“They (sportsmen) feel unequipped (for such tasks).

“And that’s why they like being under either a big corporate figure or politician or ex-politician who would be more used to raising that kind of money for the sports association,” he said at the Media Specialists Association Festival & Awards 2024 today.

Khairy, however, said one of the ways to address the issue was to train sportsmen to “pitch and seek funds”.

He was asked to comment on why ex-politicians or politicians were leading sports associations, in the wake of news reports that two PKR MPs were vying for the Kuala Lumpur Football Association presidency.

Earlier today, it was reported that Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil was running against his party colleague, Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, for the post.

Fahmi, who is PKR information chief, made the announcement in a TikTok post and also named members of his “team”, which included Azman Abidin, the political secretary to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who will contest for the post of KLFA secretary.

Meanwhile, former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan, who also participated in the forum, said he wished to see fewer instances of sports associations being headed by politicians or ex-politicians.

He hopes that politicians who head such associations would be those who are capable of helping the development of the sport.

“If they happen to be politicians, sure, but … it shouldn’t be as prevalent as it is now.”