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Malaysian Football League

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The Malaysian football league system , also known as the Malaysian football pyramid , is a series of interconnected leagues for men's football clubs in Malaysia . The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels, allowing even the smallest club the hypothetical possibility of ultimately rising to the very top of the system. The exact number of clubs varies from year to year as clubs join and leave leagues or fold altogether, but an estimated average of 10 clubs per division implies that hundreds of teams are members of a league in the Malaysian men's football league system.

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62-845: The Malaysian Football League , also known simply as the MFL , was created during the course of the privatisation of the Malaysian football league system . It was formerly known as Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP). The company operates and runs all entities in Malaysian football under its jurisdiction, which include Liga Super , A1 League , A2 League , A3 League , MFL Cup , Malaysia Cup , Malaysia Challenge Cup , Malaysia FA Cup , Piala Sumbangsih , Piala Emas Raja-Raja , Malaysia Premier Futsal League and Malaysia Futsal Cup . It aims to transform and move Malaysian football forward. The Malaysian Football League organises and keeps

124-520: A decade and returning back to their national league in 2021 . Malaysia Super League The Malaysia Super League ( Malay : Liga Super Malaysia ), also known simply as Super League ( Malay : Liga Super ), is the men's top professional football division of the Malaysian football league system . Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP), now known as

186-488: A free-to-air channel, have been broadcasting domestic football even before the formation of the Malaysia Super League. They continued to broadcast the league most of the time exclusively until the end of 2010 where Astro Media were announced as sponsors and managed the broadcasting rights of the league for four years spanning from 2011 until the 2014 season. During this time, the league was broadcast to one of

248-708: A league which does form part of the system. The top two levels of the Malaysian football league system are operated by the Malaysian Football League , which consists of the Malaysia Super League and the Malaysia Premier League . All clubs in these two leagues are fully professional. The third and fourth levels of the Malaysian football league system are operated by the Amateur Football League,

310-468: A level. In addition to sporting performance, promotion is usually contingent on meeting criteria set by the higher league, especially concerning appropriate facilities and finances. In theory it is possible for a lowly local amateur club to rise to the pinnacle of the Malaysian game and become champions of the Malaysia Super League . As the main leagues in Malaysia consist of three tiers, it is possible for

372-449: A new team to become champions in just three years if they perform well within the pyramid. The top three levels contain one division each and are nationwide in scope. Below this, the levels have progressively more parallel leagues, which each covering progressively smaller geographic areas. Many leagues have more than one division and at the lower levels the existence of leagues becomes intermittent. There are also leagues in various parts of

434-459: A ruling that requires teams to settle all their late salary payments before the start of every new season. In response to these issues, the FMLLP decided that at the start of the 2016 season, football clubs would be given warnings with the deduction of three league points if they failed to pay a player's salary. If the problem persists, it will affect the licence of the clubs. When the club licence

496-598: A subsidiary of the Malaysian Football League , which consists of the Malaysia M3 League and the Malaysia M4 League . All clubs in these competitions are either amateur or semi-professional clubs. The fourth level of the Malaysian football league system consists of leagues that run in parallel. The league is managed by the Amateur Football League (AFL) in collaboration with each state Football Associations and independent football league organizers. It

558-458: A team's league position, progress in the Cup competitions (Malaysia FA Cup and Malaysia Cup) and the number of live matches shown. A point in the season is worth RM41,000. The money will be distributed twice per season. First during the early part of the season where teams will receive a basic payment out of that particular year's league sponsorship and the second payment will be received at the end of

620-549: Is a Reserve League for football club competing in the Malaysia Super League as well as for those footballers from the National Football Development Programme of Malaysia and Mokhtar Dahari Football Academy . It also act as a bridge for players to get invaluable playing time and much-needed adaptation opportunities in preparation for the Malaysia Super League. It is the only development league administered by Malaysian Football League while

682-913: Is an amateur level league consisting of community clubs, social clubs, professional clubs, and company clubs from their respective states all over Malaysia which compete in their own regional state league which has multiple divisions within it. It consists of 10 social leagues recognized by the AFL that run all around Malaysia. Level League/Division 1 2 Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League 16 clubs 3 Malaysia A2 Amateur League 16 clubs, 3 zones 4–9 Age Group League/Division starting from 2023 Under 23 Under 20 Malaysia President Cup 24 clubs Under 18 Malaysia Youth Cup 24 clubs Under 17 U17 Ministry of Education (MOE) League Under 15 U15 Ministry of Education (MOE) League Under 14 U14 Malaysia SupaRimau League Under 8 U8 Malaysia SupaRimau League The MFL Cup

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744-517: Is withdrawn, the team will not be able to compete in the next season. If the team does not adopt the right structure, they will be left behind and club licensing will be a problem for them, and the team will drop out from competing in the Malaysian Football League. Other than this, each teams must gain revenue from sponsorship deals from local, regional and international sponsors for their team. Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM),

806-608: The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to privatise the league. The inaugural season started on 14 February 2004. As a result, the Malaysia Super League Sdn Bhd (or MSL Proprietary Limited) was created to oversee the marketing aspects of the league, but it was not fully privatised. The league has seen numerous changes to its format from eight clubs, at one point 14 clubs and now 12 clubs and then back to 14 clubs to accommodate changes to

868-629: The Malaysia Premier League , the Malaysia FA Cup , the Malaysia Cup , and the Piala Sumbangsih . It aimed to transform and move Malaysian football forward to another level. More than a decade after the league's inception, a total of eight clubs have been crowned champions of the Malaysia Super League with Pahang being the first champions. Johor Darul Ta'zim have won the league 7 times while Kedah, Selangor, and Kelantan have won

930-459: The Malaysian Football League (MFL), the Malaysia Super League is contested by 14 teams. Until 2022, it operated on a system of promotion and relegation with the Malaysia Premier League , with the two lowest-placed teams relegated and replaced by the promoted top two teams in that division. The league replaced the former top-tier league, Liga Perdana 1 in the Malaysian football league system, which ran from 1998 to 2003. 37 clubs have competed in

992-599: The Ministry of Youth and Sports . With the launched of the Women's League, there is plan to expand the league in the future to follow a similar league structured as Men's League once the Malaysia women football system is fully developed. Being member of a league at a particular level also affects eligibility for cups or single-elimination competitions. Before the current system, the Malaysian football league system underwent multiple iterations since its introduction in 1979 and

1054-456: The TM brand as part of its logo as the title sponsor. After the end of TM sponsorship's which lasted for seven consecutive years, FAM launched a new logo for the 2011 season where the league was partnered with Astro Media as a strategic partner for the Malaysia Super League's marketing. The Astro brand was only incorporated as part of the Malaysia Super League logo from 2012 until 2014 . In

1116-554: The inaugural season of the newly reformed third division, which replaced the former Malaysia FAM Cup while the Malaysia M4 League had state FA leagues and social leagues run in parallel to form the new fourth division. Malaysian Football League structure consists of the following: Malaysian football league system Football arrived in Malaysia ( Malaya at that time) with the British. The locals soon picked up

1178-407: The state league while the football team became its own entity as Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. On 1 November 2016, Melaka United Soccer Association became the third FAM affiliate to follow suit with the privatisation of its football team as a separate entity known as Melaka United F.C. for the 2017 Malaysia Super League season onwards. On 6 November 2016, the FMLLP released an update regarding

1240-549: The 2007 season, the Malaysia Premier League was combined into one division rather than two groups and in 2008 the Malaysia FAM League was revamped to a league format instead of a knockout competition format, with the latter itself replaced by a new third tier called the Malaysia M3 League in 2019: In 2015, the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP) was created in the course of

1302-493: The 2015 season, no title sponsor was incorporated when the league was sponsored by MP & Silva. For the 2016 season a new logo was introduced as part of the takeover of the league by the FMLLP. In 2018 and 2019 , the Malaysia Super League logo included the Unifi brand logo as part of the league's sponsorship deal. In the 2023 season, Malaysian Football League (MFL) unveiled a new logo. The 2018 Malaysia Super League logo

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1364-704: The AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup, as well as their national team's FIFA World Rankings in the previous 4 years. Currently, Malaysia are ranked 20th in the AFC Club Competitions Ranking. Every team in the Malaysia Super League must have a licence to play in the league, or else they are expelled completely from the Malaysian Football League. To obtain a licence, teams must be financially healthy and meet certain standards of conduct such as organizational management. As part of

1426-605: 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. 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. A total of 14 clubs were confirmed to compete in

1488-679: The Malaysia FA Cup also qualify for the following season's AFC Champions League play-off slots. If a club lost during the play-off slots and were unable to reach group stages, the club will play in the AFC Cup play-off slots. The number of places allocated to Malaysian clubs in AFC competitions is dependent upon the AFC Club Competitions Rankings , which are calculated based upon the performance of teams competing in

1550-475: The Malaysia FA Cup. Since the inception of the league in 2004, numerous logos have been introduced for the league to reflect the sponsorships and naming rights. In its inaugural season, the Dunhill logo was incorporated as a title sponsor and it was the only season sponsored by the tobacco company before tobacco advertising was banned in the country. From 2005 to 2010, the Malaysia Super League incorporated

1612-471: The Malaysia Super League since its inception in 2004, up to and including the 2023 season. Remark : Top-division means the highest football competition in Malaysia which includes the Malaysian League (1982–1988) , Semi-Pro League Division 1 (1989-1993) , Premier League (1994–97) and Premier League 1 (1998–2003) . The following clubs that had competed in the Malaysia Super League or

1674-451: The Malaysia Super League to accommodate 14 teams instead of eight, which was the number of league teams during the Malaysia Super League's first three seasons. But the plan was held off when some of the teams withdrew from the league due to financial reasons. The 2009 to 2012 seasons were the only seasons that the league would have 14 teams, with all teams playing each other twice culminating in 26 matches per team and 182 matches in total. For

1736-399: The Malaysia Super League were relegated to the Malaysia Premier League, and the top two teams from the Malaysia Premier League were promoted to the Malaysia Super League. Below is a complete record of how many teams played in each season throughout the league's history: The champions of the Malaysia Super League qualify for following season's AFC Champions League group stages. The winners of

1798-596: The Malaysian League after the 1994 season following a dispute with the Football Association of Malaysia over gate receipts and shifted their focus on establishing their own league while Brunei ended their representative team's involvement in Malaysia at the end of 2005 after winning the Malaysia Cup in 1999, though the country was represented by DPMM FC for a further three seasons in the top two divisions before moving to Singapore for almost

1860-518: The Royal goldsmith in Johor, taking eight months from the initial design phase to completion. The gold portions are to symbolise the exclusivity of winning the Malaysia Super League after enduring a tough long successful campaign. It inspires the teams to battle with all their might to get their name on the trophy. The FMLLP introduced a merit-point system in the 2016 season. Points will be awarded based on

1922-469: The cable channels of Astro Media, which was Astro Arena alongside the RTM for the free-to-air broadcast. In 2015, Astro lost the broadcasting rights for the league where the rights were given to Media Prima , a parent company of multiple free-to-air channels alongside RTM. The broadcasting rights for the 2016 season was given to Media Prima for three years with a maximum of three games in each matchweek that

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1984-636: The changes that took place in 1989, when it was known as the Liga Semi-Pro (MSPFL) from 1989 to 1993. Initially the only teams allowed to participate in the league were the state FA sides, alongside teams representing the Malaysian Armed Forces and the Royal Malaysian Police , and teams representing the neighbouring countries of Singapore and Brunei . However, the Football Association of Singapore pulled out of

2046-539: The club licensing progress where currently only Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. obtained the CLR while others were still in progress with 80 percent of the requirements completed. All member clubs in the Malaysia Super League and the Malaysia Premier League were required to obtain the CLR with the Malaysia Super League clubs required to obtain it by September 2017 while the Malaysia Premier League clubs were given an extended period from 2019 to 2020 as some clubs had only met 50 percent of

2108-401: The country's men's football league competition was officially inaugurated in 1982 with the introduction of league trophy for the winners. A football league competition involving the representative sides of the state football associations was first held in Malaysia in 1979. When it began, it was intended primarily as a qualifying tournament for the final knock-out stages of the Malaysia Cup . It

2170-419: The country, which are not officially part of the system as they do not have formal agreements with the football associations and are run by independent organisers. These are mostly held in the form of carnival styles, where the league's duration is just a couple of days instead of months. Clubs from state leagues may, if they feel meet the appropriate standard of play and have suitable facilities, can apply to join

2232-399: The division since the inception of the Malaysia Super League in 2004, with eight teams winning the title ( Selangor , Kedah Darul Aman , Kelantan , Sri Pahang , Perlis , Negeri Sembilan , LionsXII and Johor Darul Ta'zim ). The current champions are Johor Darul Ta'zim, which won their tenth title in the 2023 edition . The Malaysia Super League was formed in 2004 following a decision by

2294-408: The feeder club agreement between both clubs were approved on 19 August 2016. Through the agreement, both clubs were allowed an additional four player transfer quota which can be used outside the normal transfer windows for players between both clubs. The feeder club was also required to register a minimum of 12 players under the age of 23 for its squad from 2017. A feeder club will be required to be in

2356-628: The game, and before long it was the country's leading sport. Towards the end of the 19th century, football was one of the central pillars of most sports clubs in Malaya, but it was not structured. Even when the Selangor Amateur Football League took shape in 1905 – which ensured proper administration and organisation – the competition was confined only to clubs in Kuala Lumpur. In 1933, the Football Association of Malaysia

2418-477: The league below the main club at all times which meant that Johor Darul Ta'zim II will never be allowed to get promoted even if the club managed to win the Malaysia Premier League. By 2018, the feeder club must field four players under the age of 23 in their first eleven during match day and the feeder club were allowed to play in other cup competitions where the parent club competed such as the Malaysia Cup and

2480-469: The league rules and withdrawal of certain clubs from the league in order to create a competitive environment and professional management among the clubs. The Malaysian League was revamped to be a fully professional league in 2004 which coined the creation of a new top-tier division, the Malaysia Super League. Between 2004 and 2006, the professional football league in Malaysia was divided into two levels and two groups: The new top-tier Malaysia Super League

2542-454: The league twice each; Pahang, Perlis, Negeri Sembilan and LionsXII have won it once. On 9 September 2016, Johor Darul Ta'zim became the first team to win the Malaysia Super League three times consecutively. The competition format follows the usual double round-robin format. During the course of a season, which lasts from February to July, each club plays every other club twice, once at home and once away, for 22 matchdays, totaling 132 matches in

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2604-569: The league's inception. In 2009, FAM took a drastic measure when they changed the foreign players policy that banned foreign players from playing in the league until 2011. Foreign players were only allowed be back into the league starting from the 2012 season onwards. All foreign players must obtain the International Transfer Certificate from their previous national football governing bodies that their previous clubs were affiliated to before they can be register with

2666-426: The league. Designed to be futuristic and elegant, the new trophy depicts a football on a pedestal, reflecting on the importance placed on winning the Malaysia Super League. It costs roughly close to RM200,000 (US$ 48597.00) Standing at a height of 63.3 centimeters and 25.2 centimeters in diameter, the 20 kilogram trophy is made of copper, silver and 24 carat pure gold. The trophy was designed and crafted to precision by

2728-417: The management of its football team with the formation of Sri Pahang F.C. which was now under the management of Pahang FC Sdn Bhd starting from the 2016 Malaysia Super League season onwards. On 10 January 2016, Johor Football Association became the second FAM affiliate to follow suit when it separated itself from the management of its football team and changing its focus to state football development and

2790-426: The official records of domestic matches, oversees the development, certification and registration of players and staff, promotes through broadcasts and other media outlets. 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)

2852-509: The privatisation efforts of the league, all clubs competing in the Malaysia Super League will be required to obtain FAM Club Licensing. As a preliminary preparation towards the total privatisation of the league, FAM Club Licensing was created with the hope of it being enforced throughout the Malaysia Super League fully by the end of 2018 and in the Malaysia Premier League by end of 2019. There are significant benefits of being in

2914-590: The privatisation of the Malaysian football league system. The partnership saw all 24 teams in the Malaysia Super League and the Malaysia Premier League involved, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) as the Managing Partner and MP & Silva as a special partner (FAM's global media and commercial advisor) to become stakeholders in the company. The FMLLP owned, operated and ran the Malaysia Super League. Besides that, other competitions in Malaysian football were also under its jurisdiction, which include

2976-625: The requirements completed. The FMLLP had also suggested the FAM to ensure that clubs in the Malaysia FAM League to meet certain guidelines as this will allow them to get their license if they were to be promoted to the Malaysia Premier League. In February 2017, the FMLLP released a statement regarding the official status of Johor Darul Ta'zim and [[Johor Darul Ta'zim II F.C. ]] where Johor FA changed its name to Johor Darul Ta'zim II and became an official feeder club for Johor Darul Ta'zim when

3038-596: The rest of the development league were operated by Football Association of Malaysia , Malaysia Ministry of Education (Ministry of Education (MOE) League) and Maxim Events (Malaysia SupaRimau League) under the governance of by the Football Association of Malaysia . Level Youth Grassroots 1 MSSM Cup (U18) 15 State clubs KPM-FAM Youth Cup (U17) 18 school clubs MSSM Cup (U15) 15 State clubs MOE Ministry Cup (U14) 16 school clubs MSSM Cup (U12) 15 State clubs Level League/Division starting from 2023 1 Prior 2023, there

3100-412: The season where all the merit-points have been calculated. For the 2016 season, the first basic payment consisted of a 30 percent cut out of RM70 Million in league sponsorship that equates to RM21 million which will be distributed among the 24 teams in the Malaysia Super League and Malaysia Premier League. Teams in the Malaysian League have quite often been involved in financial problems as their spending

3162-429: The season. Most games are played on Saturdays, with a few games played during weekdays. Teams receive three points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, with the highest-ranked club at the end of the season crowned champions. A system of promotion and relegation existed between the Malaysia Super League and the Malaysia Premier League. The two lowest placed teams in

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3224-441: The top flight M-League before 2004 but are not competing in the Malaysia Super League during the 2023 season. Remark : Top-division means the highest football competition in Malaysia which includes the Malaysian League (1982–1988) , Semi-Pro League Division 1 (1989-1993) , Premier League (1994–97) and Premier League 1 (1998–2003) . The Pahang Football Association became the first FAM affiliate to separate itself from

3286-602: The top-division and readiness of the club licensing: FAM also established independent decision-making bodies known as the First Instance Body and Appeals Body that would function as an assessment body and the issuer of the license. These two bodies are composed of members that meet the requirements and conditions set by the AFC Club Licensing Regulations mainly within the field of finance and legal matters. 36 clubs have played in

3348-546: Was competed by eight teams while there were 16 teams competing in the new Malaysia Premier League which was divided into 2 groups. While there were only eight teams in the league prior to the 2006–07 season, positional movements were radical. Successive losses would condemn clubs to a relegation dogfight. Similarly, successive wins would put a team in contention for the title. The Malaysia Super League had gone through two format changes in its short history spanning three years. The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) decided to expand

3410-528: Was established for the day-to-day administration of local club football at a league-wide level. This deal was worth RM 1.26 billion over a 15-year period, commencing from 2016. However, cracks in the agreement appeared later that year, with MP & Silva only offering a level of investment lower than FAM had originally turned down. In March 2018, the company was rebranded as the Malaysian Football League from Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership. The company aimed to be more dynamic and competitive, with

3472-476: 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. 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),

3534-486: Was formed as a part of a rebranding due to title sponsorship reasons with TM under the Unifi brand. TM's Unifi brand was the new title sponsor for the Malaysia Super League and the Malaysia Cup following an eight-year partnership deal worth RM480mil until 2025. But, TM pulled out as a sponsor at the end 2019 in order to save costs. The Malaysia Super League trophy is the prize for the twelve clubs that are competing for it in

3596-408: Was founded which managed the local football scene at that time. By 1954, the FAM joined FIFA as a member of the AFC . The system consists of a pyramid of leagues, bound together by the principle of promotion and relegation. A certain number of the most successful clubs in each league can rise to a higher league, whilst those that finish at the bottom of their league can find themselves sinking down

3658-640: Was more than their revenue. The Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia (PFAM) is one of the active members in pursuing the issue of unpaid salaries. In January 2016, PFAM president suggested a couple of solutions to promote financial sustainability on the competing teams' part where the teams should make long-term investments by operating according to their budgets and requiring teams' wage bills to be no bigger than 60 percent of their total spending. Other suggestions included that salaries to be deducted directly from team grants and winning prizes, to points being deducted from teams experiencing payment issues, and

3720-416: Was no proper league held on national level for women's football in Malaysia. Plan for a National Women's League was first mooted on 2021 as part of the Football Association of Malaysia F30 roadmap to reorganise women's football development with better competition formats. The National Women's League were launched with its first edition on 5 August 2023 by the Football Association of Malaysia together with

3782-417: Was not until 1982 that a league trophy was introduced to recognise the winners of the preliminary stage as the league champions. Over the years, the league competition has gained an important stature in its own right. Below is the Malaysian amateur football league system from 1982 to 1988: Level Leagues/divisions In the early days, the Malaysian football league system consisted of an amateur league before

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3844-447: Was shown live on television. In 2018, TM bought the exclusive rights of the coverage until 2025. The coverage was aired by Unifi TV (excluding 2019), iflix (until 2019), Media Prima (until 2019), and RTM (excluding 2019). From matchweek 5 in the 2020 season , all remaining league matches were made available worldwide for free via the official Unifi YouTube channel. The Foreign players policy has changed multiple times since

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