THE Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has been urged to hold a workshop for its affiliates to discuss the idea of privatising the national men’s football team (Harimau Malaya) squad.
Football Association of Penang (FAP) president Mohd Azizudin Mohd Shariff, also requested that the FAM discuss the idea in detail and present it to the FAM Congress.
“This matter needs to be tabled among affiliated members for a thorough scrutiny. If necessary, hold workshops to discuss all aspects of national team preparation and career paths for trainees at the grassroots level.
“If the findings from the workshop lead to a better impact on the national team, continue (with the goal),“ he said in a statement today.
Despite regarding the proposal to privatise Harimau Malaya as pure conjecture, Sarawak Football Association (FAS) president Abang Zulkarnain Abdurahman asked the FAM leadership to weigh carefully the implications of such a policy before taking any further steps.
Abang Zulkarnain, who once held the position of FAM assistant secretary-general, also urged FAM and its secretariat to conduct a comparative study with other countries, as well as an analysis that takes into account the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the idea.
“FAM should also look at whether previous methods such as different accounts for the management of the 1992 Barcelona squad and the 1997 Youth World Cup Project squad were effective enough or whether there is a need for a different governance team to manage the Harimau Malaya entity,“ he said.
Selangor Football Association (FAS) secretary Izrin Nabil Ismail also said it is better to err on the side of caution, that FAM should not be in a hurry as there are risks, since the proposal is still at the discussion stage and he believes that affiliates should be given the right to have a say in determining the policy and direction of national football.
“Although the FAM leadership is mandated to make certain decisions regarding the direction of national football, any policy involving Harimau Malaya needs to gather feedback from other stakeholders,“ he said.
In a recent sharing on social media, the Tunku Mahkota of Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim floated the idea of the national team moving separately or in other words to be ‘privatised’ including sharing the system, role and organisational chart of an independent body.
