PETALING JAYA: The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) are plagued by deep-rooted governance failures spanning almost every department, according to an audit report presented by the joint Asian Football Confederation (AFC)-FIFA review team.
AFC deputy secretary-general Vahid Kardany, who led the audit, outlined a troubling list of systemic problems that paint a picture of an association that operates more on informal power than proper institutional processes.
"Governance structures exist on paper but are never formally approved or enforced by the executive committee," said Kardany.
"Authority is informally concentrated at the top, bypassing formal mandates and reporting lines."
The audit found that critical functions across FAM are built around individuals rather than institutions, creating severe key-person risk throughout the organisation.
No department produces annual business plans, activity calendars, or performance reports, while drafted policies remain unapproved, rendering them unenforceable and legally vulnerable.
Perhaps most alarming is the complete absence of key performance indicators (KPIs) or any performance measurement framework in any department.
Staff have also been assigned expanded roles without their consent, salary adjustments, or capacity reviews.
"Institutional knowledge is concentrated in just two to three individuals across most departments, with no succession planning in place," Kardany noted.
"A fear-based culture suppresses staff from escalating concerns before they become critical."
Based on the capability maturity assessment, FAM was rated a pre-intermediate (Level Two) organisation – a sobering verdict that underscores how far the association must travel before meeting modern football governance standards.
The audit was conducted in collaboration between the AFC and FIFA, with more than 20 specialists examining FAM’s internal systems and processes across areas including legal affairs, governance structures, human resources and statutes.
