Kuala lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has proposed that the management of the Harimau Malaya be returned to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) as part of reform recommendations outlined in a recent audit of the national football governing body. The proposal was presented at FAM's Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held today.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, AFC secretary-general Datuk Seri Windsor Paul John stated that the proposal is aimed at ensuring a clear administrative structure under FAM's National Team Committee. The recommendation suggests that FAM should resume responsibility for managing the national team, as it had done in the past.

In the past, the management of the national team had undergone restructuring with professional management involvement. Rob Friend was appointed as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Harimau Malaya to strengthen the operations and development of the squad.

During the EGM, the AFC presented an audit report on FAM's administration, forming the basis for proposed amendments to the association's statutes to improve governance. These amendments were unanimously approved by FAM affiliates.

Key proposals from the audit include the abolition of the deputy president's post, reducing vice-presidential seats to three, and restructuring the FAM Executive Committee (Exco). The audit report assessed FAM's operational areas at Level 2 (Pre-Intermediate), indicating room for improvement in administration and organizational management.

The assessment reviewed 11 key areas: governance and legal affairs, administration, finance, human resources, infrastructure, communications, marketing, commercial development, advocacy, competitions, and performance development.