TUNKU Ismail Sultan Ibrahim will be asked to stay on as president of the Football Association of Malaysia, said the association’s general secretary Hamidin Amin.

Hamidin and fellow members of the executive council are en route to Johor Baru to have an audience with Tunku Ismail.

The Johor crown prince shocked the football fraternity last night when he announced it was time for him to leave after less than a year in the hot seat. 

Tunku Ismail, or TMJ as he is fondly known, had said it was time for him to step down after the national team’s ranking fell three places.

“Recently, the national team’s ranking fell three places and this is a very big failure. With that being said, I think it is time that the president of FAM leave football,” he said.

Tunku Ismail also listed his achievements as FAM president, saying he had managed to restructure local football to become less dependent on government funding.

Hamidin in a statement this morning said Tunku Ismail has done much for Malaysian football since becoming president in March last year.

“He has worked hard to attract sponsors and because of his efforts, all teams have received between RM1 million and RM3 million in grants for the current season,” Hamidin said.

Hamidin also said under the FAM president’s guidance, the Under-23, Under-19 and Under-16 teams represented the country in the highest level in Asia.

He added he was confident the national team’s ranking will improve under new coach Tan Cheng Hoe, who will be in charge in upcoming matches against Mongolia and Lebanon.

“Tunku Ismail is the only individual, at the moment, who is truly qualified to lead FAM,” said Hamidin. – March 16, 2018.