KUALA LUMPUR – Is the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) considering scrapping the National Football Development Programme (NFDP)?
The future of Malaysian youth football could be in jeopardy, as a high-ranking source within the football fraternity has revealed to Scoop that the NFDP—operating for over a decade—may be discontinued by the government over concerns it is a “waste of taxpayers’ money.”
The source said that the NFDP—jointly overseen by KBS and the National Sports Council (NSC), with the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) as part of the steering committee—has come under fire following the national under-17 team’s failure to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.
The team, comprising mostly NFDP graduates who progressed through Akademi Mokhtar Dahari (AMD), competes under FAM in international tournaments and friendlies. Both the NFDP and AMD fall under the purview of KBS and NSC.
The source also shared that a recent meeting was held between Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, NFDP stakeholders, and AFC general-secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John to evaluate the programme’s effectiveness.
“It seems the minister is dissatisfied with the NFDP’s progress, and there are discussions about scrapping the programme altogether due to its failure to deliver expected results,” said the source.
“There are also talks of replacing it with a more effective initiative. However, scrapping it entirely would be unfair, as the NFDP has been a solid foundation since its inception, especially when FAM played a larger role before the government change in 2018.
“If the government cannot manage it effectively, FAM should take over. They have the manpower and expertise to handle it better.
“Another meeting is expected soon, where stakeholders will need to present a comprehensive plan. Without one, there’s a strong possibility the NFDP could be discontinued next year.”
Launched in 2011, the NFDP aims to nurture young football talent through grassroots training programmes.
The late Sultan Ahmad Shah, as FAM president, first initiated the idea in 2009 to provide structured, high-quality football training nationwide and develop a talent pool aligned with top footballing nations.
The programme saw significant growth during Khairy Jamaluddin’s tenure as youth and sports minister (2013–2018) when Lim Teong Kim was appointed as head coach.
Teong Kim played a key role in developing many of Malaysia’s top young talents before his dismissal by Khairy’s successor, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, following the team’s failure to qualify for the 2019 U-17 World Cup in Peru.
Controversy also surrounded Teong Kim’s tax-exempt RM175,000 monthly salary package.
Notable NFDP graduates include JDT star Arif Aiman Hanapi and former Selangor FC player Luqman Hakim Shamsudin, who currently plays for YSCC Yokohama in Japan. — November 23, 2024