KUALA LUMPUR: Even during his schooling days, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had consistently portrayed the image of a prince with a people-centric spirit and an active involvement in sports.
Driven by a deep love and interest in the field, Al-Sultan Abdullah played various sports himself, with a keen passion for football, polo and hockey, and was comfortable in setting aside royal protocol.
Al-Sultan Abdullah is also recognised for his prowess in sports administration, having held several key positions, including as president of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and a member of the Executive Committee of the International Association Football Federation (FIFA), while he was the Tengku Mahkota of Pahang.
While helming those prestigious posts, Al-Sultan Abdullah maintained an open and professional approach, accepting the perspectives of fans and sports analysts in the country as constructive feedback for the future of Malaysian football.
Datuk Dr Johnson Fernandez, a former sports journalist with more than 30 years of experience with the National Echo, The Star and New Straits Times Press (NSTP), said His Majesty was always open to accepting opinions and views, a trait he inherited from his father, Sultan Ahmad Shah.
Johnson, who got to know Al-Sultan Abdullah in 1995 when His Majesty was with FAM and the president of the Pahang State Football Association (Pahang FA), said the King had never held a grudge over any criticism expressed in the news.
"Maybe he did not agree with what we wrote and was upset about it, but he never held it against us because he always understood when we wrote a (news) story, we didn't have bad intentions, we were sincere in what we were doing and he appreciated that.
"Once I was with him on a football tour, and he called me aside and asked my opinion, which was not in sync with his, and he told me: 'Thank you for telling me what I needed to know, instead of what I wanted you to tell me'.
"He doesn't want to hear good things only," he told Bernama.
Johnson, who currently serves as the managing editor of Revon Media, said while attending the recently held "Sports Flame" gala event that brought together sporting legends, coaches, officials and media practitioners from the 1960s to the 1980s, Al-Sultan Abdullah shared that the constructive criticism had helped him build a more resilient character.
Meanwhile, Datuk V. Radhakrishnan, a local sports administrator who served under Al-Sultan Abdullah when the latter was the president of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (KHM) (formerly known as the Malaysian Hockey Federation), said that His Majesty always listened to the views of all council members in meetings before making important decisions.
Having known Al-Sultan Abdullah for almost 20 years, Radhakrishnan said His Majesty’s experience in governing and managing issues and politics in sports had helped him deal with the country's political crisis from 2020 to 2022.
"His Majesty loves sports very much. He once stated that sports would always be an integral and inseparable part of his identity, because it taught many disciplines, such as how to handle issues and so on. As a sports administrator, His Majesty had faced many issues and he learned how to overcome them.
"This has helped His Majesty make better decisions, especially during political conflicts...because sports and politics can never be separated. His Majesty learned a lot from the attitude of athletes, sports officials and ministry officials while serving in sports," he said.
Radhakrishnan also described Al-Sultan Abdullah as a King who is humble and approachable, and who still maintains an active lifestyle.
He also commended His Majesty over the kind gesture of often congratulating the nation’s athletes for their success at the international level.
"His Majesty also expresses his condolences through Istana Negara's official social media platforms if a former national athlete dies, which is greatly appreciated by the national sports fraternity," he said.
Throughout more than three decades in sports administration, Al-Sultan Abdullah has held key positions, including as Pahang FA president in 1984, and subsequently the lifetime president until 2005.
His Majesty was the deputy president of FAM from 1992-2007, returned to the position from 2010-2014, and then held the the president’s post from 2014-2017.
Al-Sultan Abdullah also served as the vice-president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) from 2002-2015 and as a member of the FIFA Executive Committee from 2015-2019.
His Majesty was also awarded the "AFC Diamond of Asia" - the highest accolade in Asian football - in recognition of his exemplary contributions to the advancement of the sport in the continent.
He was also appointed as an honorary member of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) in 2021; a member of the FIH Executive Board in 2012; Royal Patron of the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) since 2019; besides having held the leadership of the AHF from 2014-2019 and KHM from 2008 to 2015.
Meanwhile, former national and Pahang footballer from the 1980s to the 1990s, Datuk Zainal Abidin Hassan said it was very important to have a leader like Al-Sultan Abdullah who had a deep interest in sports, especially football.
Zainal Abidin, who also has extensive experience as a coach, shared that His Majesty always stressed that players should maintain high discipline.
"I can say that I spent a long time under the administration of His Majesty in the Pahang and national teams. Comments, advice, or ideas given by him are always spot on, meaning he has a deep understanding of football.
"During my playing days, it can be said that every afternoon His Majesty would attend the training session, automatically we knew - not out of fear - but we didn’t want to make a mistake because we were dealing with a boss who is an expert in football," he said. - Bernama
