ISKANDAR PUTERI: Johor will tighten oversight of sporting competitions following the death of a 12-year-old boy during an unsanctioned football tournament.
State youth, sports, entrepreneur development and cooperatives committee chairman Mohd Hairi Mad Shah said organisers were required to obtain approval from the relevant state and district sports associations before staging events.
"Organisers who fail to obtain sanctions from the relevant governing bodies risk compromising participants’ safety, as competitions might not meet the required medical and organisational standards," he told a press conference here on Monday (July 20).
Hairi had just clocked in at the Johor Sports Council (MSNJ) in Kota Iskandar following his reappointment to the portfolio.
"We cannot allow any sporting competition to be organised without first referring to the highest governing body for that sport at either the national or state level," he added.
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He said preliminary checks found the tournament in question was not sanctioned by either the Johor Baru Football Association (JBFA) or the Johor Football Association (PBNJ).
He urged PBNJ to investigate thoroughly, including calling in the organisers to explain why the competition proceeded without approval.
Expressing his condolences to the victim’s family, Hairi said the incident highlighted the need for stricter enforcement on what he described as a growing number of "illegal leagues" in Johor without the knowledge or approval of the relevant associations.
He said the requirement for organisers to obtain sanctions would be raised at an upcoming meeting and this extended to all sports, not just football.
He also advised parents to verify that competitions were sanctioned by the relevant governing bodies before allowing their children to participate.
For football tournaments, organisers should produce approvals from both JBFA and PBNJ, while competitions in other sports should similarly carry endorsement from their respective state associations.
Meanwhile, police confirmed that there were no suspicious injuries or bruises on the body of the boy, who collapsed during the tournament on Saturday (July 18).
Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Azrul Hisham Mohd Shaffei said the boy was rushed to a private hospital in Bandar Dato’ Onn but was pronounced dead at 11.44am.
"A physical examination found no signs of suspicious injuries or bruising. A post-mortem (was) conducted on the same day... (and) cause of death is pending laboratory investigations.
"This means that further tests are required before a final determination can be made. We are also looking into the victim’s medical history as part of the investigation," he added.
ACP Azrul Hisham said the case, classified as a sudden death report, remains under investigation and its classification could change should the post-mortem findings or new evidence indicate otherwise.
He also urged the public to refrain from speculating or spreading unverified information on social media out of respect for the victim’s family and to avoid disrupting the investigation.
