KUALA LUMPUR: Sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli has urged sports leaders, including politicians, to avoid bowing to pressure from netizens when making decisions.
Pekan said while the public does have a right to express their views, sports administrators must give the views of stakeholders and specialists extra weightage when making a decision.
"Politicians and leaders today are increasingly bowing to pressure from netizens, it is a very different scenario from before the days of social media," said Pekan recently.
"This is especially true when the views of the netizens happen to be favourable for that particular leader. The support from the netizens is then manipulated.
"Many netizens believe only their views are correct and are quick to not only dispel but also criticise the views of people who have been involved in sports for many, many years.
"Should we really be following everything that is said on social media? I believe we have to pick and choose and see if the person has the credentials to comment in that particular context.
"Many netizens do not have in-depth knowledge about sports and often react based only on what they see instead of the full picture.
"Sports leaders should always listen to the stakeholders first. Sports analysts, commentators and the media also have a right to express their views."
Pressure from netizens in recent seasons is believed to have influenced a number of decisions across a variety of sports ranging from attire design to coaches selection and even suspension lengths.