FAM briefs PM on state of football industry

KUALA LUMPUR: The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) laid out its plans to re-stabilise the country's football industry from the impact of COVID-19 when its top brass made a courtesy call on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob at Parliament Building yesterday.

Its president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin, who led the FAM delegation in the briefing, also presented in detail the latest football calendar and management of the national team, management of domestic and international competitions to Ismail Sabri.

Apart from that, Hamidin said the technical development programme with the aim of further strengthening the national team including the Under-22 team, women's football, youth, beach soccer and futsal were among the topics touched.

"Also discussed was the development of the new FAM headquarters and National Training Centre (NTC) in Precinct 5, Putrajaya which was envisioned by the seventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the late Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah who was FAM president from 1984 to 2014," he said in a post on FAM's Facebook page today.

Accompanying Hamidin in the briefing were two FAM deputy presidents Datuk Wira Mohd Yusoff Mahadi and Datuk S. Sivasundaram, FAM vice-president Datuk Seri Rosmadi Ismail and FAM secretary-general Mohd Saifuddin Abu Bakar.

In the meantime, Hamidin also sought the prime minister's views on efforts to develop other FAM-owned land for the purpose of developing Malaysian football from grassroots to the elite international level.

Hamidin at the same time believes that Ismail Sabri is a knowledgeable leader who understands the current state of the country's football industry, as he was Minister of Youth and Sports from 2008 to 2009.

In this regard, Hamidin opined that Ismail Sabri's views were important for FAM, especially in implementing medium- and long-term strategic planning for the progress of the country's football industry.

-- BERNAMA