Malaysia Super League continues to be dogged by clubs' financial problems in this era of privatisation

THE power of failure lies in the lessons it imparts. Hence, every error committed means an opportunity to learn and invent new possibilities.

Yet the powers-that-be in Malaysian football seem to have inherited issues and missteps over the decades that remain unresolved. The issue of sustainability for teams contesting the Super League – the apex of Malaysian football hierarchy – persists even after two decades since it was launched with only eight teams in the top-tier.

When the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) took the first step towards making the league truly professional in form and substance in 2004, it was bold enough to restrict the Super League to only a deserving few. Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor Public Bank, Penang, Sarawak, Kedah and Sabah earned the privilege of becoming the interpreters of FAM's league ambition, which ultimately was to produce a quality national side.

The concept was developed on the ashes of past failures. Desperate to come up with a league that was sustainable and realistic within the domestic ecosystem, FAM looked East instead of aping the West.

Successful examples in South Korea, Japan

This formula was first introduced by the Korean FA who kicked off their Super League in 1983. They began with only two professional clubs - Yukong Elephants and Hallelujah FC - and three amateur teams, POSCO Atoms (now Pohang Steelers), Daewoo Royals and Kookmin Bank.

From such a small number of clubs, the league succeeded in producing the players to help the Koreans qualify for 10 successive World Cups since then. It was an example of quality above quantity.

It was not until 1987 that Korea's league took on a truly professional character by being confined only to professional clubs. Since then, the league has expanded to 25 teams, divided into two divisions, with the top-tier featuring 12 teams being renamed K-League in 2018.

The Japanese professional league or J-League, meanwhile, was launched with 10 teams in 1993. World Cup stars such as Zico, Dunga, Gary Lineker, Pierre Littbarski, Ramon Diaz, Basile Boli, Salvatore Schillaci, Leonardo and Gerald Vanenburg were among the big names transported to Japan to add glamour to the competition.

J-League offered higher salaries and acquired the reputation of being something of a cash cow - an attractive option for foreign legionnaires seeking a cosy run-in to retirement.

The Japanese youngsters, meanwhile, began to dance to the Samba and European beat. They had idols and role models in the flesh to look up to. As a result, the likes of Hidetoshi Nakata, Shinji Ono, Naohiro Takahara, Junichi Inamoto and Shunsuke Nakamura rose through the ranks. In less than five years, Japan began exporting their own talent to Europe.

League struggles with financially-sound clubs

Malaysia, in contrast, has struggled to establish a league contested by financially-sound participants.

All those years ago, the Super League was planned to be executed under three phases, with the hope of having 10 teams by 2015, all of which were helmed by coaches who hold a UEFA Professional Coaching Diploma, supported by a panel of qualified personnels comprising two assistant coaches, fitness trainer, goalkeeper coach, a doctor, physiotherapist, trained masseur and a football development centre.

The privatisation of the league from 2015, with FAM gradually relinquishing the right to organise the league to Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP), the forerunner of Malaysian Football League (MFL), did little to accelerate the professionalisation process.

As it stands today, MFL is mulling over the candidates to replace Kelantan FC while simultaneously having to conduct due diligence on the financial capacity of Kedah Darul Aman FC and Kuala Lumpur City FC.

Clubs must satisfy all the criteria listed in MFL's club licensing regulations before undergoing an assessment with First Instance Body (FIB), an independent decision-making body appointed by MFL.

As of last week, MFL has also confirmed that three M3 Amateur Football League clubs – Immigration FC, Kuala Lumpur Rovers and Harini FC - have applied for extraordinary licences to participate in the 2024/25 Super League, which is scheduled to start on 10 May.

MFL re-opened the application following the decision of the FIB and the MFL club licensing appeal committee, which rejected Kelantan's national licence application to compete this season following their financial problems.

Could the axe fall on more Super League clubs?

It is within MFL’s right to take punitive action such as point deductions - which had been imposed on Sarawak United, Melaka United and Perak FC before - and refuse any clubs the national licence. But what does that tell us?

The pull of playing in the top tier remains strong, with both Melaka and Perlis United eyeing a comeback. Melaka are said to be toying with the idea of buying over the national licence from those who have secured theirs, but MFL is not likely to entertain arrangements of that nature.

Alternatively, there have been suggestions for MFL to proceed with 13 teams for the new season but that would mean one team not playing during matchdays, as pointed out by FIFA technical director Jean Michel Benezet during his visit in 2008.

From 18 teams in 2023, the Super League has shrunk to 15 after Sarawak United, Melaka United and PJ City packed their bags and left the league, before Kelantan FC was forced to close shop.

With teams allowed to register 10 foreign players, and able to start a match with as many as six foreign players on the field, MFL policies can be seen as friendly to clubs with deep pockets.

In this era of privatisation and commercialisation, clubs continue to struggle to fulfil all criteria in obtaining national or AFC licences. Only five from the eight that competed in the inaugural Super League in 2004 survive until today. Could the axe fall on Kedah Darul Aman FC next?

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