FAM to work with Police to overcome match-fixing problems in football

Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) deputy president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said he will discuss with the police to finds ways to get rid of corruption and match-fixing in football.

He said the issue of corruption among football players would be given priority because the credibility of the sport and the image of Malaysian football would be tarnished if it was allowed to spread.

"I will not make any statement until I meet the police. We will boost effort to eradicate corruption because we do not want the image of Malaysian football to be tainted by just a handful of people.

"Although, it is going to be difficult to overcome, we will endeavour to do so for the sake of developing the sport to a higher level," he told reporters after visiting the families of two siblings who drowned at Pantai Sepat at Sungai Isap, near here, Wednesday.

Commenting further, Tengku Abdullah expressed regret the issue affected young players who had been reminded on the implication of corruption.

"We hope the police can give their views. If we need to stringently enforce the law, we will do so," he said, adding that salary was not a factor as the renumerations given were commensurate with performance.

Tengku Abdullah was commenting on the statement by FAM secretary-general Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad who clarified that the issue of corruption was not FAM's main priority, calling on the police and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to eradicate the problem.

In the meantime, he wanted the football management in every state or clubs to have the power to appoint, change or sack, at any time, imported players who did not shine, to ensure team performance was not affected, and the investment made was not futile.

"There must be an understanding for both parties (team and imported players). If they don't perform, not disciplined and refuse to change the pattern of their games...don't waste time by waiting for a year before taking action.

"It is better if we invest the money to help our young players to further strengthen the quality of Malaysian football," he said.