THE FA of Malaysia (FAM) has been in turmoil for a while now but if the grapevine is to be believed, things could be taking a turn for the worse as there is apparently a move to topple president Sultan Ahmad Shah.
A group, said to be led by officials from one of the more successful state FA's, is behind the move and a memorandum has apparently been submitted to Sultan Ahmad Shah through a third party.

Sultan Ahmad Shah is already in the know and his meeting with general secretary Lt Jen (R) Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad tomorrow is not only to discuss allegations of poor management in FAM but also the alleged move to topple the long-serving president.

What is a fact is that there are some state affiliates unhappy with Azzuddin and certain FAM staff and they have gone to the extent of sending poison pen letters, including to the media.

The allegations in the poison pen letters cannot be printed due to legal reasons but they provide an indication of what extent the detractors are willing to go.
Sultan Ahmad Shah is currently in Singapore but an aide, when contacted, said the president is disappointed that it has come to this after all that he has done for FAM.

"Sultan Ahmad Shah is sad as he never expected such a thing would happen after leading FAM for so long and taking the brunt of the criticism for the failures (of the national team)," said the aide.

Such is the determination to topple Sultan Ahmad Shah that some of his detractors have even gone to the extent of trying to rope in the support of some of FAM's perennial sponsors.

Some affiliates are also unhappy that Azzuddin sent a letter reminding them to settle their dues, amounting to some RM6.5 million, with the Inland Revenue Board and Employees Provident Fund.

Sultan Ahmad Shah's aide said it was silly to blame Azzuddin for the letter as he only carried out instructions.

"Sultan Ahmad Shah is committed to developing football but how is he going to do this if state FAs can't even pay income tax and EPF contributions?

"Blaming Azzuddin is also unfair as he is a salaried staff and he carries out the instructions of the council and executive board."

Still, the move to topple Sultan Ahmad Shah is unprecedented and it will be interesting to see what the end result will be.

Source: FAM