Tunku Ismail: I left FAM in a good state

than a year after stepping down as FAM president, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has finally revealed his reasons for giving up the top post.

Tunku Ismail, who quit to focus on his role as Malaysian Football League (MFL) chairman, said in a statement yesterday: “Many said I left FAM (without doing anything). When I was FAM president, I only had one goal and agenda, which was to restructure the system to ensure FAM’s responsibility towards guarding the interests of the national teams, the disciplinary committee, status committee and to be more formal and not specifically focused on the league.

“If we look at other successful football nations, their associations play their own role but league management is done by independent bodies.

“So, after making the plans to establish MFL, many wanted me to be with MFL and I couldn’t hold two positions because I can only commit to either one of those.

“When most of the budget, sponsorship and collaboration is done through MFL, I thought it’s better for me to be at MFL and hand over (the presidency) FAM to Hamidin (Mohd Amin) who is committed to national football development.”

Tunku Ismail disclosed that he had spent RM12 million of his own money in the first year as FAM president aside from another RM1.4 million in a lawsuit involving its former M-League partner, MP & Silva, a sports media rights organisation.

“If we were to talk about my contribution to football when I was FAM president, I have settled all of FAM’s debts and I didn’t leave FAM without doing anything,” he said.

“I left FAM because of a bigger role and mission for a big organisation such as MFL. So, what I have done for the FAM, structurally, was to bring in (FAM technical director) Peter De Roo, coaching structure and national teams including settling FAM’s debts.

“I spent RM12 million of my money the first year, as FAM had no money and also FAM’s case with MP Silva, I also settled one other case whereby FAM was sued €1.4 million (RM6.5 million) and in the end it was reduced to €300,000 where I also used my money first because FAM had no budget.

“I left FAM in a good state and handed things over to Hamidin before I took over MFL because this was the request from all the sponsors and league partners who were more confident with my being there.”