01 Feb

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) today decided to terminate the contracts of national head coach B. Sathianathan and national team manager Datuk Soh Chin Aun. FAM deputy president Datuk Redzuan Tan Sri Sheikh Ahmad said the termination of Sathianathan and Chin Aun's contracts was to pave the way for new faces to head the national football team. "The FAM executive committee meeting chaired by FAM president Sultan Ahmad Shah were unanimous in their decision to terminate Sathianathan and Chin Aun's services. Sathianathan will be given a month's notice while Chin Aun's termination takes effect immediately," Redzuan told reporters at Wisma FAM...

07:35 / Local / Sports
0 Likes
31 Jan

TOMORROW'S FA of Malaysia (FAM) exco meeting should, based on president Sultan Ahmad Shah's promise last week, result in some drastic decisions. The unfit national team's 5-0 loss to the United Arab Emirates in an Asian Cup qualifier two weeks was the last straw for Sultan Ahmad Shah and fed-up of being taken advantage of, he promised that he would speak his mind from now on. Such is the anger with local football that many have even called for Sultan Ahmad Shah, at the helm for 25 years now, to step down. While that may satisfy some, Sultan Ahmad Shah's departure...

04:22 / Local / Sports
0 Likes
23 Jan

FA of Malaysia (FAM) president Sultan Ahmad Shah has had enough with the repeated failures of the national team and has promised that drastic action will be taken to arrest the never-ending slide. Sultan Ahmad Shah intends to speak his mind at the FAM exco meeting and the state FAs can expect an earful. "I have had enough and I am going to make drastic changes when the exco meets. I have been taking criticism for far too long and I have never complained. I love football and that is why, for the last 24 years, I've been here," said...

04:16 / Local / Sports
0 Likes
23 Jan

HE is under fire but national coach B. Sathianathan is not backing away from his criticism of the M-League. His "M-League is no football" statement has irked many in the FA of Malaysia but Sathianathan, who could well lose his job, made no apologies in the aftermath of Malaysia's 5-0 thrashing by the United Arab Emirates in an Asian Cup qualifier on Wednesday. Sathianathan did, though, try to explain his real reason for the remark. "When I said that M-League is no football, I meant that teams and coaches must demand more from the players. We (the national team) can't...

04:09 / Local / Sports
0 Likes
20 Jan

BARRING objections, K. Rajagopal is set to be given the responsibility of guiding the national Under-23 football team for the Laos Sea Games in December. The recommendation for Rajagopal to be given the job will be made by the technical sub-committee the FA of Malaysia formed following the senior team's failure to make the Asean Championship semi-finals last month. There were 10 applicants for the post, including former Thailand and Indonesia national Peter Withe and UPB-MyTeam's Boyan Hodak, but Rajagopal's familiarity with the the players saw him getting the support of the sub-committee and the national team management committee has to...

04:03 / Local / Sports
0 Likes
14 Jan

REMINDERS have been sent to state FA and clubs who have not insured their players for the ongoing season to do so and that is about all the FA of Malaysia can do. There is nothing in the FAM statutes making it compulsory for teams to insure their players as it is only mentioned in the national body's competition regulations. Only five of the 28 teams competing in the Malaysian Super League and Premier League have undertaken insurance coverage, leaving almost 400 players wondering what their fate would be if they are injured during a match. FAM general secretary Lt Jen (R) Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad, when contacted, confirmed that only...

02:52 / Local / Sports
0 Likes
13 Jan

IF their apathy was limited to non-payment of wages, EPF and income tax payments before, some teams are now flouting their moral obligations as well. Only five teams have insured their players for the 2009 season and what makes it sad is this is being done without any regard to what the consequences could be. Previously, this was never an issue as the FA of Malaysia deducted the RM75,000 premium from each team's annual grant of RM350,000. However, this policy was changed at the start of this season as teams were given the full amount and, obviously, some have decided the...

02:45 / Local / Sports
0 Likes
08 Jan

DESPITE a three-month break, officials appointed by the FAM found the Sultan Mahmud Stadium field in Kota Baru unmarked and grass uncut for the Malaysian Super League (MSL) match between KL Plus FC and Kelantan on Jan 3. The FA of Malaysia competitions committee, which met at Wisma FAM yesterday, thus awarded the match to KL Plus 3-0. Yesterday's meeting was chaired by Datuk Che Mat Jusoh, and the competitions committee deliberated long and hard on the report submitted by the referees inspector and match commissioner before reaching their decision. "We went through the report and studied it before making...

02:26 / Local / Sports
0 Likes
05 Jan

THE Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is investigating a complaint by three local coaches who have accused the FA of Malaysia of irregularities in an A Licence coaching course. The three, who are prominent figures in the football fraternity,accused FAM's coaching department of lack of professionalism in conducting the course. The course saw 10 out of 21 getting through the theory and practical exams. The three were among those who didn't get through and they are demanding a review of their test papers. "We feel we have been victimized and that the coaching department was not fair in evaluating the results....

02:05 / Local / Sports
0 Likes
03 Jan

SO what can we expect from the Malaysian Super League which kicks off today? Critics say nothing much as whatever quality there was has gone out the window following the FA of Malaysia's (FAM) decision to bar foreign players. It was, as is the case with most FAM decisions, forced on the national body by certain affiliates who said they couldn't afford to hire foreigners. That should have the locals rejoicing as each team will now have an additional three homegrown players strutting their stuff although critics are not all that expectant. Malaysia's lack of quality was seen in the recent...

08:11 / Local / Sports
0 Likes