KUALA LUMPUR – There is no restriction preventing former Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) executive committee (exco) members from contesting again once the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) completes its ongoing assessment of the national body ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
AFC secretary-general Datuk Seri Windsor John clarified that any claim suggesting otherwise is baseless and not grounded in existing regulations.
His response comes amid speculation that former FAM excos who resigned en masse on Jan 28, following a major restructuring exercise aimed at reforming the association’s governance, could be barred from returning in future elections once the assessment process is completed.
Speaking to Scoop, Windsor stressed that there must be clear legal or regulatory grounds to disqualify any individual from contesting.
“To say that they cannot run, there must be a basis. What is the basis? What is the regulation that prevents them from running?” he said when contacted.
He explained that under standard governance principles, only specific circumstances would disqualify a candidate.
“Number one, they must be suspended. Number two, they must be criminally charged, in jail or whatever — then they cannot run,” he said.
“In the absence of any such ruling that they cannot run, then somebody is creating this story. I don’t know why this story is going around, but you should ask the question: why can they not run?”
Windsor emphasised that discussions about potential candidates or elections are premature, as the current priority remains on stabilising and reforming FAM.
“Far from even thinking about who’s running for elections, we want to fix the house (FAM) first. There’s a lot of work going on from our side,” he said.
He also drew a parallel with general and state elections, noting that eligibility to contest is governed by clear rules.
“If somebody wants to run for parliament or state, there are rules. If you don’t violate those rules, nobody can stop you from running,” he said.
“In football, there must also be rules that qualify or disqualify you from running. But we have not even come to that level of not allowing people to run. We are not even thinking about that yet.”
The AFC is currently conducting an assessment of FAM as part of efforts to strengthen governance and ensure the association is aligned with international standards, with the process expected to be completed before the 2026 World Cup.
It's expected that FAM will hold its elective congress after the global tournament, likely between August and September, allowing the restructured governance framework to take effect. - March 26, 2026
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