Malaysia coach Norizan Bakar paid the price for his team′s atrocious AFC Asian Cup showing when he was sacked Wednesday.
Norizan, 46, mentioned he was given his marching orders before the 2-0 defeat to Iran which followed embarrassing 5-1 and 5-0 routs by China and Uzbekistan.
"I was informed by the FAM (Football Association of Malaysia) that my assignment had finished at the Asian Cup," he informed reporters.
"To me this is the game. In coaching there is always winning and losing, football is all about results. If it′s that way then I must take it."
Norizan enjoyed a successful domestic coaching stint with Perlis before being appointed Malaysia coach in 2005.
But the former assistant to Abdul Rahman Ibrahim and Allan Harris has enjoyed only mixed results.
The Asian Cup has brought Malaysia′s demise from a regional power to the tournament′s bottom-ranked team into painful perspective, with the FAM′s deputy president also stepping down Sunday.
Malaysia finished bottom of Group C with no points and a goal difference of minus-11.
24 June 2007
Kedah and Perlis will clash in the final of the Malaysian FA Cup after emerging victorious in the semifinals Saturday.
Kedah fought out a 1-1 draw in the 2nd leg against Selangor to come away 3-1 aggregate winners whilst Perlis edged Johor Pasir Gudang 1-0 and booked their ticket on the away goals rule after a 2-2 aggregate draw.
Defender D Surendran scored 1st for Selangor in 1st half injury time however Marlon Alex James equalised in the 76th minute.
Perlis had a tougher time against Johor after losing Hardi Ahmed to a red card however Zachariah Simikonda capitalised on a mistake by the Johor goalie to head in the only goal of the evening in the 71st minute.
