Privatisation of M-League put on hold until 2016

KUALALUMPUR: The anticipated privatisation of the M-League nextyearhasbeenputonholduntil 2016 said Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.

Tengku Abdullah said the decision to delay the privatisation of the M-League was taken because all state football associations and clubs playing in the M-League must fulfill certain criteria, especially the process of licensing, just like professional leagues in other countries.

“We are still discussing the privatisation aspects of the MLeague...give us some time. The privatisation may take place in 2016. We do not want to apply unnecessary pressure on the states and clubs,” he told reporters after accepting a sponsorship cheque from Bank Islam Berhad for RM2.35 million at a leading hotel in the city, here yesterday.

In another development Tengku Abdullah when touching on issues involving unpaid salary of players, said the FAM was looking at a new mechanism to resolve the issue that has become a perennial problem in the M-League.

“In the past, we (FAM) set a ceiling for the salary that can be paid to players, as a means of controlling problems of unsettled wages of players. We are still looking at a mechanism used by European countries.

“We have always advised teams, whether state FAs or clubs to be prudent in their spending for players and not promise the sky and the moon when they really cannot afford.

“The problem starts when teams promise high wages but cannot afford to pay,” he said when referring to reports that the M-League has surpassed other leagues in the region in terms of high salaries for players.

Kelantan Football Association (KAFA) president Tan Sri Annuar Musa had said salary offered for players in the M-League was among the highest in the region, even surpassing Australia, Singapore and Thailand.

Annuar had expressed concern saying if t he trend was not addressed, the local football scene would only feature teams with mega bucks.

The Kelantan FA president said teams in the M-League would need RM12 million a season just to pay the salary of players if wages are set at RM30,000 to RM50,000 a player. - Bernama