Johor FA President Tunku Ismail banned 6 months

Johor Football Association president Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim was handed a six-month ban from all football activities and fined RM18,000 by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).

The punishment was for two alleged offences, namely breaching Article 88 of the Statute 2010-2014 and criticising the quality of referees in the M-League.

Article 88 states that only the FAM president and secretary-general can issue statements to the media while other individuals must get prior approval from FAM before issuing any statements.

FAM Disciplinary Committee chairman Datuk Taufik Abdul Razak said the punishment was meted out after Tunku Ismail who is also the Tengku Mahkota of Johor had pleaded guilty to both the charges.

"The punishment is effective today and we will send a letter to inform him of the punishment. Since it is the minimum punishment for such an offence, he cannot appeal," he told reporters after chairing the Disciplinary Committee meeting at Wisma FAM, Kelana Jaya, here, today.

Tunku Ismail was reported to have allegedly questioned the quality of refereeing during a Super League match between Johor Darul Takzim FC (JDT FC) and Lions XII from Singapore on Feb 19, at the Tan Sri Datuk Haji Hassan Yunos Stadium in Larkin, Johor.

The match ended in a 2-2 draw.

Taufik said the Johor Football Association was also fined RM30,000 for its failure to control the crowd who released flares during a Super League match against Negeri Sembilan in Larkin on March 2.

During the match that was won by JDT FC (2-1), the referee had to stop the match in the 84th minute after fans released flares that interrupted with play.