National coach Rajagobal chats with English Premier League’s club Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger during a friendly match at Bukit Jalil Stadium in this July 24, 2012 file photo. — AFP photo
KUALA LUMPUR: New Brunei national coach Datuk K. Rajagobal is known for setting the bar very high for himself – and his teams.
So, it’s no surprise that the 64-year-old former Harimau Malaya coach’s short-term target for his new team is to help them qualify for the group stages of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championship for the first time since 1996.
“My main mission is to win the play-off match and qualify for the group stage… that is my first task and my short-term target as the coach of Brunei, Rajagobal told Bernama.
“Of course it’s a challenge to go to a new team and try to get a positive result after just a month or two.
“But, if we can achieve that in a short period, it would be a good sign (that we are on the right track),” he added.
The 2021 AFF Championship is scheduled to be held from April 11 to May 8.
The play-off between Brunei and another yet-to-be-named team will be held before the draw for the biennial tournament, which has yet to be fixed.
Rajagobal is certainly capable of delivering on his promise.
He is, after all, the person responsible for guiding Malaysia to their maiden AFF Championship title in 2010 and helping the national Under-23 squad end the country’s SEA Games gold medal drought by triumphing in the 2009 Laos edition.
Meanwhile, Rajagobal admitted that it had always been his dream to be the head coach of the Brunei national team.
“I’ve always wanted to coach Brunei ever since I went there as a player with Selangor and again as the Malaysian coach… but I never thought it would come true,” said Rajagobal, who also confirmed having signed a two-year contract with Brunei effective January 2021.
This will be his first appearance on the international stage seven years after coaching the Harimau Malaya squad from 2009 until 2013.
He also has 30 years of experience at the club level, having coached PKNS FC, Selangor, Kelantan and Sarawak before returning to guide PKNS FC from 2017-2019.
For someone who has achieved so much in his coaching career, ‘King Gobal’, as he is fondly called, is set to enhance his reputation should he walk the talk, again. — Bernama
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