KUALA LUMPUR – The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has firmly denied claims that it received complimentary tickets from FIFA for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
FAM secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman told Scoop that the allegation, made by a veteran journalist in a recent local news portal article, was “baseless and misleading.”
“I wish to emphasise that no complimentary tickets were provided by FIFA.
“FAM did not receive any free tickets for the 2022 World Cup, even though FAM is one of FIFA’s member associations.
“So, if there are allegations that FAM received free tickets from FIFA, that is completely untrue,” he said when contacted.
Noor Azman explained that while FIFA allocates ticket quotas to all member associations, including FAM, these are for purchase only and given free of charge.
According to Noor Azman, FAM’s maximum allocation for Qatar 2022 was 290 tickets.
However, the association bought only 92 — comprising 72 tickets for the group stage, round of 16, quarter-finals and third-place play-off, and 20 tickets for the opening match, semi-finals and the final.
“As stated in FIFA’s letter dated June 17 2022, the ticket allocation was for members of the executive committee, FAM affiliates, sponsors, and relevant stakeholders,” he added.
He further stressed that FAM had never sold World Cup tickets to Malaysian football fans or supporters, including during the 2022 edition. — September 9, 2025