M-League organisers will ban teams with no licence next season

PETALING JAYA: No license, no play!

The Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP) will not hesitate to bar teams without a licence from competing in the M-League for the new season.

FMLLP chief executive officer Kevin Ramalingam said that so far seven Super League teams have met the necessary regulations to procure their club licences for the 2018 season.

The seven clubs are Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), Pahang, Perak, PKNS, Penang, Selangor and T-Team.

But the other five Super League sides – Kelantan, Felda United, Sarawak, Melaka and FA Cup champions Kedah – have yet to obtain their licence. These teams have appealed to FAM’s Club licensing First Instance Body (FIB) for the green light to play in the top flight next season.

Kevin said the five teams are working hard to complete their application for club licensing.

He added that FMLLP chairman Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, who is also the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president, took the matter (club licensing) seriously.

“Seven top flight teams have done it and we need only five more to complete their documentations. The FMLLP is here to help the teams sort out their documentations but the licence comes from FAM,” said Kevin.

“It looks positive but, in the worst case scenario, we would have to drop teams from the Super League next season if they fail to get their licence. The relegated teams with licences will get to play in the top flight.

“Our chairman Tunku Ismail is taking this matter seriously. He wants all M-League teams to have proper documentation and administration because this is the right step to improving the standard of the M-League.”

Kevin said that there was a possibility that teams may be granted conditional licences, where a stipulated time-frame would be given to the associations to meet all the requirements for a club licence.

“We want to help the teams get their licenses but we also want them to do their part. The level of compliances with the licensing terms from the teams will be vital for them to get their appeal approved,” said Kevin.