KUALA LUMPUR – Local sports analyst Mohd Sadek Mustafa sees the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) as a beacon for national sports associations (NSAs), hoping they emulate FAM’s successful utilisation of grants for development programmes.
His sentiment follows Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s recent announcement of an extra RM5 million boost for FAM, a decision influenced by Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh’s recommendation.
The substantial funding injection comes on the heels of the 130th-ranked national football squad’s commendable performance, securing a 3-3 draw against the 23rd-ranked South Korea in their final Group E match of the Asian Cup.
Despite finishing the tournament with one point and facing setbacks with a 4-0 loss to Jordan and a 1-0 defeat to Bahrain, the draw against the Asian powerhouse marked a notable achievement for Harimau Malaya.
Speaking to Scoop, Sadek commended the footballing body’s developmental efforts, emphasising their role-model status for other NSAs.
He said that FAM must continue elevating the standards of Malaysian football, and he would not be surprised if the footballing body receives further allocations in the years to come.
“There is no doubt about how well FAM has been running its development programmes over the years and how they have reshaped the image of the national football team from being a punching bag in major competitions into a competitive side.
“Being the association with the highest allocation from the government in the past two years, they have to continue being a role model for all other NSAs by utilising funds to develop their grassroots programmes.
“FAM has a skilled team of individuals who are experts in executing their development programmes.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the government continues to provide them with more grants in the years to come, given the progress in their performances and world rankings since their last allocation,” said the senior sports science lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Mara.
Under the leadership of FAM president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin, Malaysia’s FIFA ranking has surged from 178 to 130 in the world since 2018.
FAM has also revolutionised the national football landscape with its F:30 roadmap programme, which focuses on game growth, organisational strength, and brand expansion.
However, the National Football Development Programme, while it is responsible for developing the country’s youth players, does not fall under the purview of FAM.
In January 2022, then-prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob allocated RM10 million for national football development.
After their group stage exit in the AFC Asian Cup campaign in Qatar, head coach Kim Pan-gon’s Harimau Malaya is scheduled to face Oman home and away in March, before confronting Kyrgyzstan and Taiwan in June, with both home-and-away fixtures shaping their journey in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. – February 1, 2024
