KUALA LUMPUR – Former Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) centre-back Aidil Zafuan Abdul Radzak pledged to use his coaching offer from the club as a stepping stone towards eventually becoming a head coach for a Malaysia Super League club some point down the road.
The 36-year-old, a revered figure in the local football scene, hoped to absorb invaluable knowledge from his time at JDT with the ultimate goal of contributing his expertise back to the game he loves.
“This is going to be a tricky start for me as this offer was unexpected. I have no coaching experience, but I would like to thank the Johor Crown Prince, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim (TMJ), for giving me this wonderful opportunity.
“Through this offer, I can see the trust that TMJ has in me, and I’m ready to help the young footballers in the club evolve with my 20 years of playing experience.
“This is indeed going to be a stepping stone for me to one day get a chance to be a head coach and manage a Malaysia Super League club in the future.
“I will make an official announcement about my role as a coach on my social platforms very soon. For now, my main goal is to learn from the best coaches at JDT, as it’s the biggest team in Malaysia with some of the top coaching staff in the country,” he told Scoop when contacted.
Aidil will be joining Hector Bidoglio’s coaching staff. The Argentine has made a comeback as the Southern Tigers’ head coach, after a brief stint as JDT head coach from July to November 2022, before becoming their technical director.
Aidil also expressed his delight in witnessing several former national footballers getting into coaching to nurture local talents.
“I’m happy to be a part of the new era where people like myself, Shukor Adnan (Malaysia U-23 assistant coach), and Hairuddin Omar (Terengganu FC II head coach) are involved in coaching.
“We know the pulse of the local players, and I want to follow my former teammates’ footsteps in nurturing young local football players.
“There are so many talented footballers out there, and it’s our job as former national footballers to guide them based on our experience,” Aidil added.
Meanwhile, Datuk K. Rajagopal, who coached Aidil in Malaysia’s gold medal win in the 2009 Laos SEA Games, said that he was proud to witness his growth and wished him the best in his coaching career.
“I’m happy to see Aidil’s growth, and he has always been a well-disciplined player with a passion to learn a lot in the game.
“He has immense knowledge of the game and has learned a lot by playing in a top club like JDT, where the entire club is run professionally.
“This is going to be a great opportunity for him, and I would love to see more national players venturing into the world of football.
“With experienced players like Aidil coming into the coaching scene, young players will definitely look up to him and will have the urge to emulate and learn a lot from him.
“I wish him all the best in his coaching career, and I am always available to advise him if he needs any guidance,” added Rajagopal.
Aidil joined JDT from Angkatan Tentera Malaysia in 2013 and went on to win 10 Super League titles (2014 to 2023), three Malaysia FA Cup titles (2016, 2022, and 2023), three Malaysia Cup titles (2017, 2019, and 2022), and the AFC Cup in 2015.
He also represented the national team from 2007 to 2022 and made a total of 98 appearances. – December 29, 2023
 centre-back Aidil Zafuan Abdul Radzak pledged to use his coaching offer from the club as a stepping stone towards eventually becoming a head coach for a Malaysia Super League club some point down the road.){kind=link}