Norizan Bakar (born January 1961), or Cikgu Jan as he is fondly known by his players was appointed the coach of the Malaysian National Football Team or Pasukan Kebangsaan (as we like to call it here) just before the 2005 SEA Games, replacing the Hungarian coach, Bertalan Bicskei. During that time Norizan was coaching Penang, who scrapped through the 2005 season barely escaping relegation (only surviving through goal differences).
However, it was his time with Perlis the season before that caught the eye of FAM. Norizan led the Northern Lions or Singa Utara to the FA Cup Final in 2003 before winning the Malaysia Cup in 2004 in a northern states derby, defeating Kedah in the final. It was the first time that Perlis has lifted the Cup. Prior to that, Norizan served as assistant to both national coaches Abdul Rahman Ibrahim and Allan Harris from 1999 to 2003.
With only two months given to prepare the team for the 2005 SEA Games in Phillipines, Norizon managed to guide the team to bronze medal finish. FAM decided to stick on with Norizan and stopped searching for foreign coaches.
The Pasukan Kebangsaan then had a poor Merdeka Invitational Tournament but FAM's faith in him was restored when he came close to end Malaysia's 11 years wait to win the ASEAN Football Championship (formerly the Tiger Cup), only losing to eventual champions Singapore in the semis in penalties.
The former Perlis player is known to be a serious and committed coach and values team camaraderie and discipline. According to news report I've read, his initial appointment was under a two year contract which means it might expire after the Asian Cup.
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