PETALING JAYA: Asian Football Confederation (AFC) deputy general secretary Vahid Kardany has identified a “culture of conformity” as the biggest problem affecting the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), warning that structural and governance reforms are needed to ensure the organisation can meet modern standards in Asian football.
Speaking during an update on an ongoing quality audit assessment programme by AFC and Fifa, Kardany said the issue was less about individual wrongdoing and more about a deeply rooted organisational culture that discourages challenge and accountability.
“If I have to say one word (about FAM’s problems), it is the culture,” Kardany said.
“To elaborate, there is a culture of conformity, without any pressure from anyone. Everyone thinks that they should do it this way.
“A lot of you are worried about what happened in the past, but we are looking at what we can correct for the future. The issue is a culture that doesn’t exist in successful federations.
“The culture of the organisation (FAM) needs to be changed,” he added.
Kardany explained that the problem was not necessarily caused by explicit pressure from senior figures, but rather by an internal mindset in which staff and officials feel compelled to follow established practices and no one questions anything.
He said such an environment makes it difficult for organisations to identify weaknesses early or implement improvements, something he noted is absent in successful football federations.
AFC was invited by FAM to look into revamping the national body on Jan 28, after its executive committee resigned four months after the national body and seven players were sanctioned by Fifa over the “doctored documentation” scandal.
On March 5, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a 12-month ban on seven “Malaysian” footballers over falsified eligibility documents.
The seven are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.
CAS also ruled that the consolidated appeal by FAM was dismissed and the decision by Fifa on Sept 26, 2025 to impose a CHF350,000 fine on the national body remains in place.
AFC has opened disciplinary action, but its general secretary, Datuk Seri Windsor Paul John, said the process will take time.
Meanwhile, John, who chaired the audit update, said around 20 specialists have been involved in the quality audit assessment programme, examining a wide range of operational areas including human resources, finances, procurement procedures, legal oversight and decision-making structures.
“We have analysed nearly 100 documents and interviewed staff across departments. The objective was to strengthen institutional foundations,” said John.
“The final report will identify governance gaps and recommend reforms to prevent similar issues in the future. We hope to complete our findings and call for an extraordinary Congress in June, before the World Cup.
“They can then decide on the changes to the statutes that we will recommend to move forward. We will then hold elections for a new executive council and Congress after the World Cup.”
John said the biggest changes will see FAM become more inclusive with amendments to its statutes and governance, which will give more entities voting rights.
Without spelling it out, John hinted that clubs such as Johor Darul Ta’zim, Selangor FC and Kuala Lumpur City FC could play a bigger role.
“Unfortunately, because of legacy, because of the history of Malaysian football and the past, Malaysia has always had very exclusive statutes, especially the membership,” said John.
“This is something the team is working on to look at and ensure that the right stakeholders – who play football or help develop the sport – are part of the membership.
“This is something very important, very fundamental and one of the biggest changes that we probably will see with regards to FAM. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but let me give you an example of what inclusiveness means. Then you can draw your own conclusions.”
He said before Japan introduced professional club football, the membership of the football association consisted only of the provinces or prefectures.
“Once professional football was introduced, the membership expanded to include the clubs. That is what we mean by inclusiveness,” he said.
“Later, when women’s football began to grow, women were given a greater role in the decision-making body. They were not just ordinary members – there was also a vice-president representing them.
“Besides Japan, Australia also includes clubs in the decision-making process.”
Asked whether audit reports would be made public, John said that would be up to FAM.
“We will certainly present some findings to the public. We want to be transparent. However, the full report will first go to FAM, and it will then decide if it wants to make the full findings available.
“It will be a very comprehensive report – quite a thick one. The team has been working extremely hard.
“FAM deserves recognition here. They have been completely open with us. They have not prevented us from seeing any documents. We have had access to contracts and virtually everything we asked for. That says a lot about their willingness to improve.”
John also said that the Iranian women’s team, which is in Malaysia following the Asian Cup tournament in Australia, will remain here until further notice.
“There are no flights back home due to the ongoing war over there. They can stay as long as they want or until their federation informs us otherwise.
“As for the men’s team, as of today, they will play in the World Cup. We will update you if that changes.”
