Former FAM official accuses Malaysian football of being run by hidden rules: FIFA must stop

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is facing serious questions as former officials accuse the body of operating with a 'secret playbook', according to the New Straits Times.

Is the FAM machine run by a secret set of rules?

According to these former officials, these regulations are not made public, allowing FAM's executive board to change the rules without public or regulatory oversight.

FAM's former head of marketing, Sayf Ismail, said that FAM operated under a set of organizational rules that were not made public, which he said allowed the board to change the terms without oversight.

FIFA's investigation has exposed many dark corners of FAM.

PHOTO: REUTERS

“The regulations have just been updated and there are provisions that are not in the public charter. I tried to find a copy, but it is not on the website and no one is willing to share it. Subordinate units will participate in the congress without full knowledge of the regulations. If this Congress wants to have credibility, the regulations must be made public.”

Mr Sayf believes the problem is much bigger than the unpublished documents. He believes that Malaysian football is at its most difficult time and FAM needs to face real responsibility and modern governance standards.

Former official accuses FAM of being run by 'secret strategy book'

“FAM manages Malaysia’s number one sport and receives public money. It should be run as a publicly listed company. That means full financial reporting, disclosure of board members’ salaries, and a transparent breakdown of how taxpayers’ money is spent – ​​where it goes and at what rate,” he said.

To reform FAM, there must be transparency in how it operates.

Mr Sayf called for a comprehensive reform of FAM's constitution, arguing that the current system, controlled by just 20 bodies, left the wider football community out of key decisions. He stressed that elections should be inclusive and roles should be clearly defined.

However, he accused FAM of increasing its control and failing to implement reforms following the recent document fraud scandal. He also criticized FAM for using PR stunts to deflect scrutiny, and called for the secretive regulations to be made public or scrapped, as they cannot exist as a rulebook for running an organization in the public interest.

“The ones who suffer are not the officials but the thousands of young players whose dreams depend on a system that does not work for them,” he lamented.

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Meanwhile, Malaysian Chinese Football Association (MCFA) President Datuk Jeffrey Low also expressed similar concerns.

The Timesport reported that Mr Jeffrey was furious to discover a nomination form had been submitted in his name without his consent.

He called it a "backdoor deal" and withdrew the form, warning that the units would not be easily manipulated.

As the FAM congress and its 100th anniversary approaches, the central question remains: Will Malaysian football continue to be governed by hidden rules?

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cuu-quan-chuc-fam-to-bong-da-malaysia-bi-van-hanh-boi-cac-quy-tac-ngam-fifa-phai-ngan-chan-18525112416161029.htm