Malaysian football, despite struggling in the international arena, continues to enjoy funding – this time, to the tune of RM15 million. This announcement is music to the ears of those in the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in making the announcement yesterday, said the latest RM15 million allocation will come from the private sector. Football enjoyed an RM15 million allocation in Budget 2025 that was tabled by Anwar last year.
Representatives from other sports associations said it was time for the government to introduce a new formula when disbursing funds to national bodies.
Officials from the Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA), Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (MWF), and Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) believe the government should offer larger tax breaks to encourage companies to invest in sports, and reintroduce Rakan Sukan – a programme initiated three decades ago to attract companies to sponsor national associations.
“I believe the government should have two scorecards for associations when deciding how much each should get – one for development work, and another, based on performance,” said MCA president Mohammed Iqbal Ali Kassim Ali.
“This way, associations that deliver results will receive more funding, rather than those whose sports are more popular. Also, by having two scorecards, the ministry or government can see what development plans are working, or need assistance.”
Mohammed Iqbal said “less popular” sports deserved a boost if they produced results, a view shared by MWF president Datuk Ayub Rahmat.
“It’s football again that is receiving a significant financial boost, even though the national team recently failed to advance past the group stage of the Asean Championship Cup last month,” said Ayub.
“Sports that deliver gold medals to Malaysia, like weightlifting, need better funding to improve further. Only then, can we dream of more medals in the Commonwealth and Asian Games, and one day, the Olympics.
“As previously mentioned, I spent RM200,000 of my own money on the association. That is my sacrifice, but we need another RM500,000 for comprehensive development and elite plans.”
Ayub said the Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (MWF) approached several corporate entities for funding but was told that the return on investments was small, as weightlifting was not a popular sport and did not receive enough media coverage.
“Perhaps the government should consider giving these companies larger tax breaks if they invest in sports. It can be a win-win situation. Alternatively, the government could look at bringing back Rakan Sukan. That could be another good solution,” he said.
Rakan Sukan was launched on Aug 1, 1994, by then youth and sports minister Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Othman. It was a programme aimed at attracting the private sector to invest in sports, pairing one company with one national association. In 2022, then National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail suggested the idea of reinstating Rakan Sukan, but it did not come to fruition.
MTBC secretary-general Maradona Chok, whose bowlers Natasha Roslan and Muhammad Rafiq Ismail won gold and silver at the International Bowling Federation (IBF) World Cup over the weekend, agreed that associations should be rewarded based on their results.
“Every sport would naturally hope for additional funding, and it would be ideal if the performance of teams were rewarded with funding to develop youth programs and send athletes to more international tournaments. However, the decision always rests with the government.
“I’m not just saying this because we won a gold and silver recently, but rewarding associations based on results is the fairest system,” said Chok.
Ironically, Anwar had congratulated Natasha and Muhammad Rafiq for their achievements.
Separately, FAM president Tan Sri Hamidin Amin thanked Anwar for the fresh injection of funds.
He added: “We will use the additional funding to enhance the Harimau Malaya development programmes, prepare the senior team to be more competitive, and implement changes to ensure that national players receive the best support from the appointed experts.”
On top of the RM15 million from the private sector and the RM15 million allocated under Budget 2025, Anwar had announced in January last year that FAM would receive RM5 million – days after Harimau Malaya failed to progress beyond the group stage of the Asian Cup.
In January 2022, then prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob allocated RM10 million to FAM, specifically for football development.