KUALA LUMPUR – Debate surrounding who may return to positions of power in the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) should not distract from the more important issue of implementing a new governance structure, says Asian Football Confederation (AFC) secretary-general Datuk Seri Windsor Paul John.
With FAM set to hold its elections in September, speculation has grown over whether familiar faces could return to the association’s leadership.
However, Windsor said the focus should instead be on the reforms introduced through the recent AFC audit, which are designed to fundamentally change how the organisation operates.
Speaking in Scoop’s up oming Sport Check episode, Windsor said the reforms would create a system of checks and balances that all future leaders would be required to follow, regardless of who is elected.
“The changes that we are recommending will ensure that the leadership falls in line, but now there is a system,” he said.
“There are checks and balances and they have to do things in a certain way. We are creating a system so that anyone who comes in as president or exco member cannot go outside the system. They have to follow best practices.”
Windsor said concerns over whether existing or former office-bearers might return to FAM after the elections were misplaced because the reforms are intended to limit the ability of individuals to act without proper oversight.
“The question that people should be asking is not whether old people are there or whether new people are coming in. People should focus on the new things that are coming into FAM,” he said.
“Old people may be there, but now it is a new system. They have to follow it.”
According to Windsor, one of the main objectives of the reforms is to ensure decisions are made through established governance processes rather than by individuals acting independently.
“They will realise that they are not able to do the things they did before because now there are policies, rules, regulations and checks and balances,” he said.
“I cannot make a decision now. Decisions have to go to the committee. In the past, one person could make a decision. Now, under the reforms, there will be all these checks and balances.”
He added that clearly defined responsibilities for committees and decision-makers would help improve accountability and governance standards within the association.
“The new team will come into a better place. There will be better decision-making and the role of each committee will be defined,” he said.
“So, people may be the same, but the system will be different.”
The AFC-led audit, which was presented during FAM’s Extraordinary Congress last week, identified a range of governance and administrative weaknesses within the national body and proposed reforms aimed at modernising its structure and operations.
Among the recommendations were stronger governance mechanisms, improved financial oversight, clearer delineation of responsibilities between elected officials and the secretariat, enhanced committee structures, and greater stakeholder participation in football governance.
The audit also recommended the inclusion of professional clubs within FAM’s membership structure, a move AFC believes would create a more representative and accountable football ecosystem.
The question of leadership has also become a major talking point following the conclusion of former FAM president Tan Sri Hamidin Mohd Amin’s tenure.
Hamidin, who stepped down earlier last year after deciding not to seek another term, has remained at the centre of discussions surrounding FAM’s future following the release of the AFC audit report.
In recent days, Hamidin has publicly defended his administration’s record, particularly over issues highlighted in the audit, including the non-tabling of annual budgets at congress and governance practices within the association.
While acknowledging shortcomings identified by AFC, he has maintained that many of the issues stemmed from oversight and legacy practices rather than deliberate wrongdoing.
The audit itself was commissioned following the fallout from the heritage player controversy and identified weaknesses across several areas of governance, administration, finance and organisational structure.
Its findings have since fuelled debate over the type of leadership required to guide Malaysian football through its next phase of reforms.
For Windsor, however, the success of FAM’s reform agenda will ultimately depend not on who occupies the top positions after September’s elections, but on whether the association embraces a governance system capable of delivering long-term accountability and stability.
“It is like football. You are playing in a different formation now. The tactics are different,” he said.
“The new team, whoever they are, will have to adapt to the new way of doing things because things will be different.” – June 12, 2026
.