KUALA LUMPUR – With Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigations into the Kuala Lumpur Football Association (KLFA) done and dusted, the association is set for its 35th elections on October 12.
The elections, initially scheduled for September 7, were postponed due to MACC’s investigation into alleged misappropriation of funds and other issues involving the association.
It was also reported that there were accusations of vote-buying among the election candidates, prompting MACC officials to confiscate the nomination box for investigation.
However, going through MACC investigations is nothing new for KLFA. There were also reports in 2022 when MACC raided both KLFA and Kuala Lumpur City FC as part of an investigation into allegations of criminal breach of trust involving KL City sponsorship money and the KLFA Academy land in Desa Melawati.
KLFA official Raja Munawir Baharuddin said the MACC has given the green light for the elections to proceed this year, confirming that the association is free of charges from all previous accusations.
“Everything is clear for now, and the MACC has completed all its investigations. Of course, the issues in the past have impacted our association, but we can assure you that incidents like these will not happen again.
“The list of candidates looks promising this year, and we have not rejected anyone who applied to contest in this year’s elections.
“We hope the elections will proceed smoothly without any issues,” said Raja during the unveiling of the candidates’ list at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras today.
Former Kapar member of parliament Datuk Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid is set to face businessman Syed Yazid Syed Omar for the KLFA presidency.
Nominations for KLFA posts closed yesterday, and each position will be contested in the October 12 polls.
Previously, Communication Minister Fahmi Fadzil and Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad planned to contest the KLFA presidency.
Both ministers, who are KL members of parliament, later withdrew from the contest after the Cabinet barred ministers from contesting positions in sports associations.
Meanwhile, the contest for the deputy president’s post will see a four-way battle between two candidates linked to Syed Yazid and another two aligned with Abdullah Sani.
Candidates for the deputy president’s post are corporate figure Datuk Seri Wong Yeon Chai, local football personality Datuk Kamarudin Hassan, film director and producer Datuk Afdlin Shauki, and Datuk Azril Mat Drus, who is also involved in the local football scene.
Contenders for the vice-president’s post include Datuk Ramlan Askolani, Datuk Sham Shamrat, Mohd Iqmal Haqimie, and Nor Asyikin Jaafar, who are reportedly aligned with Syed Yazid’s camp.
Those linked to Abdullah Sani include Senator Datuk Hishamuddin Yahya, Ibrahim Sani Asnan Mohamad, Mohd Hamidi Abu Bakar, and Azli Yusof.
According to sources, Syed Yazid, previously a KLFA vice-president, has received support from 15 out of 27 members of the association for the upcoming elections.
However, Abdullah Sani, who is the current acting president of KLFA, has received backing from 12 out of 27 members.
The elections will take place at the Vivatell Hotel on Jalan Loke Yew, Kuala Lumpur. – September 27, 2024
