Industry | Sports |
---|---|
Founded | 3 February 2015 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia [1] |
Headquarters | Putrajaya, Malaysia |
Area served | Global |
Key people | Dato’ Ab Ghani Hassan |
Products | Football League |
Website | www |
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 MFL Cup, Malaysia FA Cup, the Piala Sumbangsih, the Piala Emas Raja-Raja, the Malaysia Premier Futsal League and the Malaysia Futsal Cup. [4] [5] It aims to transform and move Malaysian football forward. [6] [7]
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.
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.
Malaysian Football League structure consists of the following. [5]
Position | Name |
---|---|
President | Dato’ Ab Ghani Hassan |
CEO | Datuk Stuart Ramalingam [6] |
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.
Competition | Season | Champions | Title | Runners-up | Next season |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Charity Shield competition | |||||
Piala Sumbangsih | 2023 | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 8th | Terengganu | 2024–25 |
League competition | |||||
Malaysia Super League | 2023 | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 10th | Selangor | 2024–25 |
Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League | 2023 | Immigration FC | 1st | Kuala Lumpur Rovers | 2024–25 |
Malaysia A2 League | 2023 | UiTM United | 1st | YP Maintenance F.C. | 2024–25 |
Malaysia A3 Community League | 2023 | Various league | 2024–25 | ||
Cup competition | |||||
Malaysia FA Cup | 2023 | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 3rd | Kuala Lumpur City | 2024–25 |
Malaysia Cup | 2023 | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 4th | Terengganu | 2024–25 |
MFL Challenge Cup | 2023 | PDRM | 1st | Kuching City | 2024–25 |
MFL Cup | 2023 | Terengganu II | 1st | Johor Darul Ta'zim II | 2024–25 |
The Football Association of Malaysia is the national governing body of football in Malaysia. The Football Association of Malaysia headquarters is located at Wisma FAM.
The Malaysia Cup, formerly known as Malaya Cup, is an annual football tournament in Malaysia, held at the end of the calendar year. The cup was first held in 1921. Despite its prestige and popularity as the country's oldest cup tournament, it does not guarantee a place in a continental competition, which is allocated to the Malaysia FA Cup winners. The competition was previously managed by the Football Association of Malaysia, before it was transferred to the Football Malaysia LLP in the 2016 season.
The Malaysia Premier League was the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia. The league replaced the former second-tier league, Liga Perdana 2 in the Malaysian football league system.
Football is the most popular national sport in Malaysia, where the first modern set of rules were established in 1921. It is run by the Football Association of Malaysia. The association administers the national football teams and league competitions.
The FAM Cup was a knock-out tournament for teams in both the Malaysia M3 League and the Malaysia M4 League in Malaysia. The tournament was a cup format, but from 2008 to 2018 was held as a third-tier league tournament and used the FAM League name.
The Malaysia FA Cup is an annual football competition in Malaysia, established in 1990. It was previously managed by the Football Association of Malaysia, before being transferred to the Malaysian Football League in the 2016 season.
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.
The Malaysian League or also known as the M-League is a terminology used to describe the professional association football league in Malaysia. The terminology was mainly used to describe the league and its divisions associated within the Malaysian football league system.
The Malaysia Super League, also known simply as Super League, 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 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.
Football is the most popular sport in Malaysia, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1921, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game. The sport of football in the country of Malaysia is run by the Football Association of Malaysia.
The Malaysia A2 League, also known as the al-ikhsan Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier football league in the Malaysian football league system. The league was created in 2018 as part of the Malaysian Football League's plan to reform the Malaysian football league structure.
The 2018 Malaysia Challenge Cup or Challenge Cup is the first edition of Malaysia Challenge Cup tournament organised by Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and Football Malaysia LLP (FMLLP).
The MFL Challenge Cup, formerly known as the Malaysia Challenge Cup, is a Malaysian football competition held under the auspices of the Malaysian Football League and the Football Association of Malaysia.
The 2019 Malaysia M3 League was the 1st season of the Malaysia M3 League that replaced the former Malaysia FAM League.
The Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League, currently known as the MBSB Bank Championship due to sponsorship reasons, is the second level football league of the Malaysian football league system. Until 2022, it operated on a system of promotion and relegation with the Malaysia Premier League and the Malaysia M4 League. The league was created as part of the Malaysian Football League's plan to reform the Malaysian football league structure. It is the replacement of the former Malaysia FAM League.
The 2021 Malaysia Premier League is the 18th season of the Malaysia Premier League, the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia since its establishment in 2004.
The 2021 Malaysia Cup was the 95th edition of Malaysia Cup tournament organised by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and the Malaysian Football League (MFL).
The 2023 Malaysia M3 League, currently known as the 2023 MBSB Bank Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the third season of the MBSB Bank Championship, currently the second tier football league in Malaysia, since its establishment in 2019. The season started on 4 March.
The 2023 Malaysia M4 League, also known as the al-Ikhsan Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the second season of the Malaysia M4 League, currently the third tier football league in the Malaysian football league system. This is the first season where the league is held as a single division. The season started on the 3rd of June.
The 2024 Malaysia M4 League, also known as the al-Ikhsan Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the second season of the Malaysia M4 League, currently the third tier football league in the Malaysian football league system. This is the first season where the league is held as a single division. The season started on the 3rd of June.