KUALA LUMPUR: The Regent of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim's idea to privatise the national football team could serve as a paradigm shift for Malaysian football, however, there are many factors that must be considered before it becomes a reality.
That is the view of sports analyst Datuk Dr. Pekan Ramli who said that privatisation projects often help organisations run more efficiently and in this context can help Harimau Malaysia reach greater heights.
But Pekan does not deny the possibility that issues could crop up as it is rare to hear national teams being privatised - they are usually the responsibility of the national body.
"The privatisation concept will bring together expertise and set high goals and objectives which can be quantified," said Pekan today.
"But when it comes to privatising the national team there are many factors and fine details that have to be ironed out. It is better to debate and fight today than to regret later.
"This includes looking at the statute, division of tasks and responsibility together with the FA of Malaysia (FAM). As an affiliate of FIFA, there are also other limitations that have to be looked at.
"I have never heard of a nation privatising their national team, or perhaps I may have overlooked it. It is, however, normal in club football in Europe.
"With this new entity, we also have to avoid creating a new group or individual who feels that they are the new superpower who feels that they know better when it comes to developing Malaysian football.
"Because at the end of the day, this will lead to there being no difference between the amature, semi-pro and professional eras of Malaysian football."
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had earlier this week announced an RM15 million allocation to help strengthen Harimau Malaya.
Tunku Ismail then shared his idea to have the national team operate independently, or in other words, be privatised.
This idea was shared by Tunku Ismail on social media where he outlined the system, roles and organisational chart of the proposed independent body.