With sports ministry vision unclear and GE looming, Arrifin Ghani may not want to get too comfortable as NSC DG

KUALA LUMPUR: Arrifin Ghani is the new National Sports Council (NSC) director-general. He will be inundated with congratulatory messages and “welcome back” greetings from the Malaysian sports fraternity.

But the former national hockey player may well be wondering: How long will this rodeo last?

Arrifin has been passed around faster than a hockey ball. After years at the NSC, he became director of its international preparations unit before being seconded to lead the Melaka State Sports Council in 2019. He returned to the NSC after his Melaka stint ended in April 2020.

On Dec 1, 2020, he was appointed deputy sports commissioner before returning to the NSC as deputy director-general. He was named Sports Commissioner in August 2025.

Returning to the NSC, this time as its chief, would mark another turn in his career.

Former youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh appointed Jefri Ngadirin as NSC director-general on April 4, 2025, choosing him over the more senior Arrifin. Current minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari, however, appears to have other ideas.

If Arrifin gets the opportunity to meet the minister directly, as NSC chiefs did with their ministers in the past, he should ask two questions:

1. Why was Jefri replaced?

2. Why now, with Malaysia due to host the SEA Games in less than 12 months?

Arrifin needs to understand the reasons for Jefri’s reported removal, despite Malaysia’s “excellent” haul of nine gold medals at the recent Asian Games, achieved under Jefri’s watch.

It must be noted, however, that athletes train for years to reach the podium. The credit belongs to them, not officials or, worse still, politicians who are often clueless about sports.

The looming 16th General Election could bring another minister to Menara KBS, leaving the NSC’s leadership vulnerable to yet another change.

As for Jefri, he takes over Arrfin’s role as Sports Commissioner.

But step back for a moment and a bigger question emerges: what has happened to the NSC?

For the uninitiated, the NSC is an agency under the Youth and Sports Ministry. Established in line with the National Sports Policy, it is tasked with taking “full responsibility for the promotion, development, and excellent achievement in sports at the highest level”. It also serves as the ministry’s funding arm.

The Council has become a powerful player in Malaysian sports largely because national sports bodies struggle to raise funds and sustain their activities. Athletes, too, rely on NSC funding despite considering themselves professionals and securing sponsorship deals. Some say this has turned the Council into a beast.

Former NSC director-general Datuk Wira Mazlan Ahmad , for one, understood the sporting ecosystem and ran a tight ship. Some disliked his methods; others considered him among the Council’s best directors-general. Regardless of public opinion, Mazlan stood up to officials, politicians and athletes, irrespective of their status.

He played an instrumental role in the Jaya ’98 programme, which helped lay the groundwork for Malaysia’s performance when Kuala Lumpur hosted the 1998 Commonwealth Games. The programme also gave him direct access to then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Jaya ’98 concentrated resources on sports in which Malaysia had a realistic chance of winning medals, including lawn bowls, then relatively unfamiliar to most Malaysians. Its legacy remains evident decades later.

Figures such as Mazlan and, to a certain extent, former Olympic Council of Malaysia secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi are sorely missed. They spoke their minds, stood firm in the face of criticism and welcomed healthy debate.

Today, the “snowflake, strawberry, it’s OK, it’s all right” culture has taken hold, even among the senior officials. Meaningful debates about the true state of Malaysian sports are drowned out by labelling them as “noise” and highlighting mediocre successes instead.

Arrifin, a law degree holder, would also have to contend with a minister who has changed three press secretaries over the past 10 months.

The government has allocated RM757 million for sports under the recently tabled 2027 Budget. Arrifin will need to shift into fifth gear quickly, refining existing plans ahead of the 2027 SEA Games, for which promotion has been rather muted despite being just 11 months away.

Arrifin may have put down his hockey stick long ago. Perhaps he should retrieve it and keep it in his new office as a reminder that running NSC, too, is a hockey game.

He must stay on his toes and watch for those eager to outpace him. If he survives and scores, the victory should be for Team NSC and Malaysia, not personal glory.

Like any player, Arifin must accept that he could be dropped at any time by those who think they know more about the “game”.

All the best, Arrifin.