KUALA LUMPUR: The FA of Malaysia (FAM) was shortlisted for an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) award by default after only three member associations submitted entries before the deadline.
AFC secretary-general Windsor John said all applicants were automatically nominated.
"Only three member associations submitted their applications by the deadline, and we needed three nominees in the category, so FAM were shortlisted by default," he said.
FAM were nominated alongside the Hong Kong Football Association and the All India Football Federation for the Member Association of the Year (Gold) award ahead of the ceremony in Bangkok on Nov 19.
The nomination drew scrutiny following a controversy involving seven fake heritage players whose lineage documents were found by FIFA to have been falsified, resulting in sanctions against FAM and the players last year.
French journalist Romain Molina questioned the nomination on social media platform X, highlighting the FIFA sanctions against FAM and calling the AFC "a joke".
Windsor said the assessment framework covered multiple areas, allowing member associations to score differently across various categories.
"There are various criteria in the assessment of the nominees. For example, a member association can score zero in governance and administration but score highly in other criteria such as women's football, grassroots development and competitions.
"AFC cannot stop member associations from submitting their applications. We need to be fair, and the assessment criteria and evaluation metrics are set for the panel to rate the member associations and pick a winner," he said.
Windsor also said FAM were not competing in the highest category.
"There are tiers for the award, and FAM are not in the highest tier. At AFC, we cover all member associations, and they are grouped according to their capabilities.
"This award is established for member associations to be evaluated and to progress accordingly. We want our member associations to continue to grow and improve," he said.
The AFC divides its 47 member associations into four tiers — Platinum, Diamond, Gold and Ruby — based on their capabilities.
FAM is in the Gold category, below Platinum and Diamond and above Ruby.
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