Malaysian football is undergoing a period of turmoil when the entire Executive Committee of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) simultaneously resigned on January 28, opening new elections and leading to the race for the chairman position becoming noteworthy.
The collective withdrawal of the executive board is seen as a milestone showing the instability in the country's football management apparatus. In that context, some influential figures have spoken out to express their views on the orientation of reforming the FAM.
One of the early candidates to announce their candidacy is Mr. Shahriman Zaharudin - Chairman of the Malaysian Paralympic Council. He believes that the FAM needs to be comprehensively reformed to restore trust from fans, players and partners. According to Mr. Shahriman's point of view, affiliated members must clearly recognize their responsibility for their votes, and consider cooperating with strategic partners with sufficient capacity to create substantive change.
In the opposite direction, former FAM Vice President Redzuan Sheikh Ahmad proposed a plan to bring the royal family back to the highest leadership position. He expressed his desire for Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah - Tiểu vương Pahang, who used to hold the leadership role of the FAM, to return to management to help Malaysian football overcome the difficult period. However, this possibility depends on the decision of Sultan Abdullah personally.
Along with changes at the management level, Malaysian clubs are also cautious in the issue of using naturalized players. The case of defender Gabriel Palmero at Kuching City FC is a typical example. This player was suspended by FIFA for 12 months for being involved in the case of forging papers with some other players, before being suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The coaching staff of Kuching City FC said that they will not rush to use Palmero because this player has not played for a long time and needs more time to integrate tactics. This caution reflects the general psychology of Malaysian clubs, in the context that legal issues related to naturalized players have created significant pressure on Malaysian football.
