An election that began with a violation

IN over three decades covering Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) congresses, I have never witnessed proceedings as unprecedented as those before Thursday’s elections.

After the humiliating document falsification scandal and the mass resignation of the executive committee, this election was billed as the dawn of reform, even if the line-up is only meant to complete the term of 2025–2029.

Yet before the ballots were even cast, the process stumbled: the chairman of the electoral committee was not eligible under FAM’s own electoral code, since he is not a practising lawyer.

If reform begins with a breach of the rules, how can we expect the entire process to proceed according to the standards of governance?

The electoral code adopted by the FAM Congress in June 2026 is explicit: “The chairperson and deputy chairperson of the electoral committee shall be qualified to practise law.”

This safeguard exists to ensure impartiality, legal competence, and credibility. By ignoring it, FAM undermined their own statutes at the very first step.

This is not a minor technicality. It is the foundation of electoral integrity.

When the referee of the process is ineligible, the fairness of the entire contest is compromised.

Chairing the congress, Asian Football Confederation (AFC) general secretary Datuk Seri Windsor Paul John did not mince his words.

“We all know that the chairman and deputy chairman do not possess the qualifications as stated in the FAM statutes. This is solely the decision of the congress, and not FIFA or AFC,” he told delegates.

He went further: “You have to make this decision today, bearing in mind that anyone can challenge this decision. Even though the congress unanimously agrees to proceed, anyone can still take this case to the highest level, including an appeal to CAS, because it is a violation of eligibility.”

In short, Windsor confirmed that affiliates were taking a risk. The election could proceed, but its legitimacy could be challenged at any time — even overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

It is unfortunate that electoral committee chairman, Datuk Dr Abdullah Mohd Said, and the members - Datuk Abdul Jalil Abdullah, Salleh Ramli and Fong Wan Hor – all appointed in the FAM Congress in 2020, are not legally qualified, as required by Article 4(5) of the electoral code.

Either they did not realise the code had disqualified them, or they were told to stay on regardless.

If the FAM secretariat headed by Datuk Noor Azman Rahman had the legal knowledge, they would have advised the committee to quit and allow a third party to conduct the elections. Ignorance is no excuse when the code is explicit.

Under the electoral code 2026, the electoral committee is the referee of FAM’s democratic process. Its impartiality and legal competence are non negotiable. Its responsibilities include:

l Managing elections: Overseeing the entire electoral process for the Executive Committee.

l Enforcing statutes: Applying FIFA, AFC and FAM rules, including deadlines and eligibility criteria.

l Handling candidatures: Launching nominations, conducting integrity checks, and publishing the official list of candidates.

l Verifying voters: Confirming delegate identities and representation powers.

l Supervising voting: Managing ballot papers, ballot boxes, polling stations and ensuring secrecy and fairness.

l Certifying results: Declaring official results and ruling on disputed ballots.

By maintaining a chair who was not a practising lawyer, FAM breached this framework, undermining credibility from the outset — exactly the risk Windsor warned about.

This episode reflects the entrenched “Pak Angguk” culture — affiliates nodding along without scrutiny.

Windsor himself described the decision to proceed despite the breach as a “gamble.” Yet affiliates chose ‘tidak apa’ over accountability. Reform requires courage, not compliance.

The breach in the electoral process mirrors FAM’s broader governance failures. Audits revealed that 66% of FAM’s income in 2024 came from FIFA and AFC grants, yet nearly 70% of expenditure went to staff salaries and national team operations.

Only about 30% was directed to football development.

Administrative costs and penalties surged between 2024 and 2025, exposing weak financial discipline.

Without governance reform according to best practices, Malaysia’s football will remain trapped in cycles of scandal and mediocrity.

True reform requires strict adherence to statutes, transparent processes, and leadership willing to be held accountable. Anything less is cosmetic — a bandage over a festering wound.

In wishing the new cabinet headed by Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan the best of luck, we must also acknowledge that FAM have already stumbled at the first step. Reform cannot begin with a violation of the law.

If Malaysian football is to rise again, affiliates must reject the culture of silence and insist on governance that respects the rules.

There must be check and balance within the system.

History will not remember the excuses. It will remember whether affiliates chose courage or compliance.

This article represents the personal opinion of the writer and is not reflective of any organisation, institution, or entity with which he is or has been associated.