KUALA LUMPUR – The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) spends approximately RM2.8 million per match for chartered flights to travel to destinations without direct air connections.
The governing body’s response comes after it faced heavy criticism from netizens on social media, following FAM’s RM15 million allocation under Budget 2025, tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on October 18.
The majority of netizens argued that more funding should have been allocated to sports bodies that produce athletes competing in prestigious tournaments, rather than football, which has not been producing significant results.
In January this year, Anwar also announced an additional RM5 million for FAM based on the recommendation of Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, following Malaysia’s AFC Asian Cup campaign.
Speaking to Scoop, FAM’s media and communications committee chairman, Christopher Raj, said critics fail to understand the high costs associated with football compared to other sports in the country.
Christopher revealed that FAM spends approximately RM700,000 to RM1 million on accommodation for players, fitness coaches, and officials whenever the national team travels overseas for a match.
“Football, being the number one sport in the country, attracts significant attention and scrutiny. When the national team doesn’t perform well, people often criticise the use of taxpayer money. I’ve received messages from people saying we don’t deserve the funding. But many don’t understand the struggles we face behind the scenes.
“For example, when we played Kyrgyzstan in a World Cup qualifier, our recce team from the national team department reported that the journey to the country would take 45 hours, including multiple layovers. To ensure smoother travel for the players, coaches, and officials, our president, Tan Sri Hamidin Mohd Amin, had no choice but to charter a flight.
“Despite Malaysia Airlines being our official flying partner, we still had to charter a flight as there are no direct flights to Kyrgyzstan, and that cost us RM2.8 million for the game. The same expenses are incurred whenever we charter flights to locations without direct routes.
“If we wanted, we could have made excuses about insufficient funds, but we aim to be fair to everyone and provide the best for the national team. We can’t allow players to sleep in airports while waiting for connecting flights.
“It would reflect poorly on us and show that we are not taking care of our players. While we appreciate the government’s allocation, the public must hear our side of the story before passing judgment,” Christopher said.
Meanwhile, Christopher also highlighted that FAM faces challenges due to its low FIFA world ranking, which makes it difficult to secure sponsorship deals, unlike the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
“It’s not easy for us to secure sponsorships because of our world ranking. Corporations often question why they should fund us. For instance, when doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik travel for tournaments, their expenses are usually around RM40,000 for business class flights. Their costs don’t come close to RM2.8 million.
“We spend more because nothing comes cheap. Coaches, sports scientists, and goalkeeper coaches all require significant investment. Unfortunately, people tend to forget the positives. When we qualified for the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, there were no complaints about budgets or expenses, and the achievement was widely celebrated.
“We are committed to giving our players and coaches the best support and won’t allow accusations of neglect to overshadow our efforts,” Christopher added.
Under the guidance of Pau Marti Vicente, Harimau Malaya is currently ranked 132nd in the FIFA world rankings. – December 3, 2024