A former Malaysian Youth and Sports minister says there’s no shortcut to success, stressing that the nation must invest in developing talent and strengthening its sports ecosystem.
Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu, who briefly served as Youth and Sports minister between 2021 and 2022, said while winning is important, the best way to achieve it is by spending more on development.
“We need to get more people to play sports. Winning honours is important, but not at the expense of sacrificing local talents and the local sports ecosystem,” Ahmad Faizal told Twentytwo13 over the weekend.
“Football is easily played by all. When more people play, it creates a thriving environment. We see people selling drinks, shirts, and other related items. Then we are no longer talking about football but the football industry. This applies to every other sport.”
He questioned the government’s spending priorities, saying: “The Malaysian government has given millions to the FA of Malaysia (FAM) but only for the national football team. For what?”
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, when tabling Budget 2025 last year, allocated RM15 million of taxpayers’ money to the national football team. Another RM15 million, raised by private entities, was set aside for the same purpose.
During Ahmad Faizal’s tenure, then prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had given RM10 million to FAM for the “development of football”. To date, it remains unclear how the money has been spent.
“We need to develop the district and state football associations. What activities are these associations organising, apart from their annual general meetings to stay in power?
“We don’t see any programmes to develop football. This task is often left to schools and teachers. After school, habis,” he said.
Ahmad Faizal’s remarks came at the height of the Fifa–FAM ‘doctored documentation’ fiasco. The world body has sanctioned the national football association and seven players. FAM has filed an appeal, with a decision expected on Oct 30.
The saga has made international headlines, as the national team could face further penalties, including point deductions in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers if the appeal fails.
Malaysia is currently ranked 118th in the Fifa standings. FAM, however, recently came in second in the AFC President’s Recognition Award for Grassroots Football.
