FAM must build a team of leaders, not a fan club

AS the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) stumble into yet another leadership transition, the silence is deafening.

With Datuk Mohd Joehari Mohd Ayub stepping down after a brief six-month presidency, the search for a successor has yielded little more than speculative whispers and recycled names.

Vice-president Datuk Seri Rosmadi Ismail, quoted by a Malay daily recently, said there was no individual qualified to succeed the president - a remark that suggests that the FAM leadership had spent too long guarding the throne instead of grooming the bench.

And at the heart of it lies the long shadow of Tan Sri Hamidin Mohd Amin, who served as FAM’s general secretary from 2013 to 2018 before ascending to the presidency for a seven- year reign.

His tenure, now enshrined with the honorary title of “President Emeritus”, is often praised for international diplomacy and administrative polish. But beneath the ceremonial garlands lies a troubling truth: Hamidin left behind no bench strength, no heir apparent.

For all his networking prowess with FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Asean Football Federation (AFF) and the corridors of Putrajaya, Hamidin’s leadership model may be seen as top-heavy and personality-driven.

The current vacuum is telling. Names like Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, former Minister of Youth and Sports, Khairy Jamaluddin, and Safee Sali, the 2010 AFF Cup golden boot winner, have been floated, but they are symptomatic of a deeper malaise: the absence of internal grooming.

In any mature sporting body, the second echelon is where continuity lives. It is where ideas are debated, policies refined, and future leaders shaped.

The late Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah had leaders of men for company. His son, Al-Sultan Abdullah, and Tengku Tan Sri Ahmad Rithaudeen Tengku Ismail were the Sultan’s two deputies, while the likes of Tan Sri Elyas Omar, Tan Sri Muhammad Ali Hashim, Tan Sri Dr Ibrahim Saad, Datuk Taha Ariffin and Datuk Suleiman Mohd Noor, to name a few, provided solid support as vice-presidents. They were leaders in their own right.

But in recent times at FAM, that layer has been hollowed out, reduced to ceremonial roles or passive spectators, or a mere rubber stamp for presidential fiat.

True, Hamidin brought Malaysia back to the AFC Asian Cup with the appointment of Kim Pan-gon. Yes, he secured partnerships and international visibility.

But leadership is not just about what you achieve – it is about what you leave behind. And what he left behind is a vacuum.

The irony is stark. FAM, who govern a sport built on teamwork, have failed to practise it at the administrative level. The association have long operated like a one-man show, with the president wielding disproportionate influence. This model is unsustainable. It breeds dependency, stifles innovation, and ensures that every transition feels like a crisis.

And whoever steps into the presidency next will inherit more than just an empty bench – he will face a towering figure in Malaysian football: Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, who presided over FAM slightly longer than Mohd Joehari.

As the owner of Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), Tunku Ismail has reshaped the footballing landscape with world-class infrastructure, a dominant club culture, and a voice that reverberates far beyond the pitch.

The next president must navigate this dynamic carefully. Tunku Ismail is no longer just a club owner – he is a stakeholder in the national narrative. His presence, especially in the national team, is impossible to ignore.

To lead FAM today is to operate in a landscape where power is decentralised, and influence is no longer confined to Wisma FAM.

What Malaysian football needs now is a system and a second echelon that is empowered, not sidelined. The general secretariat, spearheaded by a full-time salaried chief executive, must consist of personnel who has deep knowledge and passion for the game.

The next president, whoever he may be, must prioritise institutional reform over personal branding. He must build a team, not a fan club.

And the media must play its part too. Treat FAM not as a palace, but as a public institution accountable to the footballing community.

Moving forward, the script must be rewritten with courage, clarity, and collective will so that Malaysian football may avoid being trapped in a cycle of personality politics and institutional fragility.

The bench is empty. The throne is surrounded. It is time to rebuild. But who gets to write the script?