By Amiril Muttaqien Meketar
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- Football legend Datuk Jamal Nasir Ismail said newly elected Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan should be given time to prove his leadership, citing his extensive experience in Malaysian Football League (MFL).
Jamal said Ab Ghani's experience as a former player and MFL president gives him an understanding of the intricacies of managing Malaysian football, which should help him identify and address shortcomings within the national governing body.
“I feel he is the most qualified person to ensure that whatever weaknesses have occurred all this while can be rectified and improved,” he told Bernama.
Ab Ghani was elected FAM president yesterday after securing a majority of votes in the FAM Executive Committee Election for the remainder of the 2025-2029 term in Petaling Jaya, defeating Football Association of Selangor (FAS) deputy president Datuk Seri Shahril Mokhtar.
He secured 20 votes against Shahril's five in the straight fight for the presidency at the Second FAM Extraordinary Congress 2026, held to reconstitute the association's leadership.
The election followed the collective resignation of the previous FAM Executive Committee in January, amid an issue involving documents concerning seven Harimau Malaya players that subsequently led to FIFA action against FAM and the players.
Jamal, a former national defender and former member of FAM's Technical and Youth Development Committee, described Ab Ghani as someone who is open to receiving views in the interests of Malaysian football.
He said the new leadership should first concentrate on strengthening Malaysia's standing in Southeast Asian football before setting its sights on broader ambitions at Asian level.
“The new administration needs to focus on conquering Southeast Asia by beating Vietnam or Thailand, then only can we talk about (aspirations) at Asian level,” he said.
He also called for greater attention to grassroots development to produce more players capable of providing a strong pipeline for the Harimau Malaya squad.
Meanwhile, local football observer Zakaria Rahim said Ab Ghani would need time to rebuild supporters' confidence following various issues that have affected FAM.
“He needs to understand that Malaysian football fans are very disappointed with what happened, which led to the mass resignation of FAM Exco members, and the biggest issue concerns the national team,” he said.
Zakaria also hoped the new FAM leadership would remain open to criticism, saying criticism should not be viewed as hostility but as concern for the development of Malaysian football.
“Media outlets should also be free to write about FAM, the national team and the league. Expand that freedom so the public can function better when they receive freer and more accurate information.
“We no longer want stories to be hidden, especially financial issues. This is the most important thing the FAM president needs to do if he really wants to restore fans' confidence in FAM,” he said.
Zakaria also hoped that whoever succeeds Ab Ghani as MFL president would ensure the league organiser and FAM work in tandem.
He said FAM should not rush to set excessively high targets for Harimau Malaya to qualify for the World Cup, but should instead aim to progress as far as possible in the Asian qualifying campaign.
Ab Ghani said yesterday that he plans to step down as MFL president within a month to focus fully on his new role at FAM, with discussions already under way to identify his successor and ensure the Malaysian League is not disrupted.
He said he did not want to hold both key positions for too long as FAM required his immediate attention, particularly to address various issues and implement reforms during the remainder of the term.
-- BERNAMA