KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 17 — The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is now taking over the technical role in the implementation of the National Football Development Programme (NFDP).

The National Sports Council (NSC) announced in a statement that the move was taken to strengthen the national football talent development ecosystem in a more structured, integrated and high-impact manner.

NSC announced that this takeover involves entirely technical aspects, in line with FAM’s expertise and mandate as the national football governing body.

“Among the main responsibilities carried out by FAM include athlete training, tournament participation, and coaching management at all levels of NFDP implementation.

“This is in line with the proposal of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) which made an assessment of the development programme as a result of the request from the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS),” according to NSC.

At the same time, NSC announced that it will continue to play an important role in managing aspects of athlete management and support.

The responsibilities include administration, facility and financial management, competition management, athlete welfare and education, dormitory and nutrition management, medical services and sports science, in addition to the implementation of the comprehensive athlete development programme.

According to NSC, this clear division of roles between FAM and NSC aims to ensure that NFDP is implemented more effectively and professionally, in line with international football development standards, while also ensuring the welfare and comprehensive development of the country’s young athletes.

“To ensure that the governance of the NFDP continues to be transparent and effective, this programme is monitored by three committees The main ones are: The Steering Committee, chaired by the Minister of Youth and Sports Mohamed Taufiq Johari as the highest body in setting the strategic direction of NFDP.

“The Working Committee, chaired by the director-general of NSC Jefri Ngadirin, is responsible for coordinating the implementation of policies and programme operations,” explained NSC.

Commenting further, NSC informed that this more robust and organised management structure is believed to be able to produce more high-quality players who are not only excellent at the national level, but also competitive on the international stage, thus strengthening the future of Malaysian football. — Bernama