KUALA LUMPUR – Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Joehari Ayub has dismissed speculation that the national football team has been taken over by the government or private entities, reaffirming that it remains under FAM’s jurisdiction.
Joehari emphasised that Harimau Malaya has always been, and will continue to be, under FAM’s control. However, he welcomed “external assistance” to help elevate the national team’s standards.
Rumours of the team operating independently surfaced following the involvement of JDT owner, the Regent of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, in the squad’s development.
Additionally, the newly established national football team unit, which has received RM30 million in government funding, is reportedly being closely monitored by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.
“The national team is still under FAM, within our national team committee and overall structure. It has not been separated or restructured under a different entity.
“In fact, there is no such thing as us selling our assets to either the government or any other third party. Hence, this kind of unnecessary speculation must stop.
“Tunku Ismail helps, and we are grateful for him because it allows us to move forward. The same applies to the prime minister and the sports minister, as they have shown a great deal of interest in our growth and want us to be successful. We welcome anyone who wants to help.
“Thanks to all the assistance we have received, we have successfully created our special unit, and things are now moving in the right direction. However, we would also like to make it clear that we will not be expanding the unit further, and any additional speculation about us becoming private is not happening,” said Joehari at a press conference last night.
Over the past eight months since former national head coach Kim Pan-gon stepped down, Tunku Ismail has been the driving force behind Harimau Malaya’s transformation, overseeing key appointments that have reshaped the national team.
This includes the recruitment of Harimau Malaya CEO Rob Friend, a former member of the Australian national team coaching staff, and ex-FC Tokyo manager Peter Cklamovski as the new head coach.
Tunku Ismail’s project with the national team unit is also supported by Australian football legends such as Tim Cahill, renowned high-performance expert Dr Craig Duncan, and former Socceroos players Mark Milligan and Matt Smith. – March 21, 2025