PETALING JAYA: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have issued a warning to Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) delegates ahead of today’s extraordinary congress by urging them to embrace reforms.
Failure to do so, can land the FAM into a FIFA-imposed normalisation committee that would enforce the new steps.
AFC secretary-general Datuk Seri Windsor Paul made it clear that while the congress had the democratic right to vote for the proposals, doing so carries serious consequences and comes with an obligation to explain why.
“If they want to reject it, they have the power to do so. We will then have to go back to FIFA and AFC to determine the next step. The next step could be a normalisation committee, where they would re-look at the reforms,” Windsor said.
“This has been a long exercise by FIFA and AFC to bring the statute to a level that has been approved and is ready for presentation.
“If the congress reject it, they must explain why. They cannot simply say ‘I disagree.’ They must stand up, justify their position and present a better alternative. That is how democracy works.”
Windsor acknowledged that delegates retain the right to push back on specific provisions, the proposed age limit, for instance, but drew a firm line on one issue: the inclusion of clubs in FAM’s governance structure.
“Clubs playing at the highest level in this country must have a voice in governance.
“That is non-negotiable. The AFC will not compromise on it. FIFA will not compromise on it. Go to any country in the world, clubs have a voice in congress. Every single one,” he said.
Beyond the statute reforms, Windsor also previewed findings from a wide-ranging quality audit of FAM’s administration and management, covering human resources, legal affairs, staffing, finance and day-to-day operations.
He was careful, however, not to characterise FAM’s administration as entirely deficient.
“I would not say everything was wrong. There are some strong areas. But there are many things that can be changed,” he said.
With FAM currently operating without a president, deputy president or executive committee, Windsor also addressed the question of who will chair the congress.
“Congress is the highest body in any association. In a situation where there is no president, no deputy and no exco, the congress can nominate someone. It could be a delegate, it could be AFC, it could be FIFA, it could be anyone. But that power lies with the delegates,” he said.
Windsor appealed to the delegates to follow the footsteps of regional peers who have already embraced similar reforms.
“Jordan and Uzbekistan have done it. There were big changes and they knew it was necessary to drive football to the next level.”
