Khairy Chicken Out, Shahidan eyeing for FAM deputy president

KANGAR, July 16 (Bernama) -- As the guessing game begins on who will fill the deputy president's post in the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) vacated by Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, Perlis Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim was suddenly mentioned as a probable candidate.
The man himself, however, declined to comment when asked whether he was interested to take over.
"I am afraid to give comments or the FAM may penalise me," said Shahidan, who is also Perlis Football Association president, when met at the Utama Stadium here today.
His name was mentioned as among the "probable" qualified candidates for the post by Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said when launching the national-level Rakan Cinta Alam in Gua Kelam here today.
Shahidan is also the president of the Malaysian Amateur Athletics Union, Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia and Kabbadi Association of Malaysia and said he that he was presently focusing on these sports.
However, he nodded repeatedly when pressed further whether he agreed to offer himself for the second most important post in the country's football governing body.

FAM President Stays Put, Khairy Decides To Quit

KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 (Bernama) -- Sultan Ahmad Shah wants to remain as Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president despite growing public outcry that the top brass of the association quit over the dismal performance of the Malaysian national team in the ongoing Asian Cup.
Instead, the Sultan of Pahang merely wants to carry out what he calls a massive "overhaul" of the beleagured association and also conducts an inquiry on the national team's performance, described by many football fans as a national shame.
"Upon completion of the national team's final match in the competition, we will call for an inquiry," he told reporters who were anticipating that he would announce his resignation after 23 years at the helm of FAM on arrival at the Subang Air Base here today.
Calls for heads to roll in FAM have gathered momentum following yesterday's surprise announcement by his son Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah that he had resigned with immediate effect as Deputy President and all other posts in the football governing body.
Asked by reporters today why he decided to stay put, he replied: " I"m not a coward."
Sultan Ahmad Shah added that he would also chair a meeting next week to seek the "best solution" for the current state of affairs in the association.
Malaysia who host Group C matches of the Asian Cup, lost their first match 1-5 to China on July 10 and suffered another 0-5 defeat to Uzbekistan on Saturday.
The national team's ranking has also dropped to 149 in the FIFA world rankings after climbing to 118 a few years ago.
Sultan Ahmad Shah said he had also received a letter from general secretary Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad stating his intention to step down next month when his two-year term expires.
Politician Dr Ibrahim himself had last year indicated that he wanted to quit but curiously he stayed on.
Newspapers today were awash with scathing criticisms of the entire FAM leadership for overstaying and mismanaging football given the fact that Malaysia was once an Asian football power, even ranked higher than South Korea, a semi-finalist in the 2002 World Cup.
The attack against the FAM leadership this time around was unprecedented in its intensity.
These included comments like: "It has become a national shame. FAM mismanaged the sport for so long that they crippled it; They must all be held accountable and quit for the good of the game; Get the professionals in. Keep out the politicians and those who are in it for self-gain. Malaysian football and the fans have suffered long enough; It might already be too late. Malaysian football has lost it all -- no respect, no credibility, no money, no fans".
Speaking of his son's decision to quit, he said: " Although he is my son, I have to respect his decision".
But responding to further questions, Sultan Ahmad Shah said he was ready to hand over the presidency if there was a willing candidate.
"I will continue to serve but if there is someone willing to take over, they are welcomed," he said.

Meanwhile, FAM's independent council member Khairy Jamaluddin today quit his post with immediate effect.
In a letter to the FAM general secretary Dr Ibrahim, Khairy who became an independent council member in 2005 said he made the move as a mark of respect to Tengku Abdullah's decision to resign from the association.
"This is because Tengku Abdullah is the man responsible for bringing me into the FAM Council.
"I take this action on the basis of collective and shared responsibility for the deteriorating performance of the national football squad," he said.
Sources said Tengku Abdullah's quit decision was expected spark more resignations among the FAM Council members over the next few days.

tunku : i have said earlier that if shahidan is too keen to head "hundreds" of sport associations then he better quit politics and most of all the mb post. how can a mb holds post in so many sport associations.he supposed to give full attention to perlis development and the people's well being.
as for kayjay, the man chicken out.when he was in it was like he is the man who will change the football future of our country, but when the football future is dark, he chicken out, i wonder how he held the position of umno deputy youth head...oh i forgot he won it unopposed as he is the son in-law of the prime minister of malaysia in other term the de facto pm of malaysia.i guess the best man to fill the deputy president would be datuk basri akil.