KUALA LUMPUR — Has the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) really changed, or has it merely changed the person at the top?
That is the question being raised by analysts following the election of Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan as the new FAM president, with familiar faces returning to the governing body and prompting doubts over whether the much-touted transformation will go beyond a change in leadership.
Speaking to Scoop, senior sports analyst and UiTM senior lecturer Datuk Pekan Ramli said the election appeared to have delivered a new leadership that was largely made up of the old system, with the opportunity to introduce younger and newer figures seemingly overlooked.
“The FAM Congress is over. The mandate has been given to a new leadership that is, in reality, the old one. The new formula has been set aside. They still want to continue using the old formula,” he said.
“It appears that the FAM affiliates remain conservative and do not care about the demands being made by football fans online across the country.”
Pekan said there also appeared to be a difference in how the term ‘transformation’ was understood, suggesting that some within FAM may view it simply as making changes rather than fundamentally reshaping the organisation.
“Perhaps they also feel that the term ‘transformation’ that has been widely promoted and demanded simply means changing from the old word, which has a narrower scope, namely ‘change’, rather than transformation in its true sense,” he said.
“For them, transformation does not mean change in a holistic manner, including changing the appearance, form, nature or condition of something into something new. That is why almost 100 per cent of the old faces were re-elected at the FAM Congress. The only slight change was a new president who is, in reality, an old face.”
Pekan said the outcome was particularly surprising given the circumstances surrounding the congress, which followed the controversy involving seven heritage players, the subsequent Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) proceedings, the mass resignation of FAM’s previous Executive Committee and scrutiny from world governing body FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
“This should have been a historic and extraordinary FAM Congress. This was not an ordinary congress. It was a congress that attracted the attention of football fans across the country. We expected fierce competition for several key positions. Unfortunately, that did not happen,” he said.
“Instead, the margins between the votes appeared to suggest that there was a strong alliance or that everything had been arranged in a very organised manner.”
Pekan said the election represented a missed opportunity to bring younger and newer leaders into FAM, adding that the outcome appeared to indicate that an established alliance within the organisation remained strong.
“It is a shame because the opportunity to introduce young and new potential leaders into FAM did not materialise. Yet we saw several young candidates who should have been given the opportunity to come forward,” he said.
“It seems as though there is still a very strong and intact alliance within FAM, while ignoring the wishes of football fans outside the walls of FAM.”
Pekan said Ab Ghani must now prove that his elevation from leading a subsidiary organisation to heading the parent body would translate into tangible improvements and dispel the negative perceptions surrounding FAM.
“Whatever happens, we leave it to the new FAM chief to prove his ability. He has just been promoted from leading a subsidiary to now leading the parent company,” he said.
“We hope he can prove himself and dispel the various negative perceptions based on his performance while leading the subsidiary previously. Who knows, perhaps there may be a miracle that he is capable of delivering.”
Senior sports analyst and UiTM sports science lecturer Sadek Mustaffa, meanwhile, said changing the person at the top would mean little if the underlying structure and approach remained unchanged.
Sadek described the outcome as a case of choosing a new head while retaining much of the same body and tail.
“It is easy to understand the dynamics of the FAM election. Choose the head, but the body and the tail remain the same,” he said.
“So, we will be served with almost the same set of dishes in terms of the objectives and work outcomes if the head does not dare to reform the organisation with different principles and policies to treat the symptoms of the illnesses within FAM.”
Sadek said organisational reform was difficult because it involved policies, principles, norms and traditions that people within an organisation had become comfortable with, adding that the new administration would need the credibility and courage to bring about change.
“He (Ab Ghani) can do that if he is willing to humble himself, meet face-to-face with all parties without conditions, listen and have the courage to change for the sake of FAM’s dignity and well-being,” he said.
Sadek said Ab Ghani’s administration must implement all the findings of the AFC’s review boldly and transparently, while bringing in more professional and credible individuals to strengthen FAM’s administration and management.
“He must implement all the findings of the AFC post-mortem boldly and transparently. He must also bring in individuals who are more professional and credible in the administration, management and implementation of FAM’s affairs,” he said. – September 18, 2026