KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 — Looking for a challenge was the key factor that made Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) secretary-general Stuart Ramalingam choose to accept his appointment as the new chief executive officer (CEO) of the Malaysian Football League (MFL) effective September 1.
Stuart, 44, avowed that he is a passionate football fan, thus seeing it as a personal factor that will help him throughout the journey and also do the job well.
“I feel that the challenge in MFL is fundamental towards where the football industry is going to be, I am a passionate football person, I eat, breathe and sleep football and also I am a very passionate Malaysian.
“Because of that, I feel that while the pressure and the severity of the role may be more evident in MFL today, I take that challenge because I feel I can and I will provide some change in the near future for it, and hopefully in the long run as well,” he said in a virtual press conference today.
Last Monday, Stuart was confirmed as the new CEO of the MFL, succeeding Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan, who was appointed MFL president last week to take over the post vacated by Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin, who tendered his resignation on August 12.
Stuart was appointed FAM secretary-general in July 2018.
Meanwhile, he refused to comment on his appointment which has been linked to his brother Kevin Ramalingam, who is the former CEO of MFL and is now active in the local football industry with reigning Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT).
He said although they both share the same surname they are both different individuals with different abilities.
“Whatever that he has done to establish MFL, to create the product that it is today, I wouldn’t be able to have done that, so all credit to him, to have evolved from association-based football to a private entity like MFL.
“I truly appreciate all the work he has done when he was at the MFL because the fundamental foundation work of what he has done is a thing that I may have not been able to deliver. However, I think maybe now as the vehicle is running, I can improve it moving forward,” he added.
Kevin who was the CEO of The Red Warriors Sdn Bhd before becoming CEO of Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (now known as MFL) in April 2015, resigned from the post in November 2019.
In the meantime, Stuart asked for some time to get to know the whole of MFL before he finalises the mission and vision, as well as its direction. — Bernama
