MESF To Bank On Local Coaches To Fine-Tune Men’s MLBB Team

By Muhammad Zulkarnain Mohd Azman

KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 (Bernama) –The national men’s Mobile Legends Bang-Bang (MLBB) squad will rely on an all-local expertise as they gear up for this year’s tournaments, including the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September.

Malaysia Esports Federation (MESF) president Muhammad Naim Al-Amin Saharuddin said the decision was a step towards recognising the expertise of local talent, which is seen as equal to that of foreign coaches.

“Previously, we relied on foreign coaches, although we made sure the assistant was a local. There is a possibility that we may promote the assistant coach to become the head coach.

“That is the transition we wanted previously, and we also want to maintain the momentum the team has built up,” he told Bernama.

Earlier, the media reported that the Philippines had secured the services of former Malaysian MLBB head coach Michael Bocadio (Arcadia) for the 2026 Asian Games, along with Paul Miranda (Yeb) and Francis Glindro.

For the record, the national men’s MLBB team had an excellent season last year, emerging as champions of the IESF World Esports Championship 2025 and winning silver in the SEA Games Thailand.

The women’s team were just as successful, winning gold at the biennial Games in Thailand.

-- BERNAMA