KUALA LUMPUR – “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way,” wrote John C. Maxwell, a famous American author and professional speaker.
Since the day the Youth and Sports Ministry allocated a RM5 million grant to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), it has sparked criticism among sports fans regarding the government’s bias in providing funds for one particular sport.
The allocation was given last week by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to improve the national team based on the recommendation and consideration of Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.
The additional funding follows the commendable performance of the 130th-ranked national football squad, securing a 3-3 draw against the 23rd-ranked South Korea in their final Group E match of the Asian Cup.
Despite finishing the tournament with one point and facing setbacks with a 4-0 loss to Jordan and a 1-0 defeat to Bahrain, the draw against the Asian powerhouse marked a notable achievement for Harimau Malaya.
Amid criticisms from sports fans, analysts from the sports fraternity have a different perspective on this matter, believing that the government’s preference in funding a national sports association (NSA) is based on the leadership qualities of the association’s president.
Speaking to Scoop, sports analyst Mohd Sadek Mustaffa believes that the proven leadership track record and aura of FAM president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin were prime reasons behind the government’s decision to support the governing body despite their mediocre performance in the Asian Cup.
“Sports fans need to understand the fact that the government has always been supporting all NSAs with grants for development programmes, and calling the government biased towards football really doesn’t make any sense.
“However, not all NSAs have a leader like Hamidin who knows how to make use of the government’s funds at the maximum and show progression regularly.
“There are certain leaders from certain NSAs – like the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) – that despite always being supported by the government even through the Podium Programme, they have failed to deliver.
“The RM5 million allocation by the government for FAM’s development programmes is something unexpected, but I understand why the sports minister did that as I believe she is aware of Hamidin’s leadership qualities and his proven track record for Malaysian football,” said Sadek, who is also a senior sports science lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Mara.
Since Hamidin took over the FAM presidential post in 2018, he revolutionised the national football landscape with his F:30 roadmap programme – ultimately increasing Malaysia’s FIFA ranking from 178 to 130 in the world.
Launched in 2018, the F:30 program centred around growing the game, fortifying the organisation, and expanding the brand.
Meanwhile, local football observer Datuk Pekan Ramli echoed a similar sentiment and said that team sports like football require more funding than other sports in the country.
“Whether sports fans like it or not, football is the country’s and the world’s number one sport, and the operational cost for it comes at a very high cost.
“Football has also always been the tool for unity in the country, and the leadership of the footballing body has always made sure that the sport unites everyone in the country through their programmes and initiatives.
“FAM’s leadership has also proven, on many occasions, how they can bring together hundreds of thousands of fans to support Harimau Malaya and watch their games at the stadium, unlike other team sports in our country.
“Hence, I don’t see this being an issue on why the government has to fund FAM for their development programmes. I just hope for FAM to continue using the funds to prepare for a better challenge in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers,” said Pekan.
After their group stage exit in the AFC Asian Cup campaign in Qatar, head coach Kim Pan-gon’s Harimau Malaya are slated to face Oman home-and-away in March, before confronting Kyrgyzstan and Taiwan in June, with both home-and-away fixtures shaping their journey in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. – January 30, 2024