The Sports Commissioner did not punish the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to prevent the governing body for football in the country from receiving a heavier penalty from Fifa.

Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said Sports Commissioner Zaiton Othman and the FAM took a diplomatic step to avoid jeopardising Malaysia’s football fortunes and the national team’s position in international competitions.

“There is development behind the scene which is taking place. I don’t have to spell it out here but the Sports Commissioner made several comments on the security aspects in the stadium in the match against Saudi Arabia.

“The issue of FAM’s future is another separate process so that no action is taken against Malaysia by Fifa. I am confident the decision which had been made will bring positive development in a short time,” he said when met by reporters at a Deepavali Open House organised by the Youth and Sports Ministry at the Grand Seasons Hotel in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Khairy however, said the FAM must take into account strategies to improve the performance of the national squad.

FAM secretary-general Hamidin Mohd Amin, in a statement yesterday, confirmed the FAM had received a letter from Zaiton on Friday over action on the fracas at the 2018 World Cup/2019 Asia Cup qualifiers at the Shah Alam Stadium on Sept 8.

In the letter, the FAM was directed to take prompt action to improve security at the stadium.

- Bernama