The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) have appointed the Tunku Mahkota Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim as an advisor to the current FAM president, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.
Tunku Ismail, who is also fondly known as TMJ, will assist and work hand in hand with FAM in improving the quality of football within the country, particularly with the national team as well as the junior teams.
As predicted, there were several concerns about this news, particularly with TMJ having lost the FAM presidency election to Tengku Abdullah earlier this year. Besides that, he has also been extremely vocal with his criticisms on the nation’s footballing body.
However, the Johor FA president is extremely optimistic about his new role, claiming that he will only be pushing for the betterment of football within the country.
Speaking to reporters, the Johor Crown Prince said: “There needs to be a fundamental prioritization on team discipline, vision and mission for the national football team. But besides that, we also need to focus on strengthening the local leagues, which will inadvertently assist the national team as well.
“I would love to see the local football scene do well on all fronts, not only in terms of improving the league quality, but also the achievements of our national team. But at the same time, I also know that it can’t be achieved within a short space of time.
“However, if we take the necessary steps and focus on development carefully, things will improve drastically in the next few years.”
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