Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, the Regent of Johor and owner of Johor Darul Ta’zim FC, has alleged that internal dissatisfaction within the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has led to a coordinated campaign aimed at undermining the Malaysia national team.
In a series of Instagram Stories posts, the Johor royal claimed that certain individuals within Malaysian football circles were unhappy because they were unable to benefit financially from projects related to the national team.
“Some people in FAM have never been satisfied with me because they cannot make money,” he wrote. “There were those who approached me asking for help to secure projects, and even those asking for assistance to avoid investigations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.”
According to Tunku Ismail, dissatisfaction grew after the Malaysian government provided financial support to the national team, as some parties felt excluded from involvement in the initiative.
He alleged that a group consisting of individuals from football supporter communities, media figures, and social media personalities had met quietly to begin a “sabotage campaign” using various narratives to attack the national team project.
The Johor regent also addressed a case involving FIFA, claiming that the issue was not related to player eligibility or citizenship but rather document forgery during the submission process.
“The FIFA case is a forgery case — not about eligibility or nationality,” he said. “It concerns document submission. Who made the wrong submission? The agent and who inside FAM?”
He questioned why legitimate documentation from Malaysia’s National Registration Department was not submitted, suggesting the situation may have been an attempt to protect certain individuals within the system.
Tunku Ismail further argued that the blame had unfairly shifted toward players, claiming that during hearings at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), representatives from FIFA were unable to provide evidence that players were directly involved or had conspired in the alleged wrongdoing.
He also compared the situation to a previous CAS case involving a women’s footballer who admitted to document forgery but received a relatively lighter punishment — a suspension of only 10 national-team matches while still being allowed to play for her club.
“People inside must take responsibility,” he wrote. “Instead, supporters and media are being used to make me the scapegoat.”
In a separate post, Tunku Ismail described an incident during the Malaysia national team’s first training session at Seri Gelam Field in Johor.
He claimed the national team’s media unit had requested to borrow a camera from the media department of Johor Darul Ta’zim, but the equipment was not released.
After investigating the situation, he alleged that the refusal was linked to dissatisfaction among certain individuals within FAM’s media team who were unhappy about not being involved in travel or activities under the national team’s new structure.
The Johor regent also criticised the presence of too many football officials during training sessions, claiming it disrupted players and drew complaints from the national team’s head coach.
According to Tunku Ismail, the coach, Peter Cklamovski, had confided in him during his first week in charge.
“I can feel some of these people don’t want us here,” the coach reportedly said.
Tunku Ismail said he advised the coach to focus on his job and avoid getting involved in football politics.
“Just focus on your work, Peter. Don’t entertain the politics,” he said.
The statements have added fuel to ongoing debates surrounding governance and internal dynamics within Malaysian football. Tunku Ismail has long been a prominent and influential figure in the sport, particularly through the success of Johor Darul Ta’zim and his involvement in reforming national football structures.
While his remarks highlight alleged internal conflicts and administrative issues, the Football Association of Malaysia has yet to issue an official response regarding the claims made in the Instagram posts.
Credit Photo : HRH Crown Prince of Johor
