KUALA LUMPUR – There is no harm in the government providing a RM5 million allocation to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) following the performance of Harimau Malaya in the 2023 Asian Cup, especially the success of holding Asian football giants, South Korea, to a 3-3 draw in the last Group E match on Thursday, according to local football observer Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli.

Even though the allocation may not seem commensurate with Harimau Malaya’s achievement, who exited early after being eliminated in the group stage, Pekan personally views the funding as a reasonable step by the government to assist FAM in recovering from the significant expenses incurred by the national squad competing in Doha.

“This RM5 million fund allocation is more of a morale booster for FAM. There is nothing wrong with the government wanting to help sports associations that have shown a high commitment to our country, Malaysia.

“Football is not cheap, the cost is very high. We cannot compare our spending with the success we will achieve because it cannot be matched. Even if we spend millions, when we lose, people will say it is a waste. But for me, this is not a waste because football is the number one sport not only in our country but also in the world,” he told Bernama.

Despite FAM spending RM7 million to cover the expenses of the Harimau Malaya squad for the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said it was still low compared to the allocations made by other countries in Group E, such as South Korea (RM94 million), Bahrain (RM28.2 million), and Jordan (RM23.5 million).

The sensational success of holding South Korea was not enough for Harimau Malaya to make history by advancing to the Round of 16 in the 2023 Asian Cup after previous defeats to Jordan (0-4) and Bahrain (0-1), ultimately finishing at the bottom of Group E with one point.

In this regard, Pekan hopes that the funds can be used effectively by FAM to enhance better performance among the national players in the remaining 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup qualification matches.

“Perhaps FAM can organise more competitive matches for our national team and strive to provide training exposure through attachments for certain players abroad,” he said.

The squad under Kim Pan Gon will continue their challenge in the qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup against Oman away on March 21 and hosting the team on March 26, followed by Kyrgyzstan away (June 6) before hosting Taiwan (June 11).

Malaysia are currently on track to qualify for the third round of the World Cup qualification for the first time after leading Group D by defeating Kyrgyzstan 4-3 and Taiwan 1-0 in November.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced a RM5 million allocation to FAM to manage and enhance the capabilities of the national football squad. – BERNAMA