Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin will not seek re-election as the deputy-president of the Malaysian Football Association (FAM) next month. He announced the decision via his twitter today, a move seemingly reflective of his disillusionment with the state of the nation's footballing body.
"I wish I was. But I'm not. So I'm not seeking re-election next month. The unspoken is self-evident," said Khairy in his twitter.
Khairy was responding via his tweets to friendly suggestions that he used his post to inject some life back in the country's football.
The suggestions were made amid a live telecast of the World Cup game between South Korea and Greece.
South Korea, once a "nobody" in football and a country Malaysia had no problem beating in the past, had gone on to defeat the 2004 European Champion by two goals.
Impossible task to uplift Malaysian football
FAM had elected Khairy, a self-professed football fanatic, as deputy-president at the body's 44th congress in September 2007. His term ends on July 31.
He had replaced the Pahang regent Tengku Mahkota Pahang Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.
His appointment was made during the tenure of then premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Khairy's father-in-law.
With high idealism and a passion for football, Malaysian football fans had high hopes that Khairy would put Malaysia back as Southeast Asia's top footballing nation.
But it had proven to be an impossible task. Perhaps beyond his control, the FAM continued to be a disappointment.
Despite the constant injection of millions of ringgit into the body, fans are still forced to cope with poor football domestically and internationally.
