Football Association of Malaysia holds controversial extraordinary congress

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Extraordinary Congress in Petaling Jaya was marked by controversy regarding the eligibility of the Election Committee Chairman, Prof Datuk Dr Abdullah Mohamad Said. The Selangor Football Association (FAS) submitted a formal protest to the FAM Secretary General and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) challenging his appointment.

The dispute centers on the FAM 2026 Election Code, which requires the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Election Committee to be qualified legal practitioners. Abdullah’s academic records from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and the University of Wales list qualifications in Environmental Science and Urban and Regional Planning, but do not list legal qualifications.

AFC Secretary General Datuk Seri Windsor Paul John, acting as Chairman, ruled that the congress could proceed with the voting process despite the objections. While representatives from Perak, Selangor, and Kuching City requested the dispute be recorded in the minutes, the AFC maintained that FAM statutes would need amendment before such changes could be made. The congress serves to elect 10 key leadership positions for the 2025-2029 term.