players are stronger," he added. "They have bigger shoulders, so I don't know, 260 (kph), 270 (kph) maybe the next one is going to be." (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in London; Editing by Ken Ferris)


New Straits Times
14 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Ex-national footballer Tuck scores his second Asian gold
KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Tuck has walked away from the M-League into something more interesting. The former national footballer is into HYROX, a hybrid sport which requires him to run eight kilometres, interspersed with eight different workout stations of SkiErg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jump, rowing, farmers carry, sandbag lunges, and wall balls. The England-born Tuck, who became a naturalised player for Harimau Malaya, won the HYROX Asian Championships (35–39 age group) for the second consecutive year in Singapore last week. The 36-year-old shared on Instagram. "Such a great feeling when the sacrifice pays off and the goal you've committed so much towards finally comes together. "Back-to-back gold at the HYROX Asian Championship! Different race. Different country. Different challenges. Same mindset — show up, compete, and give it everything. Tuck left the M-League last year after playing for Kedah. He returned to England to focus on real estate — a venture that has also seen considerable success, with his company named as a finalist for the Best Real Estate Investor Award in the United Kingdom last year. Tuck earned nine caps for Malaysia and scored three goals between 2022 and 2023. At M-league level, he made a significant impact at Negri Sembilan (2017), Terengganu (2018–2020, 2022), Pahang (2021–2022) and Kedah (2023).


New Straits Times
15 hours ago
- New Straits Times
FAM chief responds to accusations of secrecy
KUALA LUMPUR: The foreign-born naturalised players have come to Kuala Lumpur, played for Malaysia and have gone back to where they came from. Yet, the debate over their ancestry, their lineage, their connection to Malaysia refuses to go away. It's an unusual situation, in fact, something which Malaysian football has never experienced. Some fans can't pronounce the names of their national players, some have problems remembering who is who and from where. And some fans have accused the FA of Malaysia (FAM) of keeping the lineage of the heritage players under wraps. In response, FAM president Datuk Joehari Ayub said the lineage and ancestry of the new heritage players have been verified. FAM had earlier announced that five new heritage players — Facundo Garces, Imanol Machuca, Jon Irazabal, Joao Figueiredo and Rodrigo Holgado — were cleared by Fifa. And they played key roles in the 4-0 win over Vietnam in an Asian Cup qualifier in Bukit Jalil last month. However, FAM has not revealed the lineage of these players, or how are they related to Malaysia, leaving fans in the dark. Joehari said the players' backgrounds were vetted and cleared by Fifa, and FAM has no reason to conceal any information. "We are not taking this lightly. Fifa has checked everything, and at FAM, we are merely following the procedures and directives set by them. "If we need to reveal it, we have no problem doing so." Joehari said FAM has always prioritised transparency and will not take shortcuts when it comes to recruiting foreign-born players, particularly in terms of eligibility and compliance with international regulations. "If there were any issues, Fifa would not have granted approval. In this case, everything was cleared and done through the correct process," he said.