New president vows to get troubled FAM back on the right path

Malaysian Football Association (FAM) president Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan pledged on Thursday to tackle the organization's difficulties after being elected at the FAM Extraordinary Congress. The selection of Ghani ended a five-month gap in FAM's leadership, during which the body ran without an executive committee and solely under the guidance of secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman.

During his inaugural press conference as FAM chief, Ghani revealed his intention to resign as Malaysian Football League (MFL) president, as he argued he cannot effectively manage both roles. Ghani stressed that the organization must tackle its existing issues, which he vowed to focus on during his tenure. He further stated that the successor for MFL president has already been selected, although he did not elaborate on the rumors linking Melaka FA president Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ahmad.

Ghani outlined a 100-day plan to address FAM's governance issues and compliance issues highlighted in recent FIFA and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) audits. He emphasized the importance of overcoming the "crisis of confidence" in FAM to regain the trust of its affiliates, football enthusiasts, and the Malaysian public. When questioned about procedural objections raised during the congress over technical eligibility within the Electoral Committee, Ghani stated that all voting delegates had agreed to continue with the election.