FIRST, you have foreign players for the M-League, and now the stage is set for foreign referees.
The FA of Malaysia (FAM) have decided to use the 2019 FA Cup final as the platform to experiment with foreign referees.
After much speculation over the identity of the match official for the FA Cup final between Perak and Kedah, FAM confirmed yesterday that foreign match officials will be used for the match.
For the first time in M-League history, three foreigners will take charge of a local match on July 27 at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
FAM said they had approached the Thailand FA, Japan FA and Australia FA for a referee. So far, Japan FA and Australia FA have responded positively.
FAM general-secretary Stuart Ramalingam revealed yesterday that a deal is close to being finalised with the Japan FA for match officials.
Furthermore, FAM and Japan FA having signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together to develop football. Japanese match officials, who are known for their high standards, are often seen at major international competitions.
“The three referees will be from a foreign country, meaning the main referee and the two assistants. If we are going to bring them in, they will come as a set.
“As the (FAM) president said, football is a game of opinions. We have split camps on those wanting to have foreign referees and those who don’t.
“An opportunity like this is for us to try and see how it goes.
“We are not saying we are going to put foreign referees in all the games in Malaysian football but this is an opportunity to give it a try. This will then be studied internally and we will know what difference it makes,” said Stuart.
Stuart said while the move is yet to be confirmed, the costs to bring in the three foreign match officials for the FA Cup final are likely to be borne by the Malaysian Football League (MFL).
In recent years, Malaysian match officials have been slammed by officials and fans alike over their poor performances in the domestic league.
The Malaysia Cup final last year between Perak and Pahang saw Suresh Jayaraman being vilified by fans over his handling of the match.
Earlier this year, the Professional Match Officials of Malaysia (PMOM) was created in a move to improve the quality of local referees and assistant referees based on the methods used in the English Premier League.
Meanwhile, foreign referees have been mooted as an alternative option.