SHAH ALAM - The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has reportedly launched an investigation into the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and the Malaysian Football League (MFL) for alleged breaches of club licensing rules.
This action comes in response to troubling reports about unpaid wages and missed regulatory deadlines affecting the M-League.
According to New Straits Times, the AFC’s scrutiny began after it was revealed that Kuala Lumpur City, a team competing in the Super League, had been granted a licence for the 2024-25 M-League season despite reportedly failing to pay Employees Provident Fund contributions since early 2023.
This oversight has prompted the AFC to reassess the licensing practices of FAM and MFL.
AFC Secretary-General Datuk Seri Windsor John confirmed that the AFC Club Licensing Department has officially started investigating the matter.
"The investigation file has been opened, and the next step is to contact MFL and FAM to initiate discussions with the Club Licensing Department, which will monitor and review the licensing process.
"After the information is gathered, we will make a decision through our committee. The most severe consequence is that we cannot accept any representatives if we revoke the authority of FAM and MFL to grant licences due to issues in the licensing process.
"If there is a violation, there will be penalties, as we have regulations in place. It cannot be that one country faces penalties while another does not. There will always be penalties. So, we need to first see if they have violated the rules or not,” he said.
The potential repercussions of this probe are significant.
If the AFC finds that FAM and MFL have indeed breached licensing rules, it could lead to a suspension of their authority to issue national licences.
This would have serious implications for Malaysian clubs, potentially barring them from competing in international competitions.
Drawing parallels from past incidents, Windsor pointed out that similar measures were taken against the Iranian Football Association in 2022.
The AFC had suspended the Iranian FA until it met licensing standards, which led to notable clubs like Persepolis and Esteghlal missing out on the 2022 AFC Champions League.
Meanwhile, FAM Deputy President Datuk Yusoff Mahadi expressed a willingness to cooperate with the AFC’s investigation.
"I welcome any action from AFC because I think it is done to ensure our league runs well.
"For this matter, I can only say that we (FAM) are open-minded because in my view, it is to see if our league has any flaws or weaknesses, and certainly, it can improve the current situation,” he reportedly said.