MALAYSIA’S sports minister threatened to suspend the country’s soccer body after last week’s record 10-0 drubbing, which has already prompted their coach to quit.

    Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said he was prepared to take “drastic” measures against the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) after the embarrassing World Cup qualifying defeat to UAE.

    Khairy warned he may come down hard if the body “still recycle their earlier excuses,” the New Straits Times quoted him as saying yesterday.

    Coach Dollah Salleh stepped down Saturday, two days after presiding over Malaysia’s thrashing in Abu Dhabi, which made history as their worst ever defeat. Khairy said FAM officials must ask “after this embarrassing defeat if they are still qualified to hold office.”

    He said one option would be a move similar to that invoked by Indonesia’s soccer body, which suspended the country’s top domestic league in April after a dispute with the sports ministry.

    “I can call for a suspension of FAM, just like how Indonesia did to their national body,” Khairy said.

    (SD-Agencies)