KELANA JAYA: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) are aiming to complete a quality audit assessment of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) before the 2026 World Cup.
AFC secretary-general Datuk Seri Windsor Paul (pic) said the continental body, together with FIFA, have been auditing the national association since February, with more than 20 experts reviewing FAM’s processes with an emphasis on proper governance and statutes.
The assessment, led by AFC deputy secretary-general Vahid Kardany, has so far examined several key areas, including legal matters, branding, statutes, governance, human resources and membership expansion.
"After 100 years of moving forward, you eventually need a full diagnostic check. Even if the car has been starting every morning, you must eventually check the engine," Windsor told a press conference at FAM headquarters here on Monday (March 16).
"The old ways of working were enough to get through the past, but the benchmarks for modern governance are now much higher.
"We are focused on getting the house in order before looking at offshoots such as the Malaysian Football League, FAM competitions, the Amateur Football League and the management of the national team.
"We aim to finalise the report and call for an extraordinary congress to adopt the new statutes before the World Cup.
"We hope the elective congress can take place after the World Cup, likely in August or September. We do not want to delay this process any longer than necessary."
FAM currently do not have any executive committee (exco) members after all of them resigned en masse on Jan 28 following a major restructuring move aimed at allowing reforms to the association’s governance structure.
