Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement of an RM15 million allocation to Harimau Malaya has irked Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (MWF) president Datuk Ayub Rahmat.
Anwar said yesterday that the funds would be directed towards the national football players’ welfare and training, with RM10 million coming from the Finance Ministry and RM5 million from the private sector.
Ayub said it was unfair for football to receive such a significant sum when it has consistently failed to deliver on the world stage.
“Weightlifting has consistently won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games – 14 in total – since the 1950s. Football, meanwhile, can’t even reach the SEA Games final!” said Ayub.
“At the recent Paris Olympics, our lifter, Mohamad Aniq Kasdan, finished fourth in the 61kg category. He was just 1kg behind the bronze medallist, and 6kg behind the silver medallist.
“Football didn’t even qualify,” he said.
Ayub noted that at the last Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, two years ago, Malaysia won two gold medals: Mohamad Aniq in the 55kg category, and Muhamad Aznil Bidin, who retained his gold in the 61kg division.
Despite these successes, MWF has struggled to secure sponsors, with Ayub personally spending RM200,000 annually.
“We’re not asking for much, just RM500,000 annually to develop the sport across Malaysia,” Ayub said.
He added that MWF had repeatedly requested for financial assistance from the government, but their appeals had fallen on deaf ears.
“Unlike football, badminton, or hockey, which attract corporate sponsors due to their popularity, weightlifting doesn’t have a large following,” Ayub said.
“Despite this, we’ve managed to win medals for the country. I’m confident that with funding, we can achieve even better results.
“The government must decide whether it wants to support only ‘popular sports’ that may not win medals, or focus on those that can deliver results and foster a winning culture.”
Anwar’s announcement marks the second time his government has pledged financial aid to FAM.
Following Harimau Malaya’s failure to progress beyond the group stage of the Asian Cup, Anwar announced that FAM would receive RM5 million for operational expenses.
In January 2022, former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob allocated RM10 million to FAM, specifically for football development.
The last time Malaysia qualified for the Olympics was in 1980, and the last SEA Games gold medal in football was won in 2011.
Anwar’s announcement comes as football fans are boycotting the Pestabola Merdeka, which kicks off tonight, demanding changes within FAM.
Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal expressed hope that hockey and other sports would receive similar support from the government.
“I’m pleased that the government is showing great interest in sports and is willing to allocate RM10 million to football, with an additional RM5 million from the private sector,” said Subahan.
“MHC could benefit from a cash injection, as we have many programmes, from junior, to elite levels. Hockey has brought great success to Malaysia, and I’m confident that extra funding could help us deliver more medals for the country.”
Echoing Subahan’s sentiments was Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) acting president, Datuk V. Subramaniam.
Subramaniam, who replaced Tan Sri Norza Zakaria as BAM president on Aug 24, said, “I’m happy for football but hope the government does not overlook the needs of other national sports associations.
“Badminton has received its share of government funding, but we’ve also had to secure sponsors.
“Hopefully, the government’s generosity towards football signals better news for the other sporting associations,” he added.
