How FAM’s press conference became a PR own goal

When the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) finally called a press conference on 17 October three weeks after FIFA sanctioned it for allegedly submitting forged documents for seven “heritage” players, anticipation was high. The football body was expected to explain, clarify, and restore confidence. Instead, what unfolded became a masterclass in how not to handle a crisis.

The session, meant to shed light on a scandal that had drawn international scrutiny, only deepened confusion. The association’s deputy president, S. Sivasundaram (pictured middle), announced the immediate suspension of secretary-general Noor Azman Rahman but dodged key questions about accountability and verification. Officials refused to elaborate on the players’ background or timeline of document submissions, citing the pending appeal. Also present at the press briefing were legal counsel Sergio Vittoz (pictured right) and FAM CEO Rob Friend (pictured left).

For many observers, the event symbolised the collapse of communication discipline at a time it was needed most. As one journalist who attended put it, the five officials who faced the media “clearly were not prepared”, and looked like “they hadn’t even spoken to each other before walking into the room.”

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_{Photo courtesy of Utusan TV}

The lack of clear purpose

For crisis experts, the press conference reflected a fundamental misunderstanding of what a media briefing is for. As TwentyTwo13 editor Haresh Deol, who attended the event, noted, the spokespersons were calm but uncoordinated, unclear, and evasive. “Perhaps they were shellshocked,” he said. "A spokesperson should be clear in what he or she intends to say. But even before identifying a spokesperson, it is crucial to establish the purpose of the press conferece and its main goal."

That purpose was missing entirely, said PRCA Malaysia president Mohd Said Bani, who called the event “a case study in how to turn a crisis into a comedy of errors.” Held weeks after FIFA’s sanction, the long-awaited briefing, he said, “did the exact opposite of clarifying, it amplified confusion.”

Instead of demonstrating leadership, FAM’s top brass appeared defensive, unprepared, and even dismissive at times. “If the goal was to explain, they failed. If it was to reassure, they fumbled,” said Said Bani. “Tone-deaf, delayed, and devoid of substance, the press conference didn’t rebuild trust. It buried it.”

R. Nadeswaran, better known as Citizen Nades, an investigative journalist who was also present at the briefing, agreed that the association lacked a central message. Instead, the discussion wandered in multiple directions, leaving the media without a cohesive understanding of FAM’s position.

The principal spokesperson, S. Sivasundram, appeared inexperienced and struggled to answer fundamental questions. “Instead of taking control of the press conference, he has led from pillar to post and finally, like a lamb being led to the slaughterhouse,” Nadeswaran observed.

Reacting, not leading

Media veteran and crisis advisor Jake Abdullah described the session as “less like a national football body taking charge and more like a last-minute parent–teacher meeting.” He said: "They came to react, not to lead. When the story is already burning hotter than a mamak kitchen, you don’t walk in with a half-page statement and hope people feel sorry for you.”

Abdullah pointed to several key failures: reading from prepared notes (“that kills authenticity”), multiple conflicting voices, and the absence of structure. He said: 

In crisis communication, there are three non-negotiables: a single line of truth, a single voice, and a single piece of paper. FAM had none of that.

He added that silence, when overused, becomes dangerous. “Silence is a spice, not the main dish. If you say nothing, Malaysians will fill in the blanks, usually with extra sambal.”

No prep, no plan

For PR professionals, the lack of preparation was the most glaring flaw. “I was honestly stunned at how little prep seemed to have gone into this,” said Naif Shazili, director of Ariff Communications. “I’m even questioning whether there was a comms team guiding the spokesperson at all.”

Naif described the event as “an utter shambles,” where the spokesperson “looked lost, deflected key questions, and clearly didn’t have a grip on the facts or the timeline of events.” In his view, the press conference felt like a “box-ticking exercise rather than a strategic communication moment.”

He said that standard crisis prep involves intensive briefing, mock interviews, and clear message alignment. None of which was evident. “You can’t go wrong when you lead with accountability and transparency,” he explained. “But FAM’s delivery missed all three: no real regret, no clear reason, and no remedy.”

The overall coordination at the press conference was also deemed poor. The officials on stage seemed to have conflicting agendas, with some contradicting each other or offering irrelevant points, while the legal counsel inadvertently raised more questions by shifting responsibility away from FAM.

Nadeswaran emphasised that organisations facing a crisis must have resource personnel ready to provide accurate details, and that the spokesperson must stick to the core issues. He said:

Earn the trust of the media by being truthful. Always view the journalist as a friend, not a foe.

What a press conference should be

Experts agreed that a press conference is not simply a platform to speak, but to answer. “There’s no such thing as a ‘difficult question’. You either have the answer or you don’t,” said Deol. The purpose of facing the media is to provide clarity, not to survive the session.

Naif added that any effective crisis statement should follow the “3Rs”. They are: regret, reason, and remedy. “It’s simple but powerful. Acknowledge the issue, give context, and show what’s being done next. That’s what accountability sounds like.”

Said Bani echoed that point, saying a good spokesperson should project calm authority and control. “They should look like they’ve come to solve the fire, not accidentally walked into it,” he said. Instead, FAM’s panel “looked less like officials addressing a global scandal and more like students praying their teacher wouldn’t call on them.”

Owning the story early

The media and PR professionals emphasised that crisis management begins long before the microphones switch on. According to Naif: 

You don’t walk into a press conference to figure things out in real time. You walk in to set the record straight.

He recommended choosing the right spokesperson—not necessarily the most senior, but the one with authority and composure. “Handled properly, the narrative could have shifted from ‘FAM dodging blame’ to ‘FAM taking ownership.’ That’s the difference between surviving a crisis and rebuilding credibility.”

Jake added that media relationships must be treated as part of the solution, not the opposition. “Treat the media like your 12th player, not the opposing team,” he said. “Give them the ball early, share what you know, and they might just help you defend the goal instead of scoring an own one.”

At its core, FAM’s mismanaged briefing wasn’t just a PR failure, it was a reflection of poor governance and leadership readiness. “No amount of good communications can cover an essentially bad policy,” Naif noted. “If your internal processes are messy, fix them before you face the media, because comms can’t be a shield for weak policy.”

The fallout from the “FAM fiasco” continues, but for many in the industry, its press conference has already become a cautionary tale. One that will possibly be replayed as one of Malaysia’s most disastrous media moments. Speaking of which, clips of the press conference's failures have already been travelling far and wide across social media after it ended.

As Said Bani put it bluntly:

Silence disrupts trust, and half-answers destroy it. If you answer, answer well. If not, don’t bother calling it a press conference.

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