PETALING JAYA: Organisational culture has been identified as a key challenge within the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), according to Asian Football Confederation (AFC) deputy secretary-general Vahid Kardany.
AFC's quality audit assessment of FAM found a "culture of conformity", he said, where individuals tend to follow past practices rather than take initiative – an issue he noted is absent in successful football federations.
"If I can say just one word, it is culture. The organisational culture needs to change," he said on Monday (March 16).
Despite this, Kardany praised FAM staff for their openness during the review, describing them as transparent and willing to improve.
ALSO READ: Audit of FAM to be done before World Cup, says AFC sec-gen
"They have been very open and honest with us. They want to see improvement in the organisation," he said.
He added that the audit team are currently reviewing nearly 100 documents across departments including human resources, finance, marketing and legal.
Kardany said the next phase of the assessment will begin after the Hari Raya Aidilfitri holidays, with the focus shifting to national team programmes and competitions, as well as the Malaysian Football League (MFL) and the Amateur Football League (AFL).
