KUALA LUMPUR: So, what happened to all that tough talk about "pay first, play later" to errant teams in the M-League?
The Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia (PFAM) was left bemused by reports yesterday that Perlis FC are set to be the 14th team in the Super League for the new season.
Really? Perlis, who still owe their players salaries from recent years, are allowed to play?
PFAM president Safee Sali is waiting to see what kind of gamesmanship is afoot.
PFAM wants to see what the MFL will do next. The M-League administrators have said they have given Perlis FC, who are said to be playing under Perlis FA's licence, until March 21 to meet the required conditions.
However, former national striker Safee said he wants to see the old cases of unpaid salaries settled first before Perlis FC make a comeback.
"We heard about Perlis applying to the Super League under an extraordinary licence but they should settle the old cases first before anything else.
"There are pending cases with Fifa amounting to RM5 million. Players and coaches haven't been paid for four to five months. They must show proof of salary settlement first," said Safee.
Perlis were kicked out of the Premier League in 2019 after failing to pay salaries to players. However, the Northern Lions were allowed to play in the M3 League in 2022.