KUALA LUMPUR: The law does not allow me to simply terminate Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) officials, says Hannah Yeoh.
The Youth and Sports Minister’s remarks came in response to calls by lawmakers and the public for the ministry to take action against FAM following the ongoing controversy related to the naturalisation of seven players and an investigation by FIFA.
She emphasised that she is legally barred from altering FAM’s internal structure by FIFA’s third-party non-interference principle, which strictly prohibits government interference in national football bodies.
“There are many people calling for the Sports Minister to sack all FAM committee members. I cannot. If I do that, it will trigger FIFA Statute Article 15C, which may lead to suspension (of the entire association) by FIFA.
“I understand the public anger, but I have to abide by the current process and the findings made by FIFA so far involving the seven players,” she told the Dewan Rakyat.
Yeoh also cited several international cases where government intervention resulted in national football bodies being suspended.
“In 2015, Indonesia was suspended for a year after its Youth and Sports Ministry froze its football association. The Zimbabwe football association, which was dissolved by its government in 2022, led to a FIFA suspension after officials were accused of misusing public funds.
“Meanwhile, Chad was removed from the Africa Cup of Nations after its government set up a special task force to take over its football administration. Benin and Brunei were also suspended due to government interference.
“These are examples of what happens when governments interfere. My concern is that while this controversy involves only the senior national team, we also have six other national squads who are not at fault and are still training for their tournaments,” she explained.
Yeoh said FAM’s case is now being scrutinised by a probe led by former Chief Justice Tun Md Raus Sharif.
“I am waiting for the findings of Tun Raus’ investigation so that we do not duplicate efforts.
“The Sports Commissioner does have powers under the Sports Development Act to take remedial action, including initiating audits or investigations, but we must avoid overlapping processes,” she added.
While Yeoh said she must balance the ministry's actions, she assured that it is committed to restoring Malaysia’s credibility on the international football stage.
“I know everyone is upset because this affects the country’s image. I give my assurance that I will scrutinise Tun Raus’ report carefully.
“I will also look into whether the report can be tabled in Parliament since many MPs want transparency,” she added.
