KUALA LUMPUR – Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) will need to significantly strengthen its revenue streams if it hopes to implement a series of governance reforms recommended by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and FIFA, says former president Tan Sri Hamidin Mohd Amin.
Speaking to Scoop, Hamidin said many of the recommendations contained in the recent AFC-led quality audit would require additional investment in professional staff, administrative structures and operational systems.
He said improving governance was no longer simply about amending statutes or introducing new policies, but also about ensuring FAM had the financial capacity to support a more professional organisation.
“The recommendations involve restructuring, hiring professionals and strengthening various departments. That requires money and expertise.
“If we want high-quality directors in areas such as marketing, legal affairs, media and human resources, we need people with the right qualifications and experience. Naturally, that comes at a cost.”
Hamidin said the incoming FAM president and executive committee would face the challenge of implementing the reforms while ensuring the association remained financially sustainable.
“The new leadership will have to find ways to increase revenue while improving governance standards.
“It is not only about money. It is also about expertise, knowledge and building a stronger organisation.”
Among the reforms proposed by AFC and FIFA are changes to financial governance, staffing structures and decision-making processes, as well as greater representation for clubs and other stakeholders within FAM’s governance framework.
Hamidin said football’s governing bodies were increasingly pushing member associations towards professional management structures similar to those found in major sporting organisations worldwide.
As an example, he pointed to recommendations that would reduce direct involvement by elected officials in financial matters and place greater responsibility on professional administrators.
“Previously, under our constitution, the president and representatives from the finance committee could sign cheques. That was fully compliant with the constitution.
“But AFC and FIFA now recommend a more modern structure where responsibilities are handled by the general secretary and professional executives.”
He stressed that the recommendations should not be viewed as criticism of previous administrations, but as part of football’s evolving governance landscape.
“What AFC and FIFA are recommending today may be different from what was considered best practice years ago.
“That does not mean what was done previously was wrong. It simply means there are now newer and better ways of doing things.”
Hamidin also highlighted AFC’s recommendation for greater club participation in FAM’s governance structure, describing it as another reform that would require careful planning and implementation.
He noted that Malaysia had been among the few AFC member associations without direct club representation in its governance model.
“If we want to move forward, clubs, women’s football representatives and other stakeholders need to have a voice in the system.
“That is the direction football governance is moving towards.”
According to Hamidin, AFC and FIFA have given FAM a two-year window to progressively implement the reforms, acknowledging that such changes cannot happen overnight.
He said the next leadership team would need to strike a balance between funding national teams, grassroots development, women’s football and administrative improvements.
“The national team is important, but there are many other responsibilities.
“You have development programmes, women’s football, youth football, futsal and administration. All of these require resources.”
Hamidin added that stronger governance ultimately goes hand-in-hand with stronger football performance.
“We want a strong national team, strong development programmes and strong administration.
“To achieve that, we must ensure the organisation has the resources and expertise needed to meet modern football standards.” – June 9, 2026