Foul!

As published in Malay Mail today Haresh Says By Haresh Deol THE inability to plan ahead continues to plague the M-League. The new season kicks off in nine days — Premier League starts a day before the Super League – yet the guardians of the domestic league are struggling to tackle many issues — from broadcasting rights to deciding on the official match ball. This year is supposed to be the start of the “professional era”, a term observers have heard on numerous occasions. But beyond the ties and suits donned by officials, Malaysian football is still amateur in so many ways. Football Limited Liability Partnership Malaysia (FMLLP), the newly-formed body tasked with injecting professionalism into the scene, has yet to secure the broadcasting rights. Its chief executive officer, Kevin Ramalingam, the man who was once part of Kelantan FA, was quoted in Sunday Mail as saying the delay is because MP & Silva is still locked in discussions with pot...

As published in Mailsport today By Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my KUALA LUMPUR — The fight to secure broadcasting rights for the M-League has taken a new twist as the parties involved have joined forces. And this would bring more cheers to local football fans as there will be a minimum of three live matches telecast on match days. Telekom Malaysia (TM), Media Prima, Astro and Fox Sports had all sent a joint bid at RM60 million per year for the next six years to the FA of Malaysia (FAM) on Friday. The national body is expected to announce its decision tomorrow. The figure is double of Astro’s RM30 million annual obligation which ran from 2011 till last year. Mailsport learnt that the broadcasters decided to team up after learning there were efforts by another party to secure the production which will be later sold to the broadcasters. “The broadcasters have decided to team up. This way, they will be able to commit to the requirements put for...

As published in Malay Mail today. M-League teams want bigger slice of pie By Vijhay Vick vijhayvick@mmail.com.my PETALING JAYA — M-League teams want their share of the pie increased when the FA of Malaysia (FAM) sign a new bumper M-League sponsorship deal. Under the current RM30 million-a-year deal with cable television operators Astro, each of the 12 Super League, Premier League and FAM League teams receive RM350,000, RM250,000 and RM50,000 respectively. There are also incentives based on league placings. The grants work out to a mere RM7.8 million — meaning FAM keep the remaining RM22.2 million to run the league, pay incentives for league placements and for other expenses such as RM15,000 to home teams and RM5,000 to away teams for matches shown live. Malay Mail spoke to several state FAs and clubs regarding the new deal which could be worth in excess of RM70 million and they unanimously indicated the need for a bigger pay cheque. “I can’t put a figure on it but the amount must ...