Who is Peter Cklamovski, Harimau Malaya's new head coach?

From fitness guru to a respected head coach, Australia’s Peter Cklamovski is Harimau Malaya’s new coach from Jan 1, 2025.

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) announced the decision earlier today.

The 46-year-old Cklamovski replaces Pau Marti Vicente, who is currently overseeing the team’s performance in the Asean Championship Cup, where it is third in Group A behind Thailand and Singapore.

The national team will play Singapore on Dec 20 in a must-win match to qualify for the semifinals.

Vicente has served as caretaker coach since Kim Pan-gon’s abrupt departure on July 16. On Dec 5, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) announced that it would replace Vicente and his panel of coaches.

Who is Peter Cklamovski?

Cklamovski was born in Sydney, Australia, on Oct 16, 1978. He holds the highest coaching accreditation – Pro licence – which he completed in 2016. He also has postgraduate degrees in Applied Science, Sports Coaching, and a Certificate in Exercise Science.

He previously worked closely with the former Australian national coach and current Tottenham boss, Ange Postecoglou.

He was one of the assistants when Postecoglou guided Australia to the 2015 Asian Cup. He was also the Australian Under-17 coach in 2017.

What else has he won?

He was the assistant manager in 2019 when Yokohama F. Marinos won the J-League. His other jobs as head coach in the last six years were in Japan with Shimizu S-Pulse, Montedio Yamagata, and FC Tokyo.

Cklamovski guided FC Tokyo to 11th place last year after joining the club mid-season. This year, the club from the capital city finished seventh.

Why is FAM making these changes?

The national body wants to make changes and strengthen the team’s management with technology and sports medicine.

The management infrastructure and medical team will receive a boost from FAM’s restructuring efforts.

These initiatives and changes aim to implement a new organisational structure for Harimau Malaya.

What are Cklamovski’s targets?

The coach is tasked with helping Malaysia qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, and to break into the top 100 of the Fifa rankings. Harimau Malaya is currently, world No. 132.

Who else has been appointed?

FAM announced that former Kedah Darul Aman FC head coach Nafuzi Zain will lead the national Under-23 team, tasked with the 2025 Asean Under-23 tournament and the SEA Games in the same year.

Before joining Kedah, Nafuzi helped Kelantan win three President’s Cup (Under-21) titles.