FAM honorary president post valid, says officials

The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) has officially confirmed the validity of Tan Sri Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin's position as honorary president, a role approved by its affiliates during an extraordinary congress.

This confirmation directly refutes recent speculation that the position would be abolished through proposed amendments to FAM's statutes. Datuk Mohd Saiful Mat Sapri, Deputy President of the Melaka Football Association, emphasized that any notion of the position being 'discarded' is inaccurate and misleading. He explained that the honorary president role is included in the proposed statute amendments, which were developed with guidance from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

Mohd Saiful further stated that the proposed amendments are part of a reform process to ensure FAM's governance aligns with best practices from AFC and FIFA. He stressed that these changes should not be interpreted as an attempt to terminate or deny the honorary president appointment previously approved by the congress.

Adding to the clarification, Penang Football Association President Mohd Azizudin Mohd Shariff expressed surprise at remarks from the AFC Secretary-General, Datuk Seri Windsor John, suggesting the position would be eliminated. Azizudin pointed out that the draft of the new statutes, distributed to FAM affiliates, clearly retains the honorary president role within FAM's organizational structure. He believes this symbolic position should be maintained as a high honor for individuals who have significantly contributed to Malaysian football.