The Perlis Football Association (PFA) has hit back at the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) after it expelled the state association yesterday.
PFA president Zamri Ibrahim claimed that FAM has left state associations irrelevant as football clubs could bypass them and deal directly with the national body through a purported “special sanction”.
Zamri said the FAM’s constitution does not provide for such “sanctions”, and claimed that this could abolish the role state FAs played in football, NST reported.
“This is dangerous. If clubs can go straight to FAM, then what’s the function of the state FAs? There’s no urgency to solve the problems of the state FAs. In the end, we’ll be irrelevant and cease to exist,” he was quoted as saying.
Yesterday, acting FAM president Yusoff Mahadi said the association decided to expel PFA as its affiliate member after failing to resolve certain “issues” within a six-month timeframe.
Last December, FAM suspended PFA until it fully settled the outstanding wages and compensation owed to its former football director Matt Holland, as instructed by world governing body Fifa.
Fifa made the ruling on Dec 4, 2019.
The PFA’s expulsion means it will no longer be allowed to take part in or represent any football-related activities nationwide.
However, Zamri claimed he FAM’s handling of PFA’s suspension and termination was rife with errors and inconsistencies, saying the state body was not given a specific six-month period to resolve the matter.
He said Fifa’s only instruction was for FAM itself to be penalised with a 20% slash in grants if the debt, which currently stands at RM900,000, remains, with further deductions to follow for other deadlines missed.
“There was never any directive from Fifa (for the FAM) to suspend or sack PFA. If they claim there was, then show us the letter,” he said.
The PFA president also questioned why similar action was not taken against the FAs of Perak, Kelantan and Kedah, which “owe millions” compared with PFA.
“FAM has the power, yes, but the way they used it is wrong. It’s not about settling the problem anymore, it’s about cutting us off.
“If the state FAs are cut off like this, football governance in Malaysia loses its structure. It’s not just PFA’s problem, every state FA should be worried because one day they, too, can be bypassed and buried,” he said.
