AFC Proposes Harimau Malaya Management Be Returned To FAM

PETALING JAYA, June 4 (Bernama) -- The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has proposed that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) take back the management of the Harimau Malaya as part of the reform recommendations contained in an audit of the national football governing body.

AFC secretary-general Datuk Seri Windsor Paul John said the proposal was included in the recommendations submitted to FAM through a governance audit presented at the FAM Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) here today.

He said the proposal is aimed at ensuring the management of the national team falls under a clear administrative structure through FAM’s National Team Committee.

“Return it to FAM. The National Team Committee should be manage it, meaning FAM must be responsible for managing it, just as it did before,” he told reporters at the FAM EGM.

Previously, the national team management underwent a restructuring process that saw the involvement of professional management, with Rob Friend appointed as Harimau Malaya chief executive officer (CEO) to help strengthen the operations and development of the national squad.

Earlier, the AFC presented an audit report on FAM administration, which also formed the basis for the proposed amendments to the association’s statutes to strengthen governance within the country’s football governing body.

The amendments to the statutes proposed by the AFC were then unanimously approved by the FAM affiliates.

Among the key proposals are the abolition of the deputy president’s post, the reduction of vice-presidential seats to three and the restructuring of the FAM Executive Committee (Exco).

The audit report also found that most of FAM's operational areas were assessed at Level 2 (Pre-Intermediate), thus indicating that there is stil room for improvement across various aspects of administration and organisational magnagement.

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

-- BERNAMA