03 Jan Expect more politics than action

SO what can we expect from the Malaysian Super League which kicks off today? Critics say nothing much as whatever quality there was has gone out the window following the FA of Malaysia’s (FAM) decision to bar foreign players. It was, as is the case with most FAM decisions, forced on the national body by certain affiliates who said they couldn’t afford to hire foreigners. That should have the locals rejoicing as each team will now have an additional three homegrown players strutting their stuff although critics are not all that expectant.

Malaysia’s lack of quality was seen in the recent Asean Championship where the national team failed to qualify for the semi-finals for the first time since 1998 and this has a lot to do with what is not being done in the states. FAM decisions have been ignored and one that has been conveniently forgotten by some states is the need for players to pass a fitness test before a playing licence is issued. What it means is additional headache for the national team coach when the players report for the Asian Cup Qualifier training on Jan 14. It is a shocking development, although it is common knowledge that most states can’t be bothered about the national team.

What is surprising though is these teams are not insisting on fit players despite knowing that Malaysian fans, regularly fed on a diet of top quality football from Europe, expect a higher standard in the MSL. If the presence of foreign players helped hide just how unfit most Malaysian players were, their absence is going to expose the truth and it will not be a surprise if most teams play before near-empty stadiums. But the show, as they say, must go on and we can also expect the perennial problems to rear their ugly head sooner rather than later. FAM has yet to settle several disputes from last year over non-payment of wages but it won’t be long before new problems and allegations emerge.

The grapevine is already abuzz that certain senior players are attempting to take advantage of this by recruiting members to fix matches. It may sound incredulous, considering the MSL’s poor following,but there still seems to be a betting market. Malaysian football has never recovered from the bribery crackdown in 1994-95 and if the match-fixing disease is allowed to make a comeback, it could well signal the end for football. We can also expect, given the credit crunch, more teams reneging on their EPF and income tax payments and there will be one or two associations taken to court as FAM has failed to deal with its errant affiliates.

Other than public rebukes, FAM hasn’t shown any muscle in getting its affiliates to be more responsible in their management and as long as this prevails, nobody is going to be worried about punitive action. Only FAM will be affected as certain foreign players have taken their problems to Fifa, which will only tarnish FAM’s name. On the playing field, it will be interesting to see just how good Kedah are this year minus their three foreign players. While the back-to-back trebles in 2007 and 2008 were very much a team effort, it is an undeniable fact that the three foreigners were hugely influential. The MSL will also see the debut of two clubs – Kuala Muda Naza and KL Plus FC – and it will be interesting to see whether they will be able to cope with the challenge on the pitch as well as financially. The situation is drastic in some states with Perak losing 27 players from last season’s challenge with only national defender S. Subramaniam staying put while Kelantan will be playing in the MSL via a backdoor entry. So prepare for yet another season of Malaysian football which promises more politics than quality action.