Kaliappan Nanthakumar

Nanthakumar Kaliappan (born 13 October 1977) or better known as K. Nanthakumar is a former Malaysian footballer where he played as a defensive midfielder. He was a member of the Malaysian national team from 2002 until 2010. Nanthakumar is currently the head coach of Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League club Manjung City.

Playing career He is renowned for his physical features in appearance wss quoted to have an overshadow which appealed many strikers in the Malaysians League. He had a six foot tall physique figure, Nanthakumar was not only tough in defence but could also score a goal for Perak FA.

He had represented Malaysia since the 2002 Tiger Cup. From then onwards, he has been a regular on the national team. He helped Malaysia to finish third in the 2004 Tiger Cup and even made a semi final appearance during the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship. Furthermore, he was chosen to be on the national team for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, where he played in all of Malaysia's matches. He was also part of the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying squad.

Managerial career Negeri Sembilan

On 15 September 2024, Nanthakumar was appointed as the head coach of Malaysia Super League club Negeri Sembilan. He later on resigned from the position as of 12 June 2025.

Manjung City

On 16 October 2025, Nanthakumar was officially announced as the new head coach of Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League side Manjung City.

Managerial statistics

Honours Player Perak FA Liga Perdana 1: 2002, 2003 Malaysia FA Cup: 2004 Malaysia Cup: 1998, 2000 Piala Sumbangsih: 1999

Selangor FA Malaysia Super League: 2009 Malaysia FA Cup: 2009 Piala Sumbangsih: 2009

MISC-MIFA Malaysia FAM Cup: 2016