FAM Turmoil and Malaysia’s Concerns Ahead of the Rematch with Vietnam

Leadership upheaval at FAM has sparked public worries, but experts assert that the leadership crisis should not impact Malaysia’s national team plans and performance during this crucial period.

The leadership crisis within the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM)—following the simultaneous resignation of all Executive Committee (Exco) members for the 2025–2029 term—has raised significant concerns about the future of football in the country. The public’s main focus is whether these top-level changes will affect the preparation, competition plans, and form of the Malaysian national team during the upcoming critical phase.

In an interview with local media, sports analyst Datuk Dr. Pekan Ramli emphasized that the Exco resignations should not and must not negatively influence the national teams, especially Malaysia’s squad. He noted that training plans, friendly match schedules, and official fixtures already set in FIFA’s calendar should proceed as planned.

Dr. Pekan highlighted that FAM still retains a Secretary-General along with a dedicated secretariat teamwho hold sufficient authority and responsibility to ensure the team’s management runs smoothly. “All technical preparations for the Malaysian national team are managed by the head coach, who can work directly with the FAM Secretary-General, without necessarily going through the team manager position typically held by a FAM Council member,” he explained.

Additionally, the expert suggested that FAM could appoint an interim team manager from the existing staff to guarantee administrative matters remain uninterrupted. “Therefore, overall, the national team’s plans should not be affected, even though some initial challenges might arise,” Dr. Pekan concluded.

From a management perspective, Datuk Dr. Pekan Ramli expressed hope that FIFA or the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) would soon provide necessary support to FAM, similar to interventions in other countries. He believes timely involvement from these international organizations will help maintain stability, facilitate FAM’s restructuring, strengthen governance, and improve transparency.

Against this backdrop, Malaysia faces a decisive fixture. Coach Peter Cklamovski’s team will play as visitors to Vietnam in the last match of Group F for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on March 31. Currently, Malaysia leads the group with a perfect record of five wins, earning 15 points, ahead of Vietnam (12 points), Laos (3 points), and Nepal with no points.

Furthermore, Malaysia will participate in the 2026 ASEAN Cup, scheduled from July 24 to August 26, where they are expected to continue showcasing their regional strength.