TAWAU: The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has been urged to assist Sabah in upgrading the quality of football fields in the State, which are seen to be lagging despite Sabah’s strong track record of producing national sports talents.
State Finance Minister’s Political Secretary Datuk Rina Jainal said the State currently relies heavily on funding from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, although many sporting facilities require significant expenditure.
“At the Ministry of Finance, we constantly face conflicts because many sports facilities demand high maintenance costs,” she said.
She stressed that Sabah has produced many sports stars and that basic infrastructure must be well-supported by all parties to further develop sports in the State.
Rina said this after officiating the 2025/2026 Sabah-level National Football Referees Annual Seminar and Fitness Test held here on Wednesday night.
Commenting on the programme, which saw participation from 36 aspiring qualified referees from across Sabah, Rina said it was a proud achievement for Tawau to be selected as the host for the Sabah zonal seminar by FAM itself.
She expressed confidence that FAM’s presence in the region would inspire young referees to stay active and uncover more promising talent, especially in Tawau.
At the same time, she noted the importance of such programmes in strengthening integrity and sporting mindset, especially given the challenging role of referees who must manage matches fairly and often face risks, including corruption.
Meanwhile, FAM Referees Unit Head, Kassim Kadir Bacha, said Sabah had shown a significant increase in referee participation, with the current intake rising to 36 from just 15 previously.
He emphasised that FAM continues to focus on integrity and consistent monitoring of referees through ongoing seminars while also working to produce more female and young referees from Sabah.
