Johor prince quits FAM, in line for new role
As Malaysia plummeted to their worst-ever Fifa world ranking of 178th, the crown prince of Johor sensationally fell on his sword last week, less than a year into his reign as president of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
With his flair for the dramatic, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim (TMJ) announced his resignation on the Facebook page of his club side, Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), describing the rankings’ drop as “a very big failure”.
The bombshell surprised even FAM secretary-general Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin, who hadn’t been notified, adding that TMJ was still technically in charge.
“FAM executive members must send an official resignation letter to the committee, and the committee has the right to receive or reject it,” Datuk Hamidin told The Star.
“He is reacting based on some netizens claim that the FAM president is the reason for the drop in the ranking. Since he became president, the FAM has grown in leaps and bounds.”
But the word is that TMJ won’t be away for long. According to Asian football insiders, he is quitting so he can take up a new, hands-on role with Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP). A revamp of the FAM means the responsibilities of domestic competitions, including the Malaysia Super League, and the national team are to be separated.
The FMLLP Congress is due to be held tomorrow, with TMJ tipped to be elected to the top position.
So, with TMJ reportedly angling for a FFMLP position, unburdened by an abysmal national team, how should we look back on his tumultuous reign as FAM boss?
The FAM has made some important strides off-the-field since TMJ succeeded Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah as head honcho in March 2017.
His biggest achievement has been helping boost sponsorship and television coverage of Malaysian football. The commercial value of the game will reportedly be in excess of 70 million ringgit (US$17.8 millon) in 2018, representing a dramatic rise after the barren last few seasons.
And as he also pointed out in his Facebook post, TMJ applied pressure to ensure clubs would be run more professionally and devised a longterm plan for the game, with input from La Liga.
However, the ongoing struggles of the national team — they failed to win a game in 2017 — did not reflect well on him.
Initially, TMJ announced that JDT’s former head coach Mario Gomez would be taking over from Ong Kim Swee as national boss. The well-travelled Argentine won two Malaysian titles with the Southern Tigers and helped them defy the odds to lift the 2015 AFC Cup.
But within days of the Gomez announcement, TMJ was forced to back track when the ex-Inter Milan assistant refused the financial terms, amid reports that the FAM had serious money problems.
Instead, Portuguese journeyman Nelo Vingada was given the job. He brought with him an impressive resume — he won the 1996 Asian Cup with Saudi Arabia and assisted Carlos Queiroz to World Youth Championship success with Portugal before that. But his greatest achievements were all more than 20 years ago, and this was his first taste of Southeast Asian football.
With a two-year contract freshly signed, TMJ spoke glowingly about Vingada leaving a legacy and inspiring other coaches. But within seven months, the affable 64-year-old, who would regularly be seen enjoying a coffee at the Petaling Jaya Hilton, was packing his bags and flying home to Lisbon.
A record of six defeats and a draw in seven matches was a miserable return that would have been unacceptable for even a local boss. Dollah Salleh suffered 10-0 and two 6-0 losses in 2015, but he did take the Malaysians to the final of the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup.
A heavy critic of Vingada’s predecessor Ong, TMJ quickly discovered how difficult overseeing a successful national team could be. That was even with the full support of his beloved JDT, which Ong never had.
At the same time, Ong’s young Malaysians did the nation proud, as they won the men’s football silver medal at the 2017 SEA Games and made the quarter-finals of the 2018 AFC U23 Championship in China.
Without a hint of irony, TMJ was quick to reference the U23 success in his farewell Facebook post, speaking of how the age-group teams “managed to make history” during his reign at “the highest level in Asia”. But the talented Ong surely would have surely taken Malaysia’s senior team closer to qualification for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup had TMJ given him the chance.
Instead, the Malaysians are at their worst-ever Fifa ranking and sit below Cambodia, St Lucia and Belize. They’re even seven spots adrift of the equally wretched Singapore, who also failed to win in 2017.
Should TMJ transition to the FMLLP role, he will no longer have to worry about the national team’s steady decline.
He has worked wonders with JDT, who are among the most impressive and well-supported clubs in Southeast Asia. TMJ should be commended for his vision at state level, and also for the strides he has made in building up domestic competitions since he took over at the FAM.
But no one is perfect, and with TMJ’s passion, energy and high profile, there have been some questionable decisions. He has rightfully accepted responsibility for the national team’s winless stretch. Now, if he’s able to keep his sizeable ego in check, while not favouring JDT above other stakeholders, he still has plenty to offer at FMLLP.
However, there are bound to be more pitfalls. If there’s one thing that the 33-year-old Manchester United fan should learn from the past 12 months, it is that turning around Malaysian football is a lot harder than it looks.