THE Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) plan to shift base could be to the cash-strapped FA of Malaysia’s (FAM) benefit.

It is learnt that certain high ranking FAM officials are considering moving the headquarters of the national body to Bukit Jalil should AFC get the nod from its members to uproot itself.

Talk is that FAM will then put its present headquarters, which sits on prime land, in Kelana Jaya up for sale and initial estimates say this could be worth as much as RM400 million.

Moving to the AFC headquarters won’t be a problem as the land it sits on is registered under FAM president Sultan Ahmad Shah.

New Straits Times

GUHAWATI, INDIA, TUES:

At least 23 people were killed and scores injured Tuesday when an overcrowded bus hit a truck in India’s northeast, police said.

“The bus had a capacity of 35 passengers, but was carrying 67 people. The driver lost control as it was moving at a very high speed and hit the truck in the rear,” local police chief Parthasarathi Mahanta told AFP.

The accident took place on a national highway west of Guwahati, the main city in Assam state.

The victims were mainly brick kiln workers. Police said at least 10 of those hurt were in critical condition.

New Straits Times

THE Asian Football Confederation (AFC) wants to move from Kuala Lumpur and is open to offers.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF), also based in KL, discussed doing the same during the Beijing Olympics and is awaiting feedback from its members.

Malaysia, it seems, is no longer the favoured destination and the relevant national associations should endeavour to find out just why.

General secretary Lt Jen (rtd) Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad last week said the FA of Malaysia will not bid to house the AFC, adding that the national body was also powerless to stop it from moving out of KL.

On the other hand, the BA of Malaysia’s (BAM) ties with BWF has been somewhat diluted since the retirement of Datuk Punch Gunalan as deputy president earlier this year.
Malaysia has historical ties with both organisations. It has housed AFC for almost 50 years while BAM, despite BWF only moving here several years ago, is a prime mover and shaker and its opinion valued in the world body.

So why is it that two confederations that have such ties with the country are considering moving out?

While Azzuddin may be right in saying FAM is powerless, Malaysians still want to know what has prompted AFC president Mohamed Hammam to open bidding to all 46 affiliates.

The same goes for BAM as it is a senior member of BWF and it should find out why its parent body wants to move out.

It could be anything from not being given tax exemptions to a wish for a change in scenery but it would be good if both explain their reasons.

l THE Merdeka Tournament kicks off tomorrow and FAM has come in for a fair bit of criticism over the weak lineup of teams.

From the heyday of Asia’s best vying for the title, this year’s edition will have Sierra Leone, Nepal, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Mozambique, Bangladesh and Vietnam alongside the national team.

The fall of the Merdeka Tournament is parallel to that of the national team but there could well be a silver lining in this.

Had FAM decided on inviting South Korea, Japan or teams from the Middle East and had they accepted, Malaysia would have been assured of whippings.

We learnt that the hard way in the Asian Cup last year and if there is one thing Malaysian football doesn’t need now is more thrashings, especially on home soil.

We just have to face the fact that Malaysian football is rock bottom and, given the state of the game in the states, progress is going to be painfully slow.

Playing the big boys is not going to help the team progress as all it will do is expose our shortcomings even more.

How is Malaysian football going to challenge Asia’s best when it can’t even win Sea Games gold?

So, a diluted Merdeka Tournament is the best at the moment as it provides a more level playing field for Malaysia and hopefully, a way forward.

New Straits Times