Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
From pitch to pocket: Tracing money trail in M'sian football By R Nadeswaran
Friday, March 20, 2026
Malaysiakini : Yet, FAM’s leaders refused to throw in the towel and instead chose to “go to war” at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), only to be met with an uppercut that left them sprawled on the canvas.
Everyone
loves a winner - the sweet taste of glory, the rewards of victory. But
failure? Failure flips the script. Friends vanish. Reputation crumbles.
Authority is stripped away.
Suddenly, you are the villain. The
same fans who cheered now tear you apart. The scrutiny intensifies -
especially when the truth about breaking the rules comes to light. There
is nowhere to hide.
The entire FAM committee has resigned. But who is really taking the fall?
On March 17, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) found that FAM had violated the rules by fielding ineligible players in two 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers matches last year.
Following
the finding, the AFC slapped FAM with a fine of US$50,000 (RM196,000)
and nullified Malaysia’s wins in the two matches, which ended with the
scores: Malaysia 2-Nepal 0 and Malaysia 4-Vietnam 0.
The AFC
disciplinary and ethics committee decided that Malaysia lost 3-0 for
both matches, based on Article 25.1 of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics
Code.
Govt’s role in citizenship scandal
Even political leaders joined the chorus. PKR Youth chief Kamil Abdul Munim vented his feelings on social media.
“Penyudahnya ‘cekelat angin’,” he said on X, which roughly translates to “We got nothing in the end”.
But Kamil is barking up the wrong tree. He should have sought answers from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whom FAM thanked for “facilitating the citizenship papers” for the seven foreign players.
PKR Youth chief Kamil Abdul Munim
Was it not his party stalwart and Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail who aided in getting citizenship for the seven?
The prime minister also allocated RM30 million for the national football squad. Shouldn’t he and Saifuddin be providing answers instead of maintaining stoic silence, Kamil?
The
government was also complicit in the issuance of the false birth
certificates and other documents, as confirmed by National Registration
Department head honcho Badrul Hisham Alias.
Royal rebuke
But the issue has not ended. They say it never rains, but it pours.
On the heels of the CAS decision
two weeks ago, Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim or TMJ, as he
is known, has made startling allegations against certain FAM officials -
past and present.
The regent claimed he is being made a scapegoat in the scandal and is instead blaming FAM insiders who he claimed had an axe to grind with him over financial matters.
In
a post on X, Tunku Ismail claimed that some in FAM had approached him
for projects, and to avoid MACC investigations, among others.
These
individuals, he claimed, were also unhappy that the government
channelled funds directly to the national football team - implying it
was because they did not get a cut of the funds.
Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim
In
a series of social media posts, he alleged misuse and abuse of power
and money. In one, he wrote: “Ask him to explain where the TV rights
money and sponsorship money that should have gone to each team that
competed for years went? Whose pocket?
“Is he still disappointed that his son does not work for FAM anymore because there were issues with the staff?”
In another post, he slammed a former manager of Harimau Malaya.
Those named have retreated into a cocoon, refusing to comment on the allegations.
Due for an overhaul
Football
in Malaysia is not just on the ropes; it’s down for the count. It is a
multi-million-ringgit enterprise with large amounts flowing through
ticket sales, TV rights, sponsorship, allocations from Fifa, etc.
Rightly,
it should be run like a commercial organisation, but this is not the
case. It is being run like a family-owned business.
Accountability
cannot stop at resignations because they risk becoming a convenient
exit - a way for those responsible to slip quietly into the shadows
without ever answering for the roles they played.
We need a
forensic audit conducted by an independent, third-party body with no
ties to FAM, no political affiliations, and no vested interests.
This
audit must trace the flow of every single ringgit - from broadcasting
rights and sponsorship deals, to government allocations and development
funds. It must ask the hard questions: Who approved these deals? Who
benefited? And who tried to silence those who raised concerns?
Transparency
is not just about opening the books; it is about restoring the faith of
millions of Malaysians who love this sport. The fans who pack the
stadiums, the children who dream of wearing the Harimau Malaya jersey.
Reforms
must follow. Not cosmetic changes, not a reshuffling of the same faces,
but a fundamental overhaul of how Malaysian football is governed.
That means stronger oversight, stricter conflict of interest rules, and real consequences for those who abuse their power.
The time for an independent audit is now. Not next month. Not next year. Now.
Because
every day we wait, the rot deepens, and the trust of the nation erodes
further. Malaysian football has been knocked to the canvas - but whether
we get back up depends on whether we dare to clean house, once and for
all.
