⚽ When Leadership Fails — Why Malaysia’s Football Keeps Repeating Its Mistakes
By Amarjeet Singh @ AJ | Coaching4Champions
There was a time when football in Malaysia wasn’t powered by money — it was powered by hunger. Players fought for the badge, not bonuses. Coaches built character, not careers. Schools, clubs, and states all had one mission — to play better, not to look better.
Names like Soh Chin Aun, Santokh Singh, Arumugam, Mokhtar Dahari, R Arumugam, Namat Abdullah, and Shukor Salleh were born from school competitions, dusty pitches, and endless evenings of hard training. That generation wasn’t perfect — but it was hungry. It was disciplined. It had purpose.
🏆 The Past — Built from Hunger and Honour
Back then, grassroots development wasn’t a policy — it was a way of life. Coaches were teachers, mentors, even father figures. Local tournaments were packed. The crowd came not for glamour, but for glory. State pride meant something. Players came through from schools to clubs to national teams because systems existed — even if they were simple.
We didn’t need imported strategies; we had identity. But as leadership shifted from builders to politicians, from mentors to managers, the soul of the game began to fade.
🧩 The Present — When Committees Replace Competence
Fast forward to today, and what do we see?
- Clubs that can’t pay player wages or EPF contributions.
- Clubs pulling out due to financial crisis.
- Executives sacked and then compensated handsomely.
- Associations that raise glasses at events instead of raising standards.
Meanwhile, an event that generated RM420 million in tourism revenue becomes a political debate — yet no one debates the missing millions from state budgets or unpaid grassroots programs.
“We worry about who served beer at a dinner, but not about who’s serving failure to our youth.”
📉 Leadership Without Legacy
We once had state leaders who held top positions in FAM and AFC. But let’s ask the real questions:
- Did their own state clubs produce national players?
- Did their states run professional leagues with clear development goals?
- Did their academies grow, or did they die after the photo ops?
Terengganu once had Ahmad Paijan — a Singaporean who represented the state with pride. We even saw ex-England and ex-Asia players come here to uplift the game. But decades later, where are the successors to those players? Where are the local legends that states promised to build?
The truth? We replaced substance with ceremony. Leadership titles replaced legacies. Development became a slogan — not a system.
🧠 Research-Based Leadership and Reform
In my own research on sports and organizational reform (Amarjeet Singh @ AJ — Academia Research), every successful football nation has one thing in common: professional structure and long-term development KPIs.
Japan did it after 1993 with a 100-year plan. Qatar did it through Aspire Academy. Even Vietnam focused on grassroots reforms before glory. They didn’t “copy blindly” — they adapted and evolved.
“Copying success is not weakness — it’s wisdom. That’s called progress.”
🇪🇺 TMJ’s European Blueprint — The Modern Example
While others talk, TMJ builds. He’s not just buying players — he’s buying systems. JDT’s model mirrors European football professionalism, adapted for Malaysian soil:
- Professional management and technical directors with clear KPIs.
- Centralized data analytics for performance and injury prevention.
- Structured youth academies under 12s tied to education programs.
- Dedicated player welfare, mental health, and post-retirement plans.
TMJ’s vision is simple — don’t just play football, build football. And that’s why Johor thrives while others survive.
🏗️ What Needs to Be Done — A National Reset
Malaysia can no longer rely on emotion; it needs execution. The blueprint for revival isn’t complicated, but it demands courage:
1️⃣ Coaching Quality
- Mandatory certification and continuous upgrades for coaches.
- Coach-exchange programs with Japan, Korea, and Europe.
- Incentives for schools and teachers who produce athletes.
2️⃣ Training Centers & Talent Pathways
- Each state must have a functioning high-performance center linked to FAM and MOE.
- Shared facilities between MSN, MOE, and FAM to avoid duplication.
- Leagues designed by age groups with clear progression metrics.
3️⃣ Transparency & Governance
- Financial audits and salary transparency for all state teams.
- No more CEOs taking payouts while players go unpaid.
- Clear public reporting of sponsorship and government grants.
4️⃣ MOE–FAM Collaboration
- MOE handles early education and together with FAM grassroots sports.
- FAM & states clubs manage elite player transition to national level.
- Shared database, scouts, and KPIs to link both systems.
5️⃣ Leadership & Values
Leadership isn’t about speeches or slogans. It’s about building something others can continue. People support leaders whose blueprints are clear, whose values are consistent, and whose actions produce results. You’ll always have critics — the monkeys throwing stones at your glass house — but history remembers builders, not noise-makers.
🔥 The Final Question
So, after decades of titles, meetings, and slogans, we must finally ask: Have we truly progressed — or just perfected the art of excuses?
If we want world-class results, we must build world-class systems — not world-class speeches. The future belongs to those who stop blaming, start building, and believe that Malaysia can rise again.
🌍 Naturalised Players — From Pioneers to Policy
Naturalised players have always been part of Malaysia’s football story. The idea wasn’t born yesterday — it began decades ago when Malaysia looked for ways to strengthen its squad and bring international exposure to the local game.
⚽ The First Generation — Hunger and Honour
In January 1984, Razali Alias of Singapore became Malaysia’s first naturalised player. He made his debut for the national team in March 1985 against the UAE. The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) even tried to register him for the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, but FIFA rejected the move as he had already been capped by Singapore.
The second naturalised player, Ahmad Paijan, also from Singapore, received his Malaysian citizenship in 1995 after 13 years of playing for Terengganu. These players weren’t chasing luxury — they earned their place through loyalty and long service. Their integration was organic — based on contribution, not convenience.
🌏 The Modern Era — Naturalisation as a Necessity
Fast forward to the late 2010s, when Malaysian football once again looked abroad — not for stardom, but for survival. Polls conducted by three local media outlets found majority public support for naturalising foreign players to raise performance levels. The Prime Minister himself welcomed the idea, while reminding that local talents must rise in tandem with imported quality.
This shift in policy reflected a sobering truth — our grassroots system wasn’t producing enough elite players. When a country starts importing footballers faster than it exports talent, it signals a systemic developmental failure.
📜 The Long List — Evolution Over Four Decades
Below is a snapshot of Malaysia’s naturalised and foreign-born players who have represented the national team:
| Name | Country of Birth | Citizenship Acquisition | Debut for Malaysia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Razali Alias | Singapore | 1984 | 1985 |
| Ahmad Paijan | Singapore | 1995 | — |
| Matthew Davies | Australia | 2015 | 2015 |
| Brendan Gan | Australia | 2014 | 2016 |
| Darren Lok | England | 2016 | 2016 |
| Mohamadou Sumareh | Gambia | 2018 | 2018 |
| Liridon Krasniqi | Kosovo | 2020 | 2021 |
| Guilherme de Paula | Brazil | 2021 | 2021 |
| Lee Tuck | England | 2022 | 2022 |
| David Rowley | Australia | 2018 | 2022 |
| Stuart Wilkin | England | 2021 | 2022 |
| Endrick | Brazil | 2023 | 2023 |
| Paulo Josué | Brazil | 2023 | 2023 |
| Nooa Laine | Finland | 2022 | 2023 |
| Romel Morales | Colombia | 2023 | 2024 |
| Hector Hevel | Netherlands | 2025 | 2025 |
| Gabriel Palmero | Spain | 2025 | 2025 |
| João Figueiredo | Brazil | 2025 | 2025 |
| Jon Irazabal | Spain | 2025 | 2025 |
| Rodrigo Holgado | Argentina | 2025 | 2025 |
| Imanol Machuca | Argentina | 2025 | 2025 |
| Facundo Garcés | Argentina | 2025 | 2025 |
| Richard Chin | England | 2023 | 2025 |
🧩 The Issue Isn’t Naturalisation — It’s Management
The concept of naturalisation is not wrong — it’s a global practice. The problem lies in execution, verification, and governance. Countries like Japan, Qatar, and the UAE manage this process meticulously with full documentation, player welfare systems, and legal checks.
Malaysia’s current crisis isn’t about foreign players — it’s about administrative carelessness and leadership accountability. When FAM mishandles paperwork, it doesn’t question the idea of naturalisation; it questions the competence of those trusted to manage it.
🔍 The Lesson
Naturalisation should complement local development, not replace it. Players like Sumareh, Brendan Gan, and Matthew Davies show that when managed well, foreign-born athletes can strengthen the squad and inspire local players. But without structure, even the best policies become scandals.
Written by: Amarjeet Singh @ AJ
Coaching4Champions.blogspot.com
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