A lively chat

Venue: Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur
Time: Late afternoon, sometime last week

Question: I'm upset and disappointed with your decision to relocate.
Answer: No, it is just that we want to have a formal agreement with the Malaysian Government. It is not necessary that we relocate.

Question: I thought whatever issues you have would have been discussed when the Deputy Prime Minister and the Sports Minister paid you a courtesy call last year, shortly after the Asian Cup?
Answer: Yes, I thought so too. We were expecting a follow-up.

Question: Has someone from the Ministry spoken to you and discuss your requests?
Answer: No, not at all. Nobody has come to us.

Question: Is it true you want AFC to be based in the Middle East or Singapore?
Answer: Hahaha...good attempt, you are a journalist, always a journalist.

Question: What is that you want, Sir? Diplomatic status?
Answer: I get zero privileges from the Malaysian Government, you know, there is no agreement that bounds AFC to be based in Malaysia. We must have a formal agreement and clear guidelines that protect the interests of AFC and its employees.

The conversation between AFC president Mohamed bin Hammam and I was witnessed by three others. Some feel AFC should leave, which will allow FA of Malaysia to move to Bukit Jalil. After all I was told that the piece of land that houses Wisma FAM at Kelana Jaya is worth slightly more than what FAM used to get from Dunhill in the 90s.

Read these too letter to editor, AFC's wish list, Peter Velappan's take, Hammam's promises, No way Jose, Hammam extends olive branch

Mr Hammam once offered me a job, saying: "It's better to have with you the devil you know than the devil you don't". I politely declined, insisting that: "Once I become an employee, I wouldn't be able to engage you on the same level."

Mr Hammam with his youngest son, Zayed

Former FIFA general secretary Urs Linsi, loose cannon and PV. PV once threatened to sue me and often called me Rascal... little did he realise I was the only journalist interested to carry stuffs on the AFC and its activities when he was the general secretary. My being labelled a Rascal was simply due to the fact that I do not like to merely skim the surface.