Football Association of Malaysia

Governing body of association football in Malaysia

Football Association of MalaysiaAFC

Founded| 11 September 1926; 98 years ago (1926-09-11)
Headquarters| Wisma FAM, Kelana Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
FIFA affiliation| 1954
AFC affiliation| 1954[1]
AFF affiliation| 1984
President| Mohd Joehari Mohd Ayub
General Secretary| Noor Azman Hj Rahman
Website| fam.org.my

The Football Association of Malaysia (commonly abbreviated as FAM; Malay: Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia) is the national governing body of football in Malaysia, headquartered at Wisma FAM. The FAM is also one of the founding members of both the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It has been affiliated with FIFA since 1954.

## History

[edit]

### Pre-independence football

[edit]

The British introduced football to Malaya, and the locals quickly embraced the game, making it the country's leading sport. By the late 19th century, football had become a central activity in most sports clubs across Malaya, though it lacked proper structure. The establishment of the Selangor Amateur Football League in 1905 brought some administration and organization, but the competition remained limited to clubs in Kuala Lumpur.[2]

In 1921, the battleship HMS Malaya visited the country. After competing in football and rugby matches with local teams, the officers and crew decided to commemorate the games by presenting trophies for annual competitions in both sports. This led to the establishment of a national football tournament involving all states in Malaya. Known initially as the Malaya Cup—later renamed the Malaysia Cup in 1963—the competition has been held continuously, except during the war years.[2]

In 1926, the Selangor Amateur Football League was officially established. Ten years later, in 1936, the Football Association of Selangor was formed. This association began organizing tournaments, which inspired other states in Malaya to follow suit. Also in 1926, the Football Associations of Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca, and the Singapore Amateur Football Association came together to form the Malayan Football Association (MFA). The MFA was created to assemble a Malayan team to compete against an Australian side visiting Singapore that year.[2]

In 1933, the MFA was reorganized into the Football Association of Malaya (FAM). Initially headquartered in Singapore, the FAM took on responsibility for running the Malaya Cup competition.[2]

The first FAM president was Sir Andrew Caldecott, followed by M.B. Shelley, Dr. J.S. Webster, S.D. Scott, R. Williamson, and Adrian Clark, who served until 1940. As Europe entered full-scale war with Germany, FAM operations moved from Singapore to Malaya, and A.R. Singham became the first Asian secretary in 1941.[citation needed] After the war, J.E. King became FAM's president, succeeded by H.P. Byson and then Dr. C. Rawson, who served for two years before the position was taken over by the first non-British president.[2]

In 1951, Tunku Abdul Rahman—later Malaysia's first Prime Minister—was appointed as FAM president. Under his leadership, football in Malaysia entered a new phase, with the FAM playing a more prominent role beyond organizing the Malaysia Cup.[2]

In 1956, FAM became one of the 14 founding members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Two years later, it achieved full membership in FIFA.[2]

### After independence

[edit]

Tunku Abdul Rahman's passion for football played a pivotal role in the construction of the Merdeka Stadium, which in 1957 became a historic site as the venue for Malaysia's independence declaration from Britain.[3]

The stadium also marked the beginning of the Merdeka Tournament (Pestabola Merdeka), which was popularly referred to as the 'Mini Asia Cup' from the 1960s to the 1980s.[4] The tournament was a significant success and inspired similar events such as the Jakarta Anniversary Tournament in Indonesia, the King's Cup in Thailand, and the President's Cup in South Korea.[5] The inaugural tournament—then the premier football competition in Asia—was won by Hong Kong.[3] Malaya claimed the title three consecutive times, winning in 1958 and 1959, and sharing it with South Korea in 1960.[3] The country later qualified for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich and the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.[3]

In the early 1960s, the organization's name was officially changed to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM). Tunku Abdul Rahman continued to promote football development, particularly through youth competitions, until his resignation in 1974.[2] His successor, Malaysia's second Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak, held the post for one year before Hamzah Abu Samah took over in 1976. Hamzah, who was the Minister of Trade and Industry, introduced several initiatives to develop the sport.[2]

Between 1976 and 1984, numerous football programs were implemented under Hamzah's leadership.[2] The FAM entered a new phase when the Sultan of Pahang, Haji Ahmad Shah, assumed leadership. His tenure saw the introduction of the semi-professional league in 1989, which eventually transitioned into full professionalism.[2] Despite these efforts, success on the international stage for Malaysia's national team remained elusive.[2]

One of the highlights of Malaysian football history was hosting the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship. Domestically, the league underwent several transformations, culminating in the establishment of the Malaysia Super League (M-League) in 2004. However, the national team suffered significant defeats in international competitions during this period.

On 13 September 2018, FAM received the AFC Dream Asia Award in the Developing Category.[6] In 2019, FAM was also awarded the AFC Dream Asia Award (Bronze) in the Inspiring Category.[7]

## Associations affiliation

[edit]

There are 20 Football Associations affiliated to the FAM. Besides the 14 FAs with regional location, six others are affiliated units.[8][9]

### State affiliation

[edit]

* Football Association of Perlis (PFA)
* Football Association Penang (FAP)
* Kedah Football Association (KFA)
* Perak Football Association (PAFA)
* Football Association of Selangor (FAS)
* Kuala Lumpur Football Association (KLFA)
* Negeri Sembilan Football Association (NSFA)
* Melaka Football Association (MAFA)
* Johor Football Association (JFA)
* Football Association of Kelantan (KAFA)
* Football Association of Terengganu (TFA)
* Football Association of Pahang (PBNP)
* Football Association of Sarawak (FAS)
* Sabah Football Association (SAFA)

### Affiliation units

[edit]

* Malaysian Malay's Football Association (PBMM)
* Malaysian Chinese Football Association (MCFA)
* Malaysian Indian Sports Council (MISC)
* Royal Malaysia Police Football Association (RMPFA)
* Malaysian Armed Forces Football Association (AFFA)
* Football Coaches Association of Malaysia (PJBM)

[10][11][12][13]

* FAM-MSN Project (FMPS)

## Competitions

[edit]

The Football Association of Malaysia had run all top football competitions in Malaysia until 2015, when the Football Malaysia LLP (FMLLP), which is now known as the Malaysian Football League (MFL) was formed as part of the privatisation of the Malaysian football league system. The MFL took over all the top professional football competition previously managed by the FAM. The list below are the competitions which are managed by the Malaysia Football League since it inception in 2015:[14]

* Liga Super
* Liga Premier (until 2022)
* Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League
* Malaysia A2 Amateur League
* Malaysia A3 Community League
* Piala FA
* Piala Malaysia
* MFL Challenge Cup
* Piala Sumbangsih (Super Cup)
* MFL Cup (U23)

FAM also focuses on youth development football, women football and futsal leagues and tournaments in Malaysia.[15]

* Malaysia National Women's League
* Piala Tun Sharifah Rodziah
* Piala Presiden (U21)
* Piala Belia (U19)
* Liga Puteri-FAM (U16)
* MPFL Division 1
* MPFL Division 2
* Malaysia Premier Futsal League (Women)
* Malaysia Futsal Cup
* Malaysia Futsal Cup (Women)

## Awards

[edit]

Main article: FAM Football Awards

## Principals

[edit]

Office-holders[2] Office  | Name  | Tenure

|
|

President  | Sir Andrew Caldecott | 1933–1934
M.B. Shelley  |
J.S. Webster  |
S.D. Scott  |
R. Williamson  |
Adrian Clark  | 1938–1940
J.E. King  | 1947–1948
H.P. Byson  | 1948–1949
C. Rawson  | 1949–1951
Tunku Abdul Rahman | 1958–1974
Abdul Razak Hussein | 1975–1976
Hamzah Abu Samah | 1976–1983
Ahmad Shah of Pahang | 1984–2014
Abdullah of Pahang | 2014–2017
Tunku Ismail Idris | 2017–2018
Hamidin Mohd Amin  | 2018–2025
Mohd Joehari Mohd Ayub  | 2025–2029
Office-holders[2] Office  | Name  | Tenure

|
|

General Secretary  | A.R. Singham  | 1941
Kwok Kin Keng  | 1948–1979
T.P. Murugasu  | 1980–1987
Paul Mony Samuel  | 1988–2000
Dell Akbar Khan | 2000-2005
Ibrahim Saad  | 2005–2007
Azzuddin Ahmad  | 2007–2013
Hamidin Mohd Amin  | 2013–2018
Stuart Ramalingam  | 2018–2021
Mohd Saifuddin Abu Bakar  | 2021–2024
Noor Azman Hj Rahman  | 2025–2029
Name  | Position  | Source

|
|

Mohd Joehari Mohd Ayub  | President  | [16][17]
Mohd Yusoff Mahadi  | Vice President  | [16]
S Sivasundaram  | Vice President  | [16]
Rosmadi Ismail  | 2nd Vice President  | [16]
Mohd Azhar Jamaluddin | 3rd Vice President  | [16]
Dollah Salleh | 4th Vice President  | [16]
Saaran Nadarajah  | 5th Vice President  | [17]
Noor Azman Hj Rahman  | General Secretary  | [16][17]
Ismail Karim  | Treasurer  | [16]
Scott O'Donell | Advisor & Agent  |
Tan Cheng Hoe | Technical Director  | [16][17]
Peter Cklamovski | Team Coach (Men's)  | [16][17]
Joel Cornelli  | Team Coach (Women's)  | [16][17]
Hishamuddin Abdul Karim | Media/Communications Manager  | [16]
P Sentikumar  | Futsal Coordinator  | [16]
Kassim Kadir Bacha  | Referee Coordinator  | [16]

## Management

[edit]

February 2025 Source

### Executive committee

[edit]

* President: Mohd Joehari Mohd Ayub
* Deputy President: Yusoff Mahadi, S. Sivasundaram
* Vice-president: Rosmadi Ismail, Mohd Azhar Jamaluddin, Dollah Salleh, Saaran Nadarajah
* Other members: Zainal Abidin Hassan, Hishamuddin Abdul Karim, Mohd Hisamudin Yahaya, Mohd Azizudin Mohd Shariff, Tang Chee Hong, Kamarudin Hassan, Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri, Sugumaran Parthasarathy

### FAM Judiciary

[edit]

Disciplinary

* Chairman: Baljit Singh Sidhu
* Deputy chairman: Abd Shukor Ahmad

Appeals

* Chairman: Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff
* Deputy chairman: Sheikh Mohd Nasir Sheikh Mohd Sharif

### Club licencing

[edit]

First Instance Body

* Chairman: Sheikh Mohd Nasir Sheikh Mohd Sharif

Appeals Body

* Chairman: Wirdawati Mohd Radzi

### Treasurer

[edit]

* Chairman: Ismail Karim

### National teams

[edit]

* Chairman: Mohd Joehari Mohd Ayub

Malaysia national football team

* Manager: Peter Cklamovski

Malaysia national under-23 football team

* Manager:Nafuzi Zain

Malaysia national under-22 football team

* Manager: Nafuzi Zain

Malaysia national under-19 football team

* Manager: Juan Torres Garrido

Malaysia national under-16 football team

* Manager: Javier Jorda Ribera

Malaysia women's national football team

* Manager: Joel Cornelli

Malaysia national futsal team

* Manager: Rakphol Sainetngam

Malaysia women's national futsal team

* Manager: Chiew Chun Yong

## See also

[edit]

* Malaysia national under-23 football team
* Malaysia national under-22 football team
* Malaysia national under-19 football team
* Malaysia national under-16 football team
* National Football Development Programme of Malaysia
* Malaysian football league system
* List of Malaysia football champions
* List of football clubs in Malaysia
* Malaysia national football team honours
* Malaysia national beach soccer team

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Asian soccer championship next year". The Straits Times. National Library Board. 27 May 1954. p. 14. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
• "ASIAN SOCCER FINALS IN SINGAPORE May be used as Olympic series". The Singapore Free Press. National Library Board. 5 October 1954. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
• "Singapore to meet Indonesia in Asian Soccer Tourney". The Straits Times. National Library Board. 14 June 1955. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "History - FAM". Football Association of Malaysia. Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
3. ^ a b c d T. Avineshwaran (13 May 2004). "Sporting landmarks through the years". The Star. Archived from the original on 1 March 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
4. ^ "Piala FAM, Pestabola Merdeka bakal kembali" (in Malay). Bebas News. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
5. ^ "Hope Floats For Stalled Merdeka Tournament". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
6. ^ "AFC Dream Asia Awards winners announced in new Member Associations categories". AFC. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
7. ^ "AFC Dream Asia Awards winners announced in Member Associations categories". AFC. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
8. ^ "Affiliates". Football Association of Malaysia. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
9. ^ Subkhi Sudarji (25 February 2017). "Debaran pemilihan Presiden FAM" (in Malay). Sinar Harian. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
10. ^ Karel Stokkermans (10 August 2017). "Malaysia - List of Champions". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
11. ^ "Malaysia 1921". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
12. ^ Atsushi Fujioka; Erik Garin; Mikael Jönsson; Hans Schöggl (11 January 2018). "FA of Malaysia Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
13. ^ Seng-Foo Lee (12 August 2015). "How to start a professional football club in Malaysia". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
14. ^ Ooi Kin Fai (7 May 2015). "Malaysian football going for the German way". Goal.com. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
15. ^ "Local Matches". Football Association of Malaysia. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n FIFA.com. "Member Association - Malaysia". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
17. ^ a b c d e f "The AFC.com - The Asian Football Confederation". The AFC. Retrieved 1 November 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Sports governing bodies in Malaysia (MAS)

Summer Olympic sports|

* Aquatics
* diving
* swimming
* synchronized swimming
* water polo
* Archery
* Athletics
* Badminton
* Basketball
* Boxing
* Canoeing
* Cycling
* Equestrian
* Fencing
* Field hockey
* Football
* Golf
* Gymnastics
* Handball
* Judo
* Modern pentathlon
* Rugby sevens
* Rowing
* Sailing
* Shooting
* Practical shooting
* Table tennis
* Taekwondo
* Tennis
* Triathlon
* Volleyball
* inc. beach volleyball
* Weightlifting
* Wrestling

Winter Olympic sports|

* Biathlon
* Bobsleigh
* Curling
* Skating
* figure
* speed
* short track
* Ice hockey
* Luge
* Skeleton
* Skiing
* alpine
* cross-country
* Nordic combined
* freestyle
* jumping
* Snowboarding

Other IOC recognised sports|

* Air sports
* Auto racing
* Bandy
* Baseball
* Billiard sports
* Boules
* Bowling
* Bridge
* Chess
* Cricket
* Dance sport
* Floorball
* Karate
* Korfball
* Lifesaving
* Motorcycle racing
* Mountaineering and climbing
* Netball
* Orienteering
* Pelota vasca
* Polo
* Powerboating
* Racquetball
* Roller sports
* Rugby
* Sepaktakraw
* Softball
* Sport climbing
* Squash
* Sumo
* Surfing
* Tug of war
* Underwater sports
* Water ski
* Wushu

Paralympics and disabled sports|

* Deaf

Others sports|

* Rugby league
* Rugby union

* Olympic Council of Malaysia
* Paralympic Council of Malaysia

* v
* t
* e

Football in Malaysia

History

National teams|

| Current|

* Men's (results)
* Men's U-23 (results)
* Men's U-22 (results)
* Men's U-19 (results)
* Men's U-16
* Women's
* Women's U-20
* XI
* Futsal (women's)
* Beach Football (women's)

|

Former|

* Harimau Muda A (U-22)
* Harimau Muda B (U-21)
* Harimau Muda C (U-19)

League competitions|

| Main league|

* Malaysia Super League (Level 1)
* Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League (Level 2)
* Malaysia A2 Amateur League (Level 3)
* Malaysia A3 Community League (Level 4–9)
* Malaysia National Women's League (women's)

|

Development League|

* Piala Presiden (U-21)
* Piala Belia (U-19)
* Liga Puteri-FAM (U-16 women's)

Others|

* MPFL Division 1 (Men) (Level 1)
* MPFL Division 2 (Men) (Level 2)
* Malaysia Premier Futsal League (Women)

Defunct|

* Malaysian League (Liga Malaysia (1982–1988) (Amateur), Liga Semi-Pro (Divisyen 1 & Divisyen 2), Liga Perdana, Liga Perdana 1 & Liga Perdana 2)
* Malaysia Premier League
* MFL Cup (U-23)
* Liga Nasional (Amateur)
* Liga Bolasepak Rakyat

Cup competitions|

| Current|

* Malaysia Cup
* Malaysia FA Cup
* Malaysia Challenge Cup
* Piala Sumbangsih
* Piala Emas Raja-Raja
* Merdeka Tournament
* Piala Tun Sharifah Rodziah (Women's)
* Piala Menteri Pendidikan Tinggi
* Malaysia Futsal Cup

|

Defunct|

* Burnley Cup
* Borneo Cup
* Malaysia FAM Cup

Related|

* 1994 Malaysian football scandal

Seasons

* 1900
* 1901
* 1902
* 1903
* 1904
* 1905
* 1906
* 1907
* 1908
* 1909
* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020

* Football Association of Malaysia
* Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia
* List of clubs
* List of venues
* List of Malaysian footballers
* Naturalised and overseas footballers

* v
* t
* e

National football associations of Asia (AFC)

West Asia (WAFF)|

* Bahrain
* Iraq
* Jordan
* Kuwait
* Lebanon
* Oman
* Palestine
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* Syria
* United Arab Emirates
* Yemen

Central Asia (CAFA)|

* Afghanistan
* Iran
* Kyrgyzstan
* Tajikistan
* Turkmenistan
* Uzbekistan

South Asia (SAFF)|

* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* India
* Maldives
* Nepal
* Pakistan
* Sri Lanka

East Asia (EAFF)|

* China
* Guam
* Hong Kong
* Japan
* Macau
* Mongolia
* Northern Mariana Islands†
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Chinese Taipei

Southeast Asia (AFF)|

* Australia
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* East Timor
* Indonesia
* Laos
* Malaysia
* Myanmar
* Philippines
* Singapore
* Thailand
* Vietnam

Defunct|

* South Yemen

† denote full Member Association is not a FIFA member
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