Crown prince of Johor Tunku Ismail Idris has noted how various issues in the country have been politicised of late.

However, he wanted Khairy Jamaluddin to ensure that the same fate does not befall the sport of football in Malaysia.

And in order to do this, Tunku Ismail said the youth and sports minister should stand for what is right.

Taking to Facebook , the crown prince penned his disappointment with Khairy for defending the match between the national team and Tottenham Hotspur, which is slated for May 27.

"You know that this match does not benefit the national team, but I'm surprised that you say it does and you stand alongside the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).

"This match serves one purpose and one purpose only - the proceeds of this match go to the organisers responsible to bring the team to Malaysia and FAM.

"But what benefit does it bring the national team for the World Cup qualifiers?" he asked.

First of all, he said, the match would not help the Malaysian team with regard to its dismal world ranking and secondly, it does not prepare local players as five foreigners have been chosen to play.

"We have to give more emphasis to the FIFA match dates as it can bring more benefit to our performance and ranking," he added.

Stand with the fans

Tunku Ibrahim called on the minister to stand with the Malaysian football fans and for what is right.

"Being a leader of tomorrow, the people should know that as their leader, you should stand for what is right.

"You should serve them by voicing their concerns and dissatisfaction towards FAM, which has been running Malaysian football poorly for the last 30 years.

"To move forward for the sake of football in the county, we should concentrate more on the national team's performance and ranking," he added.

The crown prince also mocked Khairy, saying the latter would always have an answer.

"For example, you once mentioned that Bukit Jalil is the national stadium and you cannot use cow grass because as the national stadium, you needed something with more quality.

"Today, however, you have commissioned Johor FA's field consultant to replace the current turf with cow grass and maintain it as how we have done in Larkin," he added.

Though praising Khairy as a "good, determined and dedicated minister for the future", Tunku Ibrahim however suggested that the minister starts doing what is right for the sport.

"And at the same time stand up to FAM if they're doing something wrong so that the people will always remember that you stand for the right thing, full of integrity and this may help you in your future political endeavors," he added.

Describing the contest between Malaysia and Tottenham Hotspur as a "circus match", Tunku Ibrahim said that he was not asking Khairy to stop it.

"But I urge you to be sure that this is the last time because we should start doing things that are beneficial to national football and not benefitting those serving in FAM," he added.