KUALA LUMPUR: The FA of Malaysia (FAM) referees committee defended their decision in appointing referee Suresh Jayaraman for the Malaysia Cup final between Terengganu and Perak on Saturday.
Although, the 30-year-old match official was criticised for his poor handling of the final, committee chairman Subkhiddin Salleh said he is fully responsible for appointing Suresh to officiate the match.
“In my opinion, he is a capable referee. He did well throughout the season.
“Suresh was selected because he showed total commitment to challenge himself to be a better referee.
“He has been officiating in the Super League for the last two seasons. Before that, he was doing so in the Premier League, so he has the experience to handle important matches,” said Subkhiddin.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Football League (MFL) chief executive Kevin Ramalingam revealed that he had received a call from his chairman Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim during the final over the referee’s poor handling of the match.
“Tunku Ismail told me that MFL must push forward plans to form an independent management company (for referees). We hope to work closely with FAM to have professional referees.
“Currently, referees have full-time jobs and do refereeing only part-time. They will improve if they focus on refereeing on a full-time basis,” said Kevin.