JOHOR BARU, Nov 23 — Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim said Pahang’s refusal to replace Kedah at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup next year would give a bad impression of the local football industry.
“If truly the reason (why they withdrew) is shortage of funds, doesn’t the AFC provide an allocation to each competing team? If you (Pahang) reject the offer to play internationally, what's the point of having an AFC licence but not wanting to participate?
“When you refuse to play, it gives the impression that the top international competition is not important, you rather be ‘jaguh kampung’ (local heroes) than playing internationally and raising the level and quality of the local football industry,” said the Tunku Mahkota of Johor in a press conference here, this evening.
According to him, Pahang’s action also showed a lack of long-term thinking, especially in terms of attracting sponsors and giving players the opportunity to gain better playing experience.
He added that the FAM would hold talks with Pahang in the near future, and if the team remained stubborn, they would have to face the FAM Disciplinary Committee,
On Monday, the Pahang State Football Association (PBNP) announced its decision to not accept the offer to play in the 2018 AFC Cup competition, to concentrate fully on the domestic league.
Pahang was selected to enter the competition following Kedah Football Association’s (KFA) failure to meet AFC’s licensing requirements. —Bernama
