FAM poised to elect new president amid calls for governance reform
KUALA LUMPUR: The FA of Malaysia (FAM) will have a new president on Thursday, but the bigger question is whether the change at the top will bring a change in how Malaysian football is governed.
The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) will inaugurate a new president on Thursday, but the real issue lies in whether this change will bring about reform in the governance of Malaysian football. Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan, the Malaysian Football League (MFL) president, is favored to win the extraordinary elective congress against Selangor FA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Shahril Mokhtar.
Ghani has experience leading the country's professional league, while Shahril opted for the underdog role. The elected leader will confront a FAM grappling with governance, financial concerns, and a loss of public confidence after a turbulent period. Football analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli stressed the importance of affiliates making an independent decision during the voting process, warning of the potential for outside influences to hinder genuine reform.
The affiliates must recognize the critical juncture FAM finds itself in and vote for a future that is independent, devoid of external dependencies. The mass resignation of the FAM executive committee on January 28, prompted by FIFA sanctions and document falsification involving seven heritage players, led to a restructuring of the executive committee.
The new system involves the election of the president, two vice-presidents, and seven executive committee members. Pekan highlighted the financial challenges FAM is facing, warning that dependence on external aid could lead to further entanglement and harm the sport's popularity, attendance, and sponsorship. The ultimate test for the new leadership will be their ability to turn promises of a fresh start into tangible improvements that restore confidence in FAM and Malaysian football.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
