Johor bahru: The Regent of Johor Tunku Mahkota Ismail has made it clear that he is not interested in returning to helm the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), despite having previously served as its president. Tunku Mahkota Ismail, who was FAM president from 2017 to 2018, said the position requires a full-time commitment, which he cannot provide due to his many official responsibilities.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Tunku Mahkota Ismail expressed that his previous experience as president highlighted the necessity for a leader who can dedicate themselves entirely to the role. “I was there before, I feel in terms of my time, I cannot be 24 hours, 24/7 because of all my other official duties. Therefore, we trust that other individuals are qualified and they can run the football association better because a president needs to be full-time,” he told a press conference.
He also commended former FAM president Tan Sri Hamidin Mohd Amin, who is now its honorary president, for his dedication and service to Malaysian football. Tunku Mahkota Ismail praised Dato Hamidin’s commitment, stating, “I think Dato Hamidin, at that point when he was the president, did a very good job because he was 24/7, whether it was with the youth team or the senior team. And I have a lot of other responsibilities, so obviously I cannot be there, plus I am not even interested to be there.”
Tunku Mahkota Ismail further clarified that his attendance at the press conference was not in an official capacity but as part of his commitment to Malaysian football. He has been instrumental in securing additional government funding for the national team, including players’ allowances, coaches, and staff. When questioned about a potential conflict of interest due to his ownership of Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), he firmly denied such claims, emphasizing his role as one of goodwill and contribution to the national football ecosystem.
Of the 27 players proposed by agents for the heritage player initiative, only seven were approved by the National Registration Department (JPN). Despite this, Tunku Mahkota Ismail pledged to continue exploring such potential while prioritizing the nurturing of local talent. “Of course, in the future, we will still look into this because we do have good local talents here, but if we do have other players who are playing in better leagues or for a better level, and if they want to represent their country, I feel that is only natural in the best interest of the performance of the national team,” he said.
Recently, FAM and seven heritage players, including Gabriel Felipe Arrocha and Facundo Garces, were sanctioned by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for violating Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code regarding document forgery. FIFA revealed that FAM submitted falsified documents to confirm the eligibility of the players for the 2027 Asia Cup Qualifiers against Vietnam on June 10. Consequently, FAM was fined CHF 350,000 (approximately RM1.8 million), and each player was fined CHF 2,000 (around RM10,560) and suspended for 12 months from all football-related activities.
FAM acknowledged a technical error in document submission by an administrative officer and is considering taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) if the appeal at the FIFA level does not yield favorable results.