KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Football League (MFL) spend close to RM50 million a year to ensure M-League competitions run smoothly.
MFL chief executive officer Datuk Stuart Ramalingam is expecting operating costs for the 2024-2025 season, which will begin in May, to increase following the implementation of the video assistant referee (VAR) system.
Stuart said the increase in costs has forced them to look for additional funding to ensure the leagues run smoothly.
"If you look at the overall operating costs, including the distribution of broadcasting rights (to each team), it can come close to RM50 million a year.
"We expect the costs to be higher this year compared with last season as we are starting to implement VAR, which also costs millions."
The implementation of VAR this season will cost RM9.7 million.
Stuart previously said the amount includes the initial infrastructure setup costs for the first year of VAR operation.
This includes the usage of mobile trucks which will allow the system to be moved from venue to venue during the season.
The costs for the VAR system is expected to reduce to RM3.2 million a year for subsequent seasons.