Referees must have integrity - Tunku Ismail

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has directed the Integrity Committee and the Referees Association to address the poor quality of refereeing in matches involving the Malaysian League (M-League).

Its president, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim in a statement Sunday said that an investigation should be conducted on 'suspect' referees and the decision would be taken this week.

"If it is clear that the individual (referee) failed to referee the match well, he should be punished and rested and if he is convicted of corruption, the referee should be banned for life.

"I have given the names and details of all the referees who served with the FAM to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) so that the authorities can monitor and ensure a corruption-free FAM."

Tunku Ismail advised all fans to be professional and open to issues involving their teams rather than point fingers by putting all the blame on the FAM.

" I just want to help the national team and rid football of politics and corruption. As for the fans who claimed I wanted to help Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT), the FAM will show the video recording for them to judge.

"Its not a big problem. If you (the fans) feel uncomfortable with me as FAM president, you can call on the affiliates to hold a congress to elect a new FAM president," he added. --Bernama