{
  "id": 8174267,
  "title": "Ghani leaves door open on Cheng Hoe future",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/ghani-leaves-door-open-on-cheng-hoe-future",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-18T04:51:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/sports/football/2026/09/1535362/ghani-leaves-door-open-cheng-hoe-future"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan, newly elected FA of Malaysia (FAM) president, is keeping his options open regarding Tan Cheng Hoe's future as national interim head coach. Cheng Hoe's performance in the upcoming FIFA Asean Cup will be evaluated before any decision is made. At the FAM's second extraordinary congress in Petaling Jaya, Ghani stated that Cheng Hoe would lead Harimau Malaya in the regional tournament, while acknowledging that FAM could bring in a new coach if needed. Ghani emphasized that if Cheng Hoe delivers an exceptional performance, FAM would assess the situation further. He also refrained from setting a firm target for the tournament, urging people to evaluate the team's progress. Ghani expressed that the primary goal for Malaysia is to regain its standing among Southeast Asian football powerhouses, with the aspiration to dominate within the Asean region. This ambition, however, requires collective effort from the team, fans, and the broader community.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR: Newly elected FA of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan is keeping his options open over Tan Cheng Hoe's future as national interim head coach.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}