There you have it: another U-turn but I'm not complaining. The FA of Malaysia has now said it will render technical assistance to ensure that Manchester United's trip to Malaysia on 27 Jul 2007 will go on and be a success.
Yesterday, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, the FAM's deputy president, claimed that the FAM had caved in to mounting pressure from the Asian Football Confederation during the AFC Congress last Tuesday.
However, the stand now is that the visit is organised by a private promoter working with the Ministry of Tourism and as such, the FAM has no power to stop the tour.
Trying to explain his way out of the mess, Tengku Abdullah said: “When I said that day that the match was off, I was just echoing after FIFA president Sepp Blatter and AFC president Mohamed Hammam. I made the statement as AFC vice-president."
But then he continued: "I would like to respect the wishes of the Prime Minister and the Malaysian Government that the Manchester United tour will go on in conjunction with the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Merdeka.
"My loyalty is with the Government and I want the AFC to understand that the United match is being promoted by the Ministry of Tourism, and not FAM. We will not be involved in any promotional or marketing campaigns or any other public relations aspects."
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