Will Malaysia's former king Al-Sultan Abdullah return to sports leadership roles at FIFA, AFC or AFF?

AS Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Mustafa Billah Shah ended his five-year reign as the King of Malaysia slightly more than two weeks ago, there has been speculation that His Royal Highness is being primed for a comeback into the world of sports administration.

This comes close on the heels of a grand ceremonial send-off for Al-Sultan Abdullah and Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah back to their home state in Pahang on 30 January.

Although it is not Al-Sultan Abdullah’s divine right to be given a position on a silver platter, his passion, experience, leadership and wisdom acquired over the decades, especially in overcoming the crises throughout his term as the Agong, would add value to any sports organisation.

One assumes that the former Malaysian king would want to postulate himself as a candidate for a position once occupied by his late father Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, who presided over the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) from 1994 to 2002.

Al-Sultan Abdullah had already served in the AFC in various capacities, including the vice-president from 2002 to 2015, chairman of the organising committee for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, as well as chairman of the AFC development committee. He also served on the FIFA council from 2015 to 2019 and chaired the AFC governance task force, which was responsible for delivering important reforms to help the AFC live up to its vision and mission.

His Royal Highness was also awarded the "AFC Diamond of Asia" - the highest accolade in Asian football - in recognition of his exemplary contributions to the advancement of the sport in the continent.

But will the fraternity be prepared to roll out the red carpet for the Sultan?

Major involvement in shaping 48-team FIFA World Cup

As a member of the FIFA council, Al-Sultan Abdullah was part of the decision-making body that decided on the landmark 48-team World Cup 2026 tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In 2017, the council approved the proposal to expand the 32-team showcase, with AFC being allocated eight direct spots and a single inter-continental playoff slot, as opposed to the four direct slots from 2006 to 2022.

As things stand today, Malaysia is well poised to make the historic journey. On top of Group D, thanks to maximum points after victories over Kyrgyzstan and Chinese Taipei, Malaysia has a bright chance to be among the two teams from each group to advance to the third round of the AFC Asian qualifiers.

The 18 teams who advance into round three will be divided into three groups of six teams each, competing in a round-robin, home-and-away format, with the top two teams from each group – six in total – qualifying directly to the World Cup 2026. All third-round teams will also qualify automatically for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

Meanwhile, the third- and fourth-placed teams will be drawn into two groups of three teams, competing in a single round-robin format for the final two direct spots for World Cup 2026. The two first-placed teams will board the plane to the World Cup, while the second-placed teams will compete in a playoff match to determine the side that will represent the AFC in the Intercontinental Playoff.

Malaysia have never progressed beyond the first round of qualifiers since their first foray into the World Cup qualifying campaign in 1973, when Israel, South Korea and Thailand were the opponents.

Possible hindrances in vying for AFC presidency

The AFC, headquartered on a piece of government land acquired by the late Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, is helmed by Bahrain’s Shaikh Salman Ebrahim Al-Khalifa, who was elected as the 10th AFC president in May 2013, midway through Mohamed Hammam’s tenure which was cut short after the Qatari was banned by FIFA in 2011 for bribery allegations.

Shaikh Salman was re-elected unchallenged as the AFC president and FIFA vice-president in both 2015 and 2019. Last year, Shaikh Salman once again was re-elected without contest to lead the AFC until 2027.

Although the AFC statutes says no person shall be elected as president for more than three full terms, whether consecutive or not, Shaikh Salman did not serve a full-term in 2013. He has served three terms since then but it is highly likely that the AFC might consider giving Shaikh Salman another shot at the presidency given the fact that FIFA began to limit tenures only in 2019.

The statutes are not so kind on Al-Sultan Abdullah. Article 38.3 stipulates that candidates for the position of president shall have played an active role in football for two of the last five years, before being proposed as a candidate. As we are fully aware, the Sultan spent the last five years winning over the Malaysian public with his humility, compassion and moderation as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

AFF leadership a viable option?

There is the option for Al-Sultan Abdullah to lead the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), where he was in fact being primed to succeed his late father as the president until he was preordained for a higher calling in 2019.

AFF’s pride of place is in Putrajaya’s Soccer City. Again it was the late Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah who mooted the idea of a permanent headquarters for AFF, in his inaugural speech at the start of his term as the AFF president in 2011. Four years later, the ground-breaking ceremony was graced by Al-Sultan Abdullah.

If the AFF were to be fully operational from Putrajaya, it will only be fitting for the Sultan to write a new chapter for the regional body. Whether or not the football world is prepared to welcome the Sultan back, His Royal Highness has left significant imprints in the evolution of Malaysian, ASEAN and Asian football.

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