Former Brisbane Roar boss Mike Mulvey has taken over as head coach of Sabah FA, less than a month after accepting a technical director role at the Malaysian Premier League club.
Mulvey has replaced local coach Justin Ganai who will now oversee Sabah's President's Cup side.
Sources tell ESPN FC that Mulvey has been unofficially coaching Sabah in their most recent matches which saw a 4-1 victory over Kuala Lumpur SPA on March 6 and a 2-0 win against Kuantan FA on March 13.
Sabah are in first place on the table in the 12-team second tier of Malaysian football after four wins in their opening five matches. The top two clubs at season's end will be automatically promoted to the Malaysia Super League (MSL).
The East Malaysian club last featured in the top flight of Malaysian football in 2011 under another Australian, Gary Phillips, who secured promotion in the 2010 season.
52-year-old Mulvey won the 2014 A-League title with Brisbane Roar last May but was sacked in November after the Queensland club made a slow start to this season.
Another former A-League head coach -- ex-Melbourne Victory mentor Mehmet Durakovic -- is now in charge of Selangor FA in the MSL. Ex-Perth Glory bosses Ron Smith and David Mitchell have also coached in Malaysia in recent seasons.