Some blame has been levelled at the Johor Darul Takzim boss since four of the club’s star players – Safiq Rahim, Aidil Zafuan Radzak, S Kunanlan and Amirul Hadi – suddenly quit the national team last week.
Their shock announcements came on the back of Tunku Ismail’s criticism of FAM, whom he said was not up to par with its handling of the players during the team’s recent Oceania tour.
Tunku Ismail has backed his players, and urged others to “respect their decision”, too.
“(People are) making statements as if they (the players) did not serve the country and win anything with the national team,” Tunku Ismail said in a posting shared by the club’s Facebook page Johor Southern Tigers.
“Why is it so difficult to respect their decision? There’s only one thing you should say about them or to them, which is ‘thank you’,” he added. “Thank you for their sacrifices all this while. That’s it.”
The caustic Tunku Ismail, who is also Tunku Mahkota Johor (TMJ), said guns should be trained on FAM instead, adding that he found it “strange” that people had entertained “30 years of corruption” within the national football body.
“You don’t need to show me and the current generation that you as old-timers are struggling to accept that the world and time has changed.
“What’s strange is that after all these years, all of you can accept and stand the 30 years of corruption within FAM,” he wrote.
Tunku Ismail intimated that he possessed information – thanks to “high-ranking friends” – that could land FAM in the soup for its misdeeds.
“Here is a pendrive containing the information and activities within the FAM, the media personnel that the FAM always use, including former footballers in Malaysia, the amount of money taken by FMLLP and given to the FAM as well as a rubbish auditor’s report given to me by my high-ranking friends in Kuala Lumpur.
“Maybe it’s time for football supporters of this country to see the truth and judge for themselves. I have a commander in India who always says ‘don’t invite a sniper to a shooting range’.
“Lastly, I would like to remind you all that the rakyat’s money should be used for the rakyat only. Not for football and politics. Please take action on the issue of player salaries that has not been resolved,” he added.