KUALA LUMPUR – Questions have emerged over Rob Friend’s true role with the Malaysian national football team, following revelations from FIFA.
Contrary to earlier reports, Friend is not the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Harimau Malaya. In a motivated decision report by FIFA, the organisation clarified that Friend serves as a consultant to FAM, based in Canada, and only travels to Malaysia on match days.
“His responsibilities are limited to advising on technical and coaching matters, and he does not exercise executive authority over the team or its administration,” read the report.
Friend told FIFA that he had no involvement in the documentation or naturalisation process of heritage players that began prior to his engagement.
The report further noted that “all naturalisation procedures were fully managed by FAM in Malaysia, and Friend only became involved from August 22, 2025 onwards.
“He was not aware of any wrongdoing, did not participate in any process before that date, and his role was confined to providing technical guidance and support to staff and coaches during match preparations.”
During hearings, Friend explained that his consultancy role was part of FAM’s “heritage search plan” aimed at enhancing the national team’s performance.
FIFA emphasised that he “assisted in match-day and technical matters only, without any executive control over the team.”
The disclosure has surprised many local football fans on social media, who had previously understood Friend to be the CEO, managing a squad reportedly separate from FAM.
Earlier media interviews had seen Friend refer to his role as CEO, stating that he worked alongside former Kuala Lumpur City FC CEO Stanley Bernard, who served as deputy CEO of the national squad.
For the record, Friend was appointed as the CEO of Malaysia NT in January 2025, bringing extensive experience from his playing career in Europe and North America, including stints in Germany and Major League Soccer.
Prior to joining the national team project, he was involved in football development programmes in Canada and had built a reputation in technical analysis and coaching advisory roles. – November 18, 2025