An entire executive committee does not resign without reason.

Yesterday, the Football Association of Malaysia’s top leadership stepped down together, citing governance, accountability and the need to give the Asian Football Confederation room to act.

That move underlines the scale of the crisis.

It also exposes a harder truth. Walking away from office does not, by itself, resolve a failure of governance.

It merely opens the door to scrutiny.

The backdrop is stark. Fifa found that falsified documents were used to support the naturalisation of seven players. It fined FAM 350,000 Swiss Francs and suspended the players.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has since granted a temporary stay to the players pending appeal, but the core issue remains: how did this happen under FAM’s watch?

That question still hangs over Malaysian football.

Resignation is not accountability

Mass exits can show responsibility. They can also absorb pressure and reset the narrative.

What matters is what comes next.

If former executive committee members remain active in state football associations, league bodies or clubs, then power has not disappeared. It has only shifted location.

Influence persists, and decisions continue to shape the game.

Accountability cannot exist while the same individuals continue to shape the game through parallel roles.

Stepping away from Wisma FAM while remaining embedded elsewhere weakens the very argument made for resignation.

What Malaysian football needs now is a clear firewall between those under review and the game they once governed.

Resignation means little if those who resigned continue to guide, advise or influence Malaysian football from another seat.

Cooling-off, not punishment

This moment calls for restraint, not retribution.

The correct step is a cooling-off period: a temporary separation from all football governance roles, national and state, while the AFC review runs its course.

This is not a declaration of guilt. It is a safeguard.

Serious institutions use cooling-off periods to protect investigations and public trust.

They prevent interference, limit conflicts and protect the reform process.

Most importantly, they respect due process. If the review clears individuals, they can return through open and transparent channels.

If it finds wrongdoing, then consequences can follow based on evidence.

Allowing influence to continue during an inquiry defeats its purpose.

Transparency decides credibility

The AFC review must be open, not ornamental.

Publish its terms of reference, name the review team, state the timeline, and release the findings in full.

Without transparency, even a credible review will struggle to earn trust.

Public trust will not return through assurances alone. It returns through disclosure.

At a minimum, Malaysians deserve clarity on:

• a clear cooling-off requirement for all former committee members.
• the scope and leadership of the AFC assessment.
• access to relevant internal records.
• rules governing interim decision-making.

These are not radical demands. They are basic firewalls, barriers designed to protect the review, the reform process and the credibility of the game itself.

A narrow window for reform

For the outgoing leadership, the resignations buy time. They signal cooperation and may soften external response.

For the game, they create a brief opening.

Used well, this moment could deliver long-delayed reforms: stronger eligibility checks, independent oversight, clearer lines of authority, and protection for whistleblowers.

Used poorly, it will reproduce familiar failures. Old figures will reappear in new roles and old habits will survive under new labels. The cycle will repeat.

Evidence must lead the outcome

If the appraisal uncovers weak systems, then fix the structures. Introduce audits, limits and safeguards.

If it uncovers deliberate falsification, then refer the findings to prosecutors and Fifa. Act on facts, not sentiment.

What must not happen is quiet absolution through collective exit.

Permanent bans may satisfy anger, but they do not build institutions. Accountability works when it is precise, measured and visible.

Resistance will follow. Some state bodies will object. Others will warn against interference.

Those reactions will reveal who truly wants reform.

Resignation opened the door but it did not finish the job.

That requires distance, transparency and consequences.
Step aside fully. Let the review run clean. Publish the truth.

Only then can Malaysian football begin to move forward.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.