Kuala lumpur: The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) hopes that referees will achieve zero errors in the Malaysian League next season, says FAM deputy president Datuk S. Sivasundaram.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Sivasundaram, who is also chairman of FAM’s Referees Committee, said the hope was based on last season’s impressive 98 percent officiating accuracy rate following the implementation of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system. “We can say zero issue, but we must remember they are human too. Everybody will have some family problem or whatever they bring onto the field… so we hope for the best,” he said.

He was speaking at a press conference after the signing ceremony for the renewal of the sponsorship agreement between FAM and Kronos, as well as the launch of the Malaysian League 2025-2026 referees’ jersey here today. Sivasundaram said FAM welcomed feedback and criticism from various quarters to improve the quality of local football officiating.

“Previously, I mentioned that out of 208 matches last season, we received five complaints, of which only two were confirmed referee errors while the other three were not… nevertheless, I respect all opinions, and wherever we have weaknesses, we must improve,” he said. Previously, Sivasundaram was reported as saying that according to the complete report by Referee Assessors (RA), referee decision accuracy last season rose to 98.07 percent, compared to 88.76 percent in the 2023-2024 season.