Coaches of Malaysia and Cambodia are in distress after being eliminated early from the 2016 AFF Cup.

(Baonghean.vn) - While the head coach of the Cambodian national team expressed frustration and condemned his players for their indiscipline, after admitting defeat at the 2016 AFF Cup, Malaysia's coach Ong Kim Swee also faces the risk of being sacked.

At the 2016 AFF Cup, Malaysia had a dismal performance, failing to advance from the group stage, finishing in third place. They beat Cambodia but lost to Vietnam and Myanmar, marking only the third time in the tournament's history that the Malaysian national team had been eliminated in the group stage.

Following Malaysia's coach Ong Kim Swee's admission of mistakes and failure at the 2016 AFF Cup, the Football Association of Malaysia is urgently seeking a replacement.

With the AFF Suzuki Cup 2016 underway for over three months, four key players of the Malaysian national team – Aidil Zafuan, Safiq Rahim, Kunanlan Subramaniam, and Amirul Zainal – successively announced their retirement from international football. Following this, coach Ong Kim Swee and his team faced the risk of withdrawing from the AFF Cup 2016 midway through the tournament when the Malaysian government considered withdrawing the national team to protest the Rohingya Muslim conflict in Myanmar.

Furthermore, even before the start of the 2016 AFF Cup, the Crown Prince of Johor, Malaysia, had already criticized the coaching style of Ong Kim Swee. The Crown Prince argued that the national team would learn nothing and make no progress under this coach's leadership.

And now, after being eliminated in the group stage, ESPN magazine has just published information that coach Ong Kim Swee is likely to be sacked and start working again at a domestic club. In addition, this prestigious magazine has also listed three strong candidates for the head coach position of the Malaysian national team: Gerard Houllier (French), Steve McClaren (English), and Ange Postecoglou of Australia. These are all coaches with reputations and achievements, especially Ange Postecoglou, who led the Australian national team to victory in the 2015 Asian Cup.

Meanwhile, South Korean coach Lee Tae-hoon of Cambodia is also on the verge of resigning after the group stage ended. Although the Cambodian team lost all three matches against Malaysia, Myanmar, and Vietnam, their playing style and the progress of the Cambodian players were highly appreciated. However, for Coach Lee Tae-hoon, the man who breathed life into the Cambodian team's transformation, the 55-year-old coach stated on his personal Facebook page that his players did not follow his instructions and neglected their physical fitness.

Meanwhile, the Cambodian national team coach blamed his players for their crushing defeat in the group stage. The South Korean strategist's contract with the Cambodian Football Federation expires next December, and he is likely to step down.

“Most players didn’t pay attention to maintaining their fitness and health. The Cambodian team couldn’t achieve good results because our players couldn’t play for the full 90 minutes. I think all the players knew this, but they didn’t make an effort. If they had been more conscious of maintaining their fitness, of course we would have achieved better results,” explained coach Lee Tae-hoon.

Following the defeat against Myanmar and especially the loss to Vietnam despite having a man advantage, the South Korean coach expressed his frustration at the Cambodian players' lack of discipline and disrespect for their opponents: "I am very disappointed. Despite the efforts of the coaching staff, the Cambodian team failed to capitalize on opportunities."

Finally, coach Lee Tae-hoon emphasized: “Cambodian players have improved their technical skills after the 2016 AFF Cup. Importantly, they now know their limits and have gained some experience from the tournament. The Cambodian team has significantly improved in quality, but the determination and will to win are still lacking in the players.”

Trung Kien