Hannah explains RM5mil allocation to FAM despite Asian Cup exit

 

Hannah Yeoh with a mock cheque of the government’s RM5 million contribution to FAM after she welcomed the Harimau Malaya squad at the KLIA yesterday. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh has defended the government’s decision to award RM5 million to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) following the national team’s exit from the Asian Cup.

“Before I joined the youth and sports ministry, I also thought there was no need to allocate significant funds to football, but now I understand,” Hannah said in a Facebook post today.

She said for the first time in 42 years, Malaysia qualified for the Asian Cup on merit and were the lowest ranked team in their group.

“They went there to do their best. They tried against Jordan, but they lost. They tried again against Bahrain. They played well but conceded a goal in the final moments. Against Korea, they managed a 3-3 draw.

“Our target is for them to continue qualifying for the Asian Cup, but without funding, how can they compete?” she added.

Hannah pointed to the expense of flying the team to ‘away’ matches, adding that the RM5 million allocation will assist with this expense.

She said the finance ministry had also placed restrictions on the sum, stating that it may only be used for operational expenses, not administration or emolument payments.

She added that football is a global, multibillion-dollar global sport with a huge following in Malaysia, so the government wants to assist as much as it can.

“With other improvements that the ministry will implement through tax incentives and talent development programmes, we can continue to move forward,” she said. - FMT