KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 — Any serious issues like the spat between the Malaysian Football League (MFL) and the Football Association of Sarawak (FAS) should be resolved through closed-door meetings so as not to aggravate the situation, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) said today.
FAM secretary-general Stuart Ramalingam said for the sake of protecting the local football industry, the parties involved should refrain from airing their grouses publicly.
“Judging by what has happened, it is not a matter to be taken lightly and for sure there have been internal discussions. This is quite a sensitive and high-profile matter, so we do not want to make comments that can fuel debate by various parties, including in social media.
“It may complicate efforts by certain quarters to find a solution. For sure, we in FAM are discussing it behind closed doors but we cannot comment officially. In football, many platforms can be used to resolve disputes,” he told reporters when asked on the issue at the World Football Summit (WFS) Asia here.
Stuart said FAM would work with all parties to settle the issue.
The FAM-FAS spat spilled into the open when FAS president Datuk Posa Majais called for the resignation of MFL CEO Kevin Ramalingam for allegedly failing to look after the interests of their stakeholders, including the failure to keep a big sponsorship deal with Telekom Malaysia (TM).
In another development, Stuart urged football teams and players to cooperate with agents registered with FAM when the second transfer window opens in May.
“We urge all teams and players to cooperate with intermediaries listed on the FAM website. Work with them because agents can offer all sorts of things,” he said.
He said if problems like non-payment of salary arose, FAM could only step in and help in cases where the dealings were conducted by registered agents.
Stuart also said he would meet with an agent from Europe offering five Malaysian players to play overseas. — Bernama
