PETALING JAYA: THE Malaysia Football League (MFL) will get tough on M-League teams who do not settle their debts ahead of the 2019 season.
Currently, Super League’s Melaka and Kelantan along with Premier League’s Penang, Sarawak and Police owe salaries to their players and coaches.
Some players have filed complaints with the Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia (PFAM) which in turn have been brought to the attention of the FA of Malaysia’s (FAM) status and disciplinary committees for further action.
While the Melaka FA have been affected by the change of their state government, who have already promised to settle the team’s arrears, the Kelantan FA are in a sticky situation as debts are from the previous seasons.
Penang, who finished 10th in the Premier League, have a total debt of RM11.2 million with RM3.5 million of it owed to players this year.
The FA of Penang (FAP), under a new regime, however, have pledged to settle them.
Sarawak and Police are also having huge debts and both have yet to address them.
While club licensing was implement to Super League teams for the current season, Premier League teams must obtain licences for the 2020 competition, and this new regulation ensures teams start the season debt free.
Teams who do not settle outstanding debts face demotion, fine and expulsion.
“We have two checkpoints now. The first was conducted in June for club licensing and the second is in January for registration. So we are confident this move will eventually eradicate teams in the red,” said MFL chief executive Kevin Ramalingam today.
“Yes, there are two teams in the Super League who have not settled debts. To be fair, one team are affected by the change in government where funds are being delayed due to technicalities while the other is due to legacy issues inherited from previous years.
“We have been following up regularly and we are aware of the efforts from both teams to settle their debts. I don’t think this problem will be an issue in the Super League.
“As for the Premier League, the introduction of club licensing will solve this in the long run.”
Kevin added: “Club licensing will not allow a team with debts to play in competitions.
“Teams with debts will be identified when they submit their income tax, Socso and Employees Provident Fund declaration forms during the registration period in January. Premier League teams will have to obtain their club licences next year for the 2020 season.”
The new season is expected to start in February.