Azmin Ali AlexFerguson-ing his way to Leadership?

Is Azmin Ali tying his political fate to the Selangor soccer team’s fate?

SIAPA bakal ganti Datuk Satim Diman sebagai pengurus bolasepak Selangor, kini menjadi teka-teki dikalangan peminat sukan negeri terbabit. Sumber KLpos.com memberitahu, antara nama yang disebut-sebut layak untuk menggantikan Satim yang meletak jawatan 19 Mac lalu adalah Adun Bukit Antarabangsa Azmin Ali.

Hey, let’s be honest, we all know the man who gets Malaysia’s soccer team into respectable shape ought to be the Prime Minister Emperor for life. This may not be a bad place for Azmin to start.

However, further down in the newspiece, there is something that raises my people’s eyebrow…  

Apapun, malam ini pasukan bolasepak Selangor bakal menerima suntikan semangat daripada Menteri Besar Selangor yang baru, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim menjelang pertemuan dengan Perak di Stadium Shah Alam malam ini. Abdul Khalid yang juga Presiden Persatuan Bola Sepak Selangor (FAS) yang baru terlebih dahulu akan mengadakan sesi suai kenal dan beramah mesra dengan pemain skuad Liga Super Selangor pagi ini.

I didn’t realise Khalid Ibrahim was also the president of FA Selangor, but as confirmed by this newspiece, indeed he is… he took over that position from Khir Toyo as well because apparently the Selangor State Constitutions automatically requires that the Selangor MB be the FAS President! That seems strange to me.

But my point is this: how does it look to have your party essentially “take over” the soccer establishment of the state? If I were the Menteri Besar I would go to great lengths to distance myself from allegations of cronyism and nepotism. As such, a decision to place Azmin Ali as the manager of the Selangor soccer team better be well justified and widely accepted.

And then I would pray that the team does well.