Malaysia has relinquished the rights to host the 2017 FIFA Congress, a sports official said on Monday "after the predominantly Muslim country refused to issue visas to Israeli delegates," according to the AFP. FA of Malaysia Deputy President Datuk Seri Afandi Hamzah said, "We were advised by the government to withdraw from hosting the congress due to security issues." Afandi declined to elaborate on the “security issues” but said that the move was tied to comments by Deputy PM Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi over the weekend. Zahid said that Malaysia was "unable to provide visas to Israeli officials because it did not have diplomatic ties and could rile up local sensitivities." He said, "Some of the conditions of hosting the event include placing the (Israeli) flag on the table during the congress. After comparing the benefits and the risks, it is better for Malaysia to avoid playing host" (AFP, 8/15).
FAM PRESIDENT: ESPN.com reported the FAM has decided to bring forward its exec committee elections from '18 to '17, in the wake of President Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah's "decision to vacate his post from the national body." It means that Tengku Abdullah, "who had stated his intentions last year to quit in stages following the national team's disastrous showing in the 2018 AFC World Cup qualifiers, will stay on, for now, as president." His tenure will continue until a new date is set for the 2017 Annual General Meeting "when fresh elections will be held to appoint FAM's new leaders" (ESPN.com, 8/15).
