05/06/2026

SPORTS FRIDAY | JUNE 5, 2026

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Time for change AFC-proposed reforms best chance to modernise FAM, says Hamidin

F OOTBALL ASSOCIATION of Malaysia (FAM) honorary president Tan Sri Hamidin Mohd Amin has described the reforms proposed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) through amendments to the FAM statutes as the best opportunity for the national governing body to strengthen and modernise its governance structure. He said the reforms to FAM’s stat utes should not be interpreted as the national football governing body’s fail ure to comply with its previous stat utes. He added that FAM always oper ated in accordance with its existing statutes while making improvements from time to time. “I need to give the media a clearer picture. What we (FAM) have done before, as Datuk Seri Windsor (AFC secretary-general Datuk Seri Windsor Paul John) said, is an ongoing process. We follow the statutes. We have noth ing against the statutes. “But today there are some things that may be from the statute that are no longer in line with current develop ments, but to say we did not follow the statutes (is not correct), we follow the The former Motorcycling Grand Prix (MotoGP) rider believes it is that ability, coupled with support from the experi enced Aeon Credit-MT Helmets-MSI team that has produced world champi ons, that makes Hakim Danish one of the country’s most exciting young tal ent. “Hakim Danish is good even on a wet circuit. Rain (wet) or dry, he sure can ride… that’s his plus point,” he told reporters at the 2026 RCB and UMA Racing Rider-Ambassador Introduction ceremony in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Hafizh Syahrin also admitted that he has seen a significant improvement in the 18-year-old Hakim Danish’s per formance this season, especially in the way the youngster has almost seam lessly adapted to international-level competition. The 32-year-old Hafizh Syahrin described the youngster’s success in bagging a podium finish in his first race of the season as a “proud achieve ment”, more so since the Moto3 cate gory is extremely tough and competi tive. “I am proud of Hakim Danish. In the last to round, he looked so confident and showed so much improvement MALAYSIAN SHUTTLERS experienced a day of mixed fortunes at the Indonesia Open as the prestigious Super 1000 tournament moved into the critical round of 16. The day’s biggest highlight came from the premier men’s doubles pair, Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani. Exhibiting sublime form, the world No. 8 combination executed a masterful performance at Jakarta’s Istora Senayan. In a swift 30-minute display of tacti cal aggression, they overcame their opponents in straight games, 21-11, 21 13, to comfortably secure a quarterfinal berth. This dominant victory keeps Malaysia’s championship hopes alive in the men’s doubles division. In the women’s doubles bracket, tournament second seeds Pearly Tan

tion, implementing reforms such as those presented by the AFC today is important for the new president and Exco to continue,” he said Asked whether he would offer him self as a candidate for the post, Hamidin said he would prefer to first observe other interested individuals before making any decision. “First, it is better that we give others an opportunity. There may be many who are interested and many who are capable. Secondly, we will wait and see what happens next,” he said. Hamidin led FAM from 2018 to 2025 before deciding not to defend his posi tion at the governing body’s election congress in February last year. About four months later, he was appointed FAM honorary president at an Extraordinary Congress in June. The FAM presidency has also attracted interest from Malaysian Paralympic Council (MPM) president Datuk Seri Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin and former national striker Mohd Safee Sali, both of whom have expressed their intention to contest, while several corporate figures have also been linked to the association’s top post. – Bernama Jin Wei sees edge in new scoring format MALAYSIA’S independent women’s singles shuttler Goh Jin Wei believes the new 3x15 scoring system to be introduced next year could work in her favour ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic (LA28) qualification campaign. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) will implement the shorter format from Jan 4, replacing the current 21-point system The former world junior champion, who has been carefully managing her health in recent years, said the shorter format could be more suitable for her condition. “Have not played the 15-point system yet.I think that’s a very good rule for me. So I think I will try to adapt to it as soon as possible,” she said during the “Goh For Gold” press conference in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, yesterday. During the event, five corporate brands agreed to serve as Jin Wei’s dream partner to back her journey to qualify for LA28. Meanwhile, Goh said preparations for next year’s qualification campaign are already underway, including plans to improve the quality of sparring sessions by bringing in more foreign players to train at her club. She also revealed that she intends to be more selective with tournaments this year before increasing her participation once the Olympic qualification period begins. “Maybe just select a few one, then next year there will be more tournaments,” she said. Asked about the challenge of reclaiming the status as Malaysia’s top women’s singles player ahead of rivals such as K. Letshanaa and Wong Ling Ching in the race for an Olympic berth, Jin Wei stressed that her focus remains on improving herself rather than comparisons with others. “I think I just focus on myself first. Because if I want to compare them, I think most importantly I have to focus on myself first. So if the process is good then I think the ranking will be there,” she said. – Bernama

tion of new leadership for the national football governing body, with attention focused on the posts of presi dent and three vice-presidents. Hamidin did not ruled out contest ing for presidency but said it was not an easy position to hold, given the signifi cant responsibilities involved in reforming and advancing Malaysian football. According to him, the reforms pro posed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) through amend ments to the FAM statutes will require a president and a new Executive Committee (Exco) capable of carrying forward the transformation agenda. “When we talk about the presi dency, it is not an easy position. We know that in the past, the post was held by a Prime Minister and a Sultan. “I have been there before, and I know that with FAM’s current situa

FAM Statutes proposed by the AFC at the FAM EGM. The AFC-proposed draft statutes, following an audit of FAM’s admini stration, aimed to strengthen govern ance and ensure positive reforms within the national football governing body. Among the key proposals are the abolition of the deputy president’s post, the reduction of vice-presidential seats to three and the restructuring of the FAM Executive Committee (Exco). The 77-page draft statutes also pro posed an expansion of FAM’s affiliate membership, including granting Super League clubs automatic affiliate status and voting rights at congresses, subject to the condition that they are separate entities from state football associa tions. The FAM Annual Congress sched uled for September will see the elec

statutes,” he told a media conference after the FAM Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, yesterday. He said this when asked to com ment on whether FAM was aware of the weaknesses outlined in the AFC audit report that led to the proposed amendments to the statutes, as well as the steps that had been taken previ ously to address them. Elaborating, Hamidin said the amendments to the statutes came at the right time for FAM to implement comprehensive changes towards a more modern and effective govern ance model. “With this reform, this is the best time for FAM to carry out comprehen sive changes towards a new govern ance structure,” he said. Earlier, all FAM affiliates unani mously approved amendments to the

Hafizh salutes Hakim Danish’s all-weather racing ability NATIONAL motorcycling ace Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah can’t help but rave at youngster Muhammad Hakim Danish Ramli’s ability to excel in both dry and wet conditions.

Rising Malaysian talent Muhammad Hakim Danish (inset) and national rider Hafizh Syahrin. – BERNAMAPIC

the next round in Catalunya, Spain, this weekend. Hakim Danish delivered a break through performance to claim his first podium of the season, finishing third in the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello on Sunday (June 1). – Bernama

and continue to work hard to ensure he can carry the positive momentum he has built up into upcoming races. He is also confident that, based on the impressive performance in Mugello recently, the Terengganu-born Hakim Danish can achieve a better result in

compared to earlier in the season. “At the start of the season he was quite nervous. But now, he doesn’t look like a rookie rider anymore,” he said. Hafizh Syahrin said the youngster only needs to maintain his consistency

Sze Fei-Izzuddin, Pearly-Thinaah keep flag flying

Indra and Nikolaus Joaquin, losing 14 21, 14-21 in a stunning defeat. In another men’s doubles fixture, ris ing national duo Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing showed remarkable resil ience. They pushed their round of 16 encounter to a tense third game but ultimately fell just short, losing a 48 minute nail-biter with a final score of 21-16, 15-21, 19-21. The singles department also saw the end of a commendable run. Women’s singles player K. Letshanaa, who had recently enjoyed an impressive debut in the tournament, bowed out after an exhaustive battle. Despite executing sharp cross-court plays, she suffered a 15-21, 18-21 defeat in a 39-minute clash against her oppo nent.

and M. Thinaah matched their compa triots’ brilliance by executing a textbook performance. Pushing through their round of 16 encounter with composure, the top national duo comfortably swept past Taiwan’s Hsu Ya Ching and Sung Yu Hsuan in straight games, 21-18, 21-19. This clinical victory safely books their place in the last eight as they look to build momentum after Pearly’s recent return from injury. However, the rest of the Malaysian contingent faced immense resistance, resulting in hard-fought exits across multiple categories. In a major upset, the second-seeded national top pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik were knocked out in straight games. They fell to Indonesia’s young duo, Raymond

Meanwhile, in the men’s singles draw, Leong Jun Hao found the compe tition unforgiving, exiting the tourna ment in straight sets, 16-21, 15-21, despite an encouraging first-round per formance earlier in the week. In the mixed doubles bracket, the world No. 28 pairing of Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing encountered a similar fate. The duo fought valiantly, pushing their opponents to the absolute limit in a dramatic second-game deuce before eventually succumbing 14-21, 22-24 in a 37-minute thriller. With several national stars out, all eyes now turn to Sze Fei-Izzuddin and Pearly-Thinaah. Both pairs’ focus transi tions to the quarterfinals, where they carry the hopes of the nation on the Jakarta courts. – Agencies