OBSERVERS of Malaysian football have suggested that the country’s football governing body, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), could consider corporate executive Datuk Ruben Emir Gnanalingam Abdullah as a potential new president to bring fresh leadership and strategic direction.
The proposal came from local football analyst Prof Madya Dr Zulakbal Abd Karim, who described Ruben as a candidate capable of “revitalising” FAM and elevating its operations to a higher standard.
Zulakbal, who also serves as an Elite Instructor for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), said Ruben’s experience extends beyond corporate leadership to professional football club management, notably his involvement with English Championship side Queen Park Rangers (QPR).
“He is highly educated, passionate about sports, and has experience managing a professional club. We can see that his team at QPR remains financially and operationally stable and continues to be competitive,” Zulakbal said.
He added that if Ruben were given the opportunity to join FAM, he could bring not only his own management team but also technical, administrative, and financial expertise to support Malaysian football.
“Perhaps Ruben can be considered as one of the candidates worthy of a chance to be part of FAM,” he said.
The FAM presidency is currently vacant following the mass resignation of the executive committee, including acting President Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi. Yusoff had assumed the role of acting president after his predecessor, Datuk Mohd Joehari Mohd Ayub, stepped down in August last year. - March 4, 2026
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