PETALING JAYA: Another top football official bites the dust with Italian Giorgio Pompili Rossi leaving the scene in less than six months.
Rossi, who was hired as a replacement for Datuk Stuart Ramalingam, has left his position as the Malaysian Football League (MFL) chief executive officer (CEO) effective yesterday. He was hired in September.
“The operations of the MFL will be led by the chief operating officer (COO), Mohd Shazli Shaik Mohd,” said the MFL statement.
Rossi is no stranger to Malaysian football, having previously served as a representative for LaLiga Global Network Malaysia.
His career in Malaysia began in 2017 when he was appointed as a La Liga delegate, playing a key role in expanding the Spanish League’s brand in the region until 2021.
In fact, when MFL president Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan brought in Rossi, he highlighted the latter’s extensive international experience in sponsorships, football clubs and leagues but according to sources within the organisation yesterday, the partnership between Rossi and MFL was short-lived because of internal issues.
Rossi wanted to improve the league fixtures for the upcoming season and even hinted that the Premier League could make a return for the new season.
He was also focused on strengthening club management, refining financial structures and had plans for long-term stability.
With his departure, Shazli will now have the unenviable task of stabilising the organisation that have been beset with financial issues and poor scheduling.
