The Executive Committee of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is expected to tender a collective resignation as early as next week, in what has been described as a strategic withdrawal aimed at safeguarding the future of Malaysian football.
Sources close to the national governing body revealed that the move is a calculated effort to avoid a full takeover by a FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee, a scenario that would strip FAM of its administrative autonomy.
By stepping down voluntarily, the current leadership is believed to be initiating an internal “reset”, paving the way for the formation of an interim committee tasked with organising an Extraordinary Congress and fresh elections.
“The objective is to demonstrate to FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) that FAM is still capable of correcting its own course,” a source said.
“If the exco remains in place and a suspension is imposed, FAM would lose complete control. By resigning now, they are effectively pressing the reset button on their own terms.”
The decision reportedly followed a meeting held two weeks ago, where all 13 Executive Committee members assessed the growing risk of international isolation should decisive action not be taken.
Although there was initial resistance from certain quarters, consensus eventually shifted towards a collective sacrifice to protect the long-term interests of the domestic leagues and the national teams.
A press conference is expected on 28 January to formally announce the leadership transition.
Previously, the AFC was reported to have advised that the FAM Executive Committee step aside to prevent a suspension—an outcome that would see Malaysian football temporarily governed by FIFA and the AFC.
In November, FIFA’s Appeals Committee rejected FAM’s appeal, along with appeals from seven naturalised players—Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel—who were found guilty of breaching Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code relating to document falsification and fraud.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee had earlier ordered FAM to pay a CHF350,000 fine (approximately RM1.8 million), while each player was fined CHF2,000 (around RM10,600) and handed a 12-month suspension from all football-related activities.
FIFA also annulled Malaysia’s results in three international friendly matches last year, awarding 3-0 victories to Cape Verde, Singapore and Palestine, and imposed an additional CHF10,000 fine (about RM51,414) on FAM.
Pressure on Harimau Malaya is expected to intensify, with the AFC potentially considering points deductions in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, as FAM awaits the outcome of its appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding FIFA’s sanctions on the association and the seven heritage players.
Malaysia was also found to have fielded ineligible players in their 2-0 win over Nepal on 25 March and 4-0 victory against Vietnam on 10 June, further complicating an already critical period for Malaysian football governance.
Source : Berita Harian
Credit Photo : FAM
