THE massive wages being paid to football players in the M-League are unacceptable in the current tough economic climate, and a salary cap should be brought in.
However, FA of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Hamidin Amin said implementing a salary cap in Malaysia would not overcome issues relating to teams failing to pay salaries.
FAM implemented a salary cap in the past when the national body were handling the M-League, but it turned out to be a bad move.
Instead, some teams worked around the salary cap regulation by offering players double contracts.
The contract that is legally binding is the one signed between a player and his club, which is endorsed by FAM.
Players are paid more through the second contract, i.e the undeclared contract which is not submitted to the national body.
In the past, FAM used to turn a blind eye to the practice, safe in the knowledge that the contracts filed in their offices were the valid ones.
However, some teams landed in trouble and could not fulfil their financial obligations.
Players and coaches then had no choice but to write off their second contracts’ claims.
“FAM tried controlling wages in football by introducing a salary cap a few years ago but it did not work as players were signing double contracts with teams.
“It was a noble idea by the national body then, but things got worse in the league. Teams could not pay their players who in turn could not bring up their case to FAM.
“The salary cap initiative did not work, and I don’t think it should be talked about again. The Malaysia Football League (MHL) have come up with a mechanism to control the expenditures of teams in the future and are also offering to advice clubs on how to spend wisely,” Hamidin told Timesport recently.
MFL chief executive Kevin Ramalingam disclosed recently that his organisation will adopt several elements used in La Liga and come up with an expenditure cap after looking into each team’s finances before the start of each season.
Hamidin also hopes M-League teams will start spending within their budgets.
“When I was the secretary-general of the FA of Selangor (FAS), we did not spend above our budget even though we knew we couldn’t compete against the big teams then.
“Selangor did not want to get into financial problems. Of course, the team then had their ups and downs when I was with FAS, but everything was handled well.
“Currently, some teams are desperate to compete against the best, and they entice top players to their clubs with a good offer without checking their bank balance.
“This is unhealthy and it happens all the time in the M-League. The league is in good hands under MFL, and they have come up with long-term solutions to overcome this,” Hamidin added.