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'Saya tidak akan letak jawatan'


KIM SWEE (tiga dari kiri) akan terus membimbing skuad Harimau Muda selagi mendapat kepercayaan FAM sehingga kontraknya tamat pada Mac tahun depan.


PENGENDALI Harimau Muda, Ong Kim Swee menegaskan, beliau tidak akan meletak jawatan sebagai jurulatih meskipun menerima desakan untuk berbuat demikian.

Ketika ini, segelintir pihak mengkritik prestasi hambar skuad bimbingan Kim Swee yang tewas kesemua tiga perlawanan pertama dalam saingan Kumpulan C kempen kelayakan Olimpik 2012 Zon Asia.

Rentetan tiga kekalahan berturut-turut, terbaharu dijinakkan Bahrain 2-3 di Stadium Nasional, Bukit Jalil pada Ahad lepas, secara realistiknya anak-anak buah Kim Swee kini tidak ubah sekadar mengharapkan ā€˜keajaibanā€™ jika berhasrat mahu menjejak bumi London apabila menghuni tangga tercorot kumpulan tanpa sebarang mata.

Menurut Kim Swee, beliau hanya akan meletakkan jawatan sekiranya merasa tidak lagi mampu mengendalikan Harimau Muda sebelum kontraknya tamat pada Mac tahun depan.

ā€œTidak, saya tidak akan meletakkan jawatan. Saya hanya akan berhenti jika majikan tidak lagi merasakan saya layak untuk mengemudi Harimau Muda, selain tidak akan berundur selagi mempunyai keyakinan terhadap skuad saya,ā€ tegasnya kepada Kosmo! semalam.

Harimau Muda akan kembali membuat perhitungan dengan Bahrain pada 5 Februari 2012 di gelanggang lawan sebelum melayan kunjungan Jepun pada 22 Februari. Aksi penutup tirai menentang Syria akan berlangsung di gelanggang berkecuali pada 14 Mac 2012.

Meskipun mengakui kesilapan gagal mengatasi Bahrain yang ā€˜tempangā€™ dengan 10 pemain, Kim Swee begitupun mahu semua pihak bersikap realistik mengenai perbezaan ketara kekuatan sebenar kedua-dua pasukan termasuk ā€˜musibahā€™ kecederaan yang menimpa pemainnya.

ā€œSeminggu yang lepas, kami dijulang bagaikan wira apabila berjaya mempertahankan pingat emas Sukan SEA 2011, namun sekelip mata, kami dikecam habis-habisan seolah-olah pingat emas itu langsung tidak berharga.
ā€œBukannya kami tidak boleh dikritik, cuma kita haruslah lebih realistik. Lainlah kalau kami kalah dengan Laos dan Kemboja, itu barulah lain ceritanya,ā€ katanya.

Yang pasti, keberanian Kim Swee mengambil alih ā€˜batonā€™ daripada Datuk K. Rajagobal yang berjaya menamatkan kemarau emas selama 20 tahun di temasya Sukan SEA di Vientianne, Laos dua tahun lalu sememangnya wajib dipuji.

ā€œTekanan sebagai jurulatih Harimau Muda hanya Tuhan sahaja yang tahu tetapi inilah hidup dan mati saya bagi menyahut cabaran kerana saya bukannya jenis orang yang hanya pandai memberikan alasan sebelum bertanding,ā€ katanya.

Pada masa sama, Kim Swee tetap optimis dengan kredibiliti majoriti pemainnya yang masih muda dan mampu menyinar pada Sukan SEA 2013 di Myanmar serta Sukan Asia 2014 di Incheon, Korea Selatan.

ā€œPercaya atau tidak, hanya Khairul Fahmi Che Mat, Shukor Jusoh, Affize Faisal Mamat dan Mahali Jasuli sahaja yang tidak boleh beraksi di Sukan Asia 2014 kerana melebihi had usia, jadi skuad muda ini sewajarnya diberikan peluang dan bukannya dihentam habis-habisan hanya kerana tewas pada aksi kelayakan Olimpik,ā€ katanya.

Selepas ā€˜dilenjanā€™ habis-habisan sejak temasya Sukan SEA 2011 di Jakarta pertengahan November lalu, anak-anak buah Kim Swee kini akhirnya mendapat rehat yang secukupnya sebelum berlepas ke Sydney, Australia selama dua minggu bagi aksi perlawanan antarabangsa bersama tiga kelab elit di sana pada 10 Disember depan.

Mereka juga akan menyertai Liga Singapura (Liga-S) pada Februari tahun depan.



Oleh NAN HIDAYAT NAN AZMIE
hidayat.azmie@kosmo.com.my

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