KUALA LUMPUR: Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, popularly known as ‘Tok Mat’, will not face any problems in holding the post of FA of Negeri Sembilan (PBNS) president even though he was suspended for life by the very same state football association for an offence committed during a match that took place almost forty years ago.
The issue was clarified by the FA of Malaysia’s (FAM) former disciplinary committee chairman, Kamarudin Abdullah, who said that the ban handed down to Mohamad involves being banned from playing football and not banned from being involved in football activities.
"The ban imposed differs from bans on players found guilty for bribery and in my personal opinion on this case, he just cannot play football for Negeri Sembilan or any state or club.
"In fact, he can be involved in football activities such as holding any post in PBNS such as the post he now holds,” said Kamarudin when contacted earlier today.
Earlier, after chairing the state government’s Exco meeting today, Mohamad had said that he was banned for life from playing football by PBNS after he was red carded in a match that took place about 40 years ago.
The incident is said to have happened during a local league final match in 1977, between NS Indians and the team that Mohamad was representing at the time, NS Malays.
Mohamad who played in defence, said that initially he was shown the yellow card for fouling former international G. Torairaju, though right after that the match referee flashed the red card to him for protesting and kicking the ball in frustration where it incidentally hit a match official.