FAM president: Life ban for those involved in match-fixing

KOTA KINABALU: Football players and officials involved in match-fixing will be banned for life from all football activities, said Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim yesterday.

He said the decision was part of the new FAM executive committee’s goal to tackle corruption issues within the country’s football sphere.

“We (FAM) can do the best we can by working with the authorities, whether it is the police or the MACC (Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission) to tackle hooliganism, match-fixing, and so on.

“For now, the disciplinary committee, integrity committee and all disciplinary boards have to be very firm because I have zero tolerance when it comes to corruption,” he said.

He said this to reporters after chairing FAM’s first executive committee meeting for the 20172021 term here.

The Tunku Mahkota of Johor also said FAM has given MACC full access to football associations and clubs as well as FAM to conduct thorough investigation, which will assist FAM in combating corruption in football.

He also said fans of teams involved in hooliganism during a match will also cost the teams points, rather than a fine as punishment for failing to control their supporters.

He explained that a fine imposed on the associations or clubs could not compensate for the pain that the affected teams had to endure and their fans should also bear the responsibility of their actions.

“Therefore, there will be point deduction so that fans know that when they create a ruckus, the victims will be their team and not association or club members,” he said. — Bernama