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Football Association of Malaysia

Governing body of association football in Malaysia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Football Association of Malaysia
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The Football Association of Malaysia (commonly abbreviated as FAM; Malay: Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia) is the national governing body of football in Malaysia, headquartered at Wisma FAM. The FAM is also one of the founding members of both the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It has been affiliated with FIFA since 1954.

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History

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Pre-independence football

The British introduced football to Malaya, and the locals quickly embraced the game, making it the country's leading sport. By the late 19th century, football had become a central activity in most sports clubs across Malaya, though it lacked proper structure. The establishment of the Selangor Amateur Football League in 1905 brought some administration and organization, but the competition remained limited to clubs in Kuala Lumpur.[2]

In 1921, the battleship HMS Malaya visited the country. After competing in football and rugby matches with local teams, the officers and crew decided to commemorate the games by presenting trophies for annual competitions in both sports. This led to the establishment of a national football tournament involving all states in Malaya. Known initially as the Malaya Cup—later renamed the Malaysia Cup in 1963—the competition has been held continuously, except during the war years.[2]

In 1926, the Selangor Amateur Football League was officially established. Ten years later, in 1936, the Football Association of Selangor was formed. This association began organizing tournaments, which inspired other states in Malaya to follow suit. Also in 1926, the Football Associations of Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca, and the Singapore Amateur Football Association came together to form the Malayan Football Association (MFA). The MFA was created to assemble a Malayan team to compete against an Australian side visiting Singapore that year.[2]

In 1933, the MFA was reorganized into the Football Association of Malaya (FAM). Initially headquartered in Singapore, the FAM took on responsibility for running the Malaya Cup competition.[2]

The first FAM president was Sir Andrew Caldecott, followed by M.B. Shelley, Dr. J.S. Webster, S.D. Scott, R. Williamson, and Adrian Clark, who served until 1940. As Europe entered full-scale war with Germany, FAM operations moved from Singapore to Malaya, and A.R. Singham became the first Asian secretary in 1941.[citation needed] After the war, J.E. King became FAM's president, succeeded by H.P. Byson and then Dr. C. Rawson, who served for two years before the position was taken over by the first non-British president.[2]

In 1951, Tunku Abdul Rahman—later Malaysia's first Prime Minister—was appointed as FAM president. Under his leadership, football in Malaysia entered a new phase, with the FAM playing a more prominent role beyond organizing the Malaysia Cup.[2]

In 1956, FAM became one of the 14 founding members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Two years later, it achieved full membership in FIFA.[2]

After independence

Tunku Abdul Rahman's passion for football played a pivotal role in the construction of the Merdeka Stadium, which in 1957 became a historic site as the venue for Malaysia's independence declaration from Britain.[3]

The stadium also marked the beginning of the Merdeka Tournament (Pestabola Merdeka), which was popularly referred to as the 'Mini Asia Cup' from the 1960s to the 1980s.[4] The tournament was a significant success and inspired similar events such as the Jakarta Anniversary Tournament in Indonesia, the King's Cup in Thailand, and the President's Cup in South Korea.[5] The inaugural tournament—then the premier football competition in Asia—was won by Hong Kong.[3] Malaya claimed the title three consecutive times, winning in 1958 and 1959, and sharing it with South Korea in 1960.[3] The country later qualified for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich and the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.[3]

In the early 1960s, the organization's name was officially changed to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM). Tunku Abdul Rahman continued to promote football development, particularly through youth competitions, until his resignation in 1974.[2] His successor, Malaysia's second Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak, held the post for one year before Hamzah Abu Samah took over in 1976. Hamzah, who was the Minister of Trade and Industry, introduced several initiatives to develop the sport.[2]

Between 1976 and 1984, numerous football programs were implemented under Hamzah's leadership.[2] The FAM entered a new phase when the Sultan of Pahang, Haji Ahmad Shah, assumed leadership. His tenure saw the introduction of the semi-professional league in 1989, which eventually transitioned into full professionalism.[2] Despite these efforts, success on the international stage for Malaysia's national team remained elusive.[2]

One of the highlights of Malaysian football history was hosting the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship. Domestically, the league underwent several transformations, culminating in the establishment of the Malaysia Super League (M-League) in 2004. However, the national team suffered significant defeats in international competitions during this period.

On 13 September 2018, FAM received the AFC Dream Asia Award in the Developing Category.[6] In 2019, FAM was also awarded the AFC Dream Asia Award (Bronze) in the Inspiring Category.[7]

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Associations affiliation

There are 20 Football Associations affiliated to the FAM. Besides the 14 FAs with regional location, six others are affiliated units.[8][9]

State affiliation

Affiliation units

  • Malaysia Malaysian Malay's Football Association (PBMM)
  • Malaysia Malaysian Chinese Football Association (MCFA)
  • Malaysia Malaysian Indian Sports Council (MISC)
  • Malaysia Royal Malaysia Police Football Association (RMPFA)
  • Malaysia Malaysian Armed Forces Football Association (AFFA)
  • Malaysia Football Coaches Association of Malaysia (PJBM)

[10][11][12][13]

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Competitions

The Football Association of Malaysia had run all top football competitions in Malaysia until 2015, when the Football Malaysia LLP (FMLLP), which is now known as the Malaysian Football League (MFL) was formed as part of the privatisation of the Malaysian football league system. The MFL took over all the top professional football competition previously managed by the FAM. The list below are the competitions which are managed by the Malaysia Football League since it inception in 2015:[14]

FAM also focuses on youth development football, women football and futsal leagues and tournaments in Malaysia.[15]

Awards

Main article: FAM Football Awards

Principals

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Management

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February 2025 Source

Executive committee

FAM Judiciary

Disciplinary
  • Chairman: Baljit Singh Sidhu
  • Deputy chairman: Abd Shukor Ahmad
Appeals
  • Chairman: Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff
  • Deputy chairman: Sheikh Mohd Nasir Sheikh Mohd Sharif

Club licencing

First Instance Body
  • Chairman: Sheikh Mohd Nasir Sheikh Mohd Sharif
Appeals Body
  • Chairman: Wirdawati Mohd Radzi

Treasurer

  • Chairman: Ismail Karim

National teams

  • Chairman: Mohd Joehari Mohd Ayub
Malaysia national football team
Malaysia national under-23 football team
Malaysia national under-22 football team
Malaysia national under-19 football team
  • Manager: Juan Torres Garrido
Malaysia national under-16 football team
  • Manager: Javier Jorda Ribera
Malaysia women's national football team
  • Manager: Joel Cornelli
Malaysia national futsal team
  • Manager: Rakphol Sainetngam
Malaysia women's national futsal team
  • Manager: Chiew Chun Yong
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See also

References

External links

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