Hamidin reveals how he’s managing tough ball game as FAM boss
THE hotseat has become ‘’hotter’’ for Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin but he is choosing to be cool about it. From a poison-pen letter to players’ performances and his salary, all have come under scrutiny. He opens up on how he has been dealing with it.

Q: How would you describe the year for you Datuk Hamidin?

A: This is the toughest period for me as a president.

Are all the allegations in the letter, including your salary and of those not paid, true?

The poison-pen letter came one day before the congress. There was a motive behind it. Our integrity committee chaired by Tan Sri Aseh, have members from the Police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). MACC are investigating and we can’t comment on the financial details until a report is made. We also have an internal task force looking into grouses aired by some staff and on secretary-general (Datuk Noor Azman Rahman). They have been meeting all the staff the past three weeks. The report will be out soon. Let’s wait. I’m sad this has happened but, God is great. The truth will prevail.

What are you doing to strengthen the administration team?

I’m looking at the allegations and also strengthening the administration. If we are weak, we want to improve. The due process is ongoing. I have called the secretary-general to improve certain things and he is aware because I want the future to be better. As for the staff’s unhappiness, maybe it is just four or five of them but we want to settle this as soon as possible.

The Government’s RM5mil allocation was to help Harimau Malaya prepare for the Asian Cup qualifiers. Has it been used and why wasn’t there sufficient preparation?

Look, we wanted to send the boys for a training stint in Dubai before the games against Oman. However, we could not go ahead because a few clubs did not want to release their players. After all, the training stint was not part of the FIFA international window calendar. If the release was possible, we could have had friendly games in Dubai. I know coach Kim Pan-gon was frustrated but how to do a stint like that with five to seven players?

But were you stern enough in asking the clubs to release their men since it was the pre-season period?

I did. I’ve already pushed. I did it quite early but the clubs did not want to budge.

Why were the league fixtures pushed to May when there was an all-important qualifying match in March?

Coach Pan-gon was supposed to discuss it. When the Malaysian Football League (MFL) announced that the league would only start in May this year, nothing was said. Maybe they did not realise it then but when they did, it was too late.

The national coaching team do meet with the MFL often to discuss on the football calendar but before the games against Oman, Pan-gon came to me and asked if the dates could be changed but I said it was too late because the MFL had already planned the fixtures.

Pan-gon seemed frustrated. How is the relationship between you and him and is it true that he wanted to resign?

My partnership with Pan-gon is okay but he wanted certain things and if it cannot happen, it cannot happen. Clubs have their priorities. For our next international assignment, we are planning at least one friendly. When I saw the report that he was considering resignation, I immediately called him and asked what was happening, because I brought him to Malaysia. If he wants to resign, he has to talk to me and I will go ahead looking for a new coach. Pan-gon denied the report and said it was just rumours. He pledged to fulfil his contract until at least next year.

What about squad selection and does Pan-gon have the full say?

The coach picks the players he wants. Win or lose, it is the coach’s responsibility.

We mentioned (Nathaniel Shio) Hong Wan, but he picked Natxo (Insa) for the Asian Cup and now he is not picking the latter.

As for Feroz (Baharuddin), he said the player was young and will be considered for future call-ups. If someone says Pan-gon doesn’t have a full say, it is not true. I accommodate whatever he wants when it comes to selection.

Malaysia play Kyrgyzstan and Taiwan in Group D of the World Cup 2026-Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers. Will it be a failure if we don’t make it?

Going to the third round would be a bonus for us. But if that does not happen, we will go again in the Asian Cup 2027 round three qualifiers and push ourselves to qualify for the Asian Cup again. The aim is to qualify for the biggest continental stage again after playing in Qatar earlier this year.

What happened in the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup and are you worried about grassroots development?

Our technical director (Scott O’Donell) said the lack of minutes hampered the progress but we are waiting for the full report. Our minimum target was last 16, but that did not happen. But I’m still glad that we are getting to the continental competitions regularly. That needs to be maintained. Now, we are planning to reintroduce the Harimau Muda project. We will have two teams, Under-19 and Under-21, all under FAM’s payroll with some help from other stakeholders. We want to send them abroad to play in friendly matches or even in leagues. We are doing this to prepare for the SEA Games 2025 and 2027.

Malaysia have not won an international trophy yet since you took over as FAM head. Is that bothering you?

Maybe, it does bother me. The upcoming AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup presents an opportunity but it’ll be tough because I’m sure the top teams like Selangor and JDT will not be sending their top players. We have to scout for other players to fill up the national team. But we will surely give our best.

For the national team, we have seen our rankings go up, but for the rest, for the Under-19 and Under-23, we must do something. We need to raise our standards by 200 percent. I have proposed to the ministry for FAM to take over the Akademi Mokhtar Dahari (AMD) because we have the technical expertise to improve the development there.

We want to ensure the ‘’teachers’’ (coaches), whether psychological or goalkeeping, are top-notch. We want to see more success from AMD. It needs a better structure.

How do you want to be remembered as a president?

Building a new headquarters and National Training Centre will be my legacy and the works for it are ongoing. I’ve given my heart and soul to the game from those days. When it is time to go, I will go. I do not want recognition. I will leave it to the public to say what they feel about me. I will let them judge me.
Football,Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin,Question and Answer,FAM
THE hotseat has become ‘’hotter’’ for Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin but he is choosing to be cool about it.