Last weekend’s 53rd Congress of the Football Association of Malaysia will likely be looked back upon as a pivotal moment in the history of Malaysian sport. The Crown Prince of Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim was elected as the new FAM President, and hopes are high that his leadership will herald a new era for Malaysian football.

In the first of this two-part series on the future of Malaysia football, BFM explores the challenges Tunku Ismail faces in transforming Malaysia into a highly-respected footballing nation.

This is a report by Shawn Tanis.