AFC Should Respect Tunku's Noble Intentions - Sultan Ahmad Shah

KUANTAN, Oct 21-- Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) President Sultan Ahmad Shah says the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) should give due respect to the noble efforts of the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, 40 years ago, by retaining the AFC House here.

The Sultan said the AFC had over the years achieved tremendous success since its inception here more than 40 years ago and the AFC House in Bukit Jalil had been well accepted due the availability of very good facilities.

Sultan Ahmad Shah who is the immediate past president of the AFC added that since Malaysia was located in the epicenter of the Asian continent, it was a convenient and ideal location with excellent air, ground travel plus very efficient telecommunication facilities and infrastructure.

"If AFC wants to shift to any other location, it is their prerogative...but they (AFC) must respect what Tunku Abdul Rahman had done more than 40 years ago to see the AFC continue to progress," he said after a briefing on the flood conditions in Pahang, here today.

The Sultan was responding to efforts by the AFC to shift its headquarters from Bukit Jalil, by calling for bids from its 46-member countries.

The AFC secretariat which started functioning from Hong Kong after the formation of the governing body in Manila, Philippines, on May 8, 1954, moved to Penang, Malaysia, in 1965 after Koe Ewe Tek took over as its General Secretary.

The secretariat moved again 10 years later, this time to Ipoh when Datuk Teoh Chye Hin became the general secretary while Datuk Peter Velappan who took over the reins in 1978 set up the office in Kuala Lumpur and 22 years later, in 2000, the AFC got its own building in Bukit Jalil.

Many leaders, including Peter had claimed that AFC was what it is today due to the leadership, hard work and contributions of Malaysian leaders and the support from the government.

Tunku who was Malaysia's first Prime Minister had served as its president for 24 years, followed by Tan Sri Hamzah Abu Samah for 16 years and Sultan Ahmad Shah for eight years before Mohamed Hammam took over in 2000.

-- BERNAMA