Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Adam Adli Abdul Halim expressed his disapproval of a football team being sponsored by an electronic cigarette producer.
He was responding to an event on Sunday (Feb 12) where he unknowingly wore a jersey with the producer’s logo on it at a football event in Selangor.
He said he was unaware of the sponsorship and disagreed with such forms of endorsement because of the potential health risks associated with electronic cigarette use.
“We didn’t know what would be on the jersey. It was a jersey reveal and I was a guest at their event. It shouldn’t be seen as an endorsement,” Adam (above) told Malaysiakini.
The deputy minister attended the launch of the jersey for BRM FC Kuala Kangsar in Shah Alam, Selangor, to show support for the grassroots football scene, particularly since district-level football teams were competing in the Liga M3.
However, during the event, he was made to wear a jersey that featured the logo of a prominent electronic cigarette company on its chest.
Sports website Harimau Malaysia raised questions about whether BRM FC Kuala Kangsar was aware that this potentially violated the sponsorship prohibitions outlined in the Control of Tobacco Products Regulations 2004.
The regulation was introduced a year after Malaysia became a signatory to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
The site also noted a previous incident when Selangor FC was forced to withdraw a social media post that promoted a partnered electronic cigarette retailer in 2020.
At the time, Selangor Football Association president Tengku Amir Shah, who is also the Raja Muda of Selangor, issued a statement urging the team to ensure their partners are not a bad influence on society, especially towards youths.
Meanwhile, Liga M3 organiser Amateur Football League (AFL) will be speaking to the BRM FC Kuala Kangsar management soon over the jersey.
AFL chairperson Mohd Yusoff Mahadi said teams are aware of the rules surrounding sponsorship and said it will be resolved before the Liga M3 begins on March 4.
"When the league kicks off... we won't allow that logo to appear on the jersey," he told Malaysiakini. - Mkini
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