KUALA LUMPUR: Will national coach Peter Cklamovski be hauled up by the FA of Malaysia (FAM) for playing the blame game?
That is the question asked by the Malaysian football fraternity following Cklamovski's post-match remarks on Thursday after Malaysia beat Laos 3-0 in an Asian Cup qualifier in Vientiane.
Commenting on seven naturalised players suspended for 12 months by FIFA for alleged falsification of documents in representing Malaysia, Cklamovski was reported to have said "all the mess that's happening with FIFA, the administrative errors or whatever's going on there, that's FAM."
In this regard, Cklamovski may have breached FAM's disciplinary code. Under Article 58 of the FAM Statutes, any coach, player, or official who "brings the game into disrepute" or "acts in a manner that tarnishes the image of FAM" may face disciplinary action. This includes warnings, suspensions, or fines, even if the comments were made publicly and not in an official capacity.
In 2015, then-national coach Datuk Dollah Salleh was fined RM5,000 for criticising match officials during the AFF Cup. The late B. Sathianathan was suspended for six months in 2010 after publicly rebuking FAM's competition scheduling. More recently, Tan Cheng Hoe was reminded to "adhere to communication protocols" after making remarks that were seen as indirectly questioning FAM's management during the Covid pandemic.
Sports pundit Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli, when asked about Cklamovski's situation, said that while the Australian has every right to express his views, his comments may have crossed professional boundaries.
"He's doing his job, and we're doing ours. There's no need to interfere in every issue," said Pekan.
"Malaysia's national team belongsunder FAM. So when you make statements about FAM, you have to be mindful. It's not good to go around speaking like that."
He added that Cklamovski's statements have, at times, been "shocking" and could be viewed as undermining the association's credibility.
"Sometimes his comments are surprising. Previously, he spoke about people sabotaging the team, that kind of thing doesn't help.
"As a coach, you should just focus on football. Without FAM, there wouldn't even be football or government funding. So, if he has something to say, it should be discussed internally."
Pekan also stressed that FAM should not be seen as practising double standards between local and foreign coaches.
"At the very least, he should be given a warning or called in for a show-cause session," he said.
"This is about protecting the credibility of a national sports association. If a local coach gets punished for such remarks, then a foreign coach should be treated the same way. Otherwise, it's unfair."
He added that FAM's professional image must be preserved. "There has to be courage to do the right thing. If no action is taken, people will say FAM is afraid or biased. That's not a good look."
