TIME FOR CHANGE, FAM: KHAIRY

Former Sports Minister calls for focus on homegrown talent

FORMER Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin (pic) doesn't mince his words when discussing the poor performance of the Malaysian team at the recent Under-23 Asian Cup in Doha. And he made a clarion call for change.

The architect of the National Football Development Programme and the driving force behind the Mokhtar Dahari Academy, Khairy's insights do carry weight.

Khairy gave a frank assessment of the national Under-23 team during a football forum at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

"Our focus must shift towards nurturing homegrown talent. While the naturalisation programme (giving citizenship to foreign players to play for Malaysia) has yielded results, we cannot neglect the development of local players," said Khairy.

He pointed to Indonesia's remarkable progress as a stark reminder of what can be achieved with the right approach.

"Indonesia's advancement underscores the need for reform within our system.

“We have lofty ambitions, but we need an administration capable of realising those aspirations," said Khairy who urged capable candidates for the FAM presidency (20252029) to step forward.

Malaysia were eliminated from the first round of the Under-20 Asian Cup, after losing all their matches: 2-0 to Uzbekistan, 2-0 to Vietnam and 2-1 to Kuwait. In contrast, Indonesia stunned South Korea 11-10 on penalties to reach the semi-finals.

Despite the national Under-23 team's disappointing showing, Khairy acknowledged the strides made by the national senior team.

"Objectively speaking, Harimau Malaya have shown improvement in recent years despite past setbacks. Our ranking has risen on average, indicating progress.

"While victories may have eluded us, the success of our naturalisation programme cannot be denied.”