Malaysian Football League

The Malaysian Football League, also known simply as the MFL, was created during the course of the privatisation of the Malaysian football league system.[2][3] It was formerly known as Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP).[1] The company operates and runs all entities in Malaysian football under its jurisdiction, which include the Malaysia Super League, the MFL Cup, the Malaysia M3 League, the Malaysia M4 League, the Malaysia M5 League, the Malaysia Cup, the Malaysia Challenge Cup, the Malaysia FA Cup and the Piala Sumbangsih.[4][5] It aims to transform and move Malaysian football forward.[6][7]

Malaysian Football League
IndustrySports
Founded3 February 2015 (2015-02-03)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia[1]
HeadquartersPutrajaya, Malaysia
Area served
Global
Key people
Dato’ Ab Ghani Hassan
ProductsFootball League
Websitewww.malaysianfootballleague.com

The Malaysia Super League and the Malaysia Premier League are at the top and second levels of the Malaysian football league system and are part of the Malaysian Football League, the country's primary football league competition. Contested by 24 clubs which are divided into two divisions, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation between them, along with the Malaysia M3 League (Third Level) and the Malaysia M4 League (Fourth Level) which are under the jurisdiction of the Amateur Football League, a subsidiary of the Malaysian Football League.[8]

The Malaysian Football League organises and keeps the official records of league and cup matches while enforcing the rules of professional football. Besides that, the company also oversees the development, certification, and registration of professional football players, coaches, and referees. The Malaysian Football League is also responsible for promoting professional football in Malaysia through broadcasts and other media outlets.[9]

The Malaysian Football League is a corporation in which the 24 member clubs act as shareholders. Seasons run from February to November, with teams playing 22 matches each (playing each team in the league twice, home and away) totalling 132 matches in each league in the season.[10] The number of games per season may vary if a team in a league drops out due to certain factors. Most games are played in the afternoons of Fridays and Saturdays, with other games played during weekday evenings.

History

After the appointment of MP & Silva by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) as its Global Advisor for all media and commercial rights for an extensive lineup of FAM competitions, the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP) was established to manage the top two tiers of Malaysian football league competition while the MP & Silva and FAM partnership's goal was to extend its broadcast reach and maximising the commercial potential of its properties.[11] The partnership signified the first steps of the privatisation of the Malaysian professional leagues as their subsidiary holding company, the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP), was established for the day-to-day administration of local club football at a league-wide level.

This deal was worth RM1.26 billion (S$470 million or £233 million) over a 15-year period commencing from 2016. However cracks in the agreement appeared later that year after reports emerged that promised levels of funding failed to materialise, with MP & Silva only offering a level of investment lower than FAM had originally turned down by other media parties prior to agreeing a partnership with the sports media agency.[12][13][14]

In March 2018, the company was rebranded as the Malaysian Football League from Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership.[2][15] The company aimed to be more dynamic and competitive, with the MFL now an independent organization and was no longer tied to FAM.

In 2018, a new subsidiary of the company was formed known as Amateur Football League (AFL) which was tasked to manage the third division and below from 2019 onward.[16] The AFL officially confirmed the formation of the Malaysia M3 League and the Malaysia M4 League as the third and fourth division of the Malaysian football league system as amateur league competitions.[17] A total of 14 clubs were confirmed to compete in the inaugural season of the newly reformed third division, which replaced the former Malaysia FAM League while the Malaysia M4 League had state FA leagues and social leagues run in parallel to form the new fourth division.

Corporate structure

Malaysian Football League structure consists of the following.[5]

  • League Congress. This has 29 seats: One seat from each of the participating Malaysia Super League teams and others from FAM.
  • League Executive Committee. This has three seats, filled by members of the Congress voted into the board for a particular term.
Position Name
President
Dato’ Ab Ghani Hassan
CEO
Datuk Stuart Ramalingam[6]

Competitions

Previously, all top football competitions in Malaysia were run and managed by the Football Association of Malaysia until 2015. Since then as part of the privatisation of the Malaysian football league system, the Football Malaysia LLP (FMLLP), which is now known as the Malaysian Football League (MFL) took over all the top-tier professional football competition. The list below are the competitions which are now managed by the Malaysia Football League:[5]

Amateur Football League (AFL), a subsidiary of MFL that is responsible to organize and manage lower football leagues in Malaysia took over the following competitions from MFL and managed it since 2019.

Current title holders
Competition Season Champions Title Runners-up Next season
League vs Cup
Piala Sumbangsih 2023 Johor Darul Ta'zim 8th Terengganu FC 2024–25
League
Malaysia Super League 2023 Johor Darul Ta'zim 10th Selangor 2024–25
Malaysia Premier League 2022 Johor Darul Ta'zim II 1st Kelantan 2023
Malaysia M3 League 2023 Immigration FC 1st Kuala Lumpur Rovers 2024–25
Malaysia M4 League 2023 UiTM United 1st YP Maintenance F.C. 2024–25
Malaysia M5 League 2023 Various league 2024–25
Cup
Malaysia FA Cup 2023 Johor Darul Ta'zim 3rd Kuala Lumpur City 2024–25
Malaysia Cup 2022 Johor Darul Ta'zim 3rd Selangor 2023
MFL Challenge Cup 2019 Johor Darul Ta'zim II 1st UKM 2023

References
  1. Ariani Bte Adam (3 February 2015). "FAM inks deal with MP & Silva". OnScreenAsia. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  2. https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2018/03/349279/tmj-thank-you-malaysian-football-and-goodbye TMJ: Thank you Malaysian football and goodbye
  3. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sport/johor-crown-prince-resigns-as-fam-president-appointed-as-10076070 Johor crown prince resigns as FAM President, appointed as Malaysia Football League chairman
  4. "Press Release: FAM Inks deal with MP & Silva to formalise FMLLP". Football Association of Malaysia. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  5. Ooi Kin Fai (7 May 2015). "Malaysian football going for the German way". Goal.com. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  6. Seng-Foo Lee (5 May 2015). "Football Malaysia LLP will drive Malaysian football forward, says Ramalingam". FourFourTwo. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  7. "About Football Malaysia". Football Malaysia LLP. Archived from the original on 31 August 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  8. "FAM to take over M3, M4 Leagues". The New Straits Times. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  9. "The CEO's new groove". The Malay Mail. 18 April 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  10. Eric Samuel (7 May 2015). "More domestic football on TV next season". The Star. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  11. "MP & Silva appointed as Football Association of Malaysia Global Advisor for Media & Commercial Rights until 2030". MP & Silva. 20 January 2015. Archived from the original on 25 January 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  12. K. Rajan; Joash Ee De Silva (19 January 2015). "FAM hit the jackpot". The Star. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  13. Gary Koh (20 January 2015). "Windfall beckons as FAM signs billion ringgit TV rights deal". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  14. Ajitpal Singh (8 November 2016). "End of FAM, MP & Silva partnership?". New Straits Times. Retrieved 28 February 2018 – via PressReader.
  15. https://www.aseanfootball.org/v3/tmj-quits-as-fam-president-but-remains-as-fmllp-chairman/ TMJ quits as FAM president but remains as FMLLP chairman
  16. https://www.goal.com/en-my/news/14-amateur-leagues-confirmed-as-part-of-inaugural-malaysian-tier-/l4242smju3ii1v6yggv24ruuv 14 amateur leagues confirmed as part of inaugural Malaysian tier five season
  17. https://www.foxsports.com.my/malaysia/46879/14-pasukan-sedia-bersaing-di-liga-m3-malaysia-2019/ 14 pasukan sedia bersaing di Liga M3 Malaysia 2019
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