KUALA LUMPUR: The "little Napoleons" in the FA of Malaysia's (FAM) affiliates are another sign that changes are needed in Malaysian football.
This was stated by FAM former head of marketing, Sayf Ismail, who has offered his candidacy for the FAM president's post at the national body's congress-cum-elections on Feb 15.
Sayf made his comments today after Malaysian Chinese Football Association (MCFA) president Datuk Jeffery Low's revelation about the submission of a nomination form to the FAM Election Committee without Jeffery's knowledge.
In response, the MCFA immediately withdrew the nomination form and is set to convene a meeting with its executive committee to propose a qualified candidate for the FAM elections.
The alleged fiasco exposed the "backdoor arrangement" and manipulation by certain parties, which has long been a practice in Malaysian sports.
"This is another reason why changes are needed in FAM. It happens because there's no accountability to the fans and other stakeholders," said Sayf.
"Datuk Jeffery's revelation shows that there's no democracy in FAM, and it is the main problem. For me, FAM needs to evolve, and the manipulation in the nomination shows that FAM is not ready to embrace democracy.
"The affiliates' presidents have to play an active role and not let the little Napoleons run the show. The FAs must remember that they are there to serve the sport and represent the voice of the public."
Sayf, who is an Adjunct Professor at Universiti Malaya, added that the scrutiny from the public ahead of the FAM elections is a sign that the national body needs to evolve.
With incumbent Tan Sri Hamidin Amin stepping down, a new FAM president will be elected for the 2025–29 term at the 61st FAM Congress.
"In the era of social media scrutiny, FAM has to move forward. Never has an election congress gotten this much public attention. I have been receiving a lot of public attention after I announced my intention to run for the presidency," said Sayf, a corporate trainer in the field of sustainability and environmental, social, and governance.
"Before this, there was attention from the public during the contest between Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim in 2014. After that, in 2017, Tunku Ismail won after Tan Sri Anuar Musa withdrew from the contest, and Tan Sri Hamidin Amin won uncontested in 2018.
"The attention from the public shows that they are keen for changes in Malaysian football, and FAM needs to listen to move forward."