KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Football League (MFL) aims to hold a roundtable meeting involving all chief executive officers (CEOs) of Malaysian League (M-League) clubs and relevant stakeholders in the near future.
MFL CEO Mohd Shazli Shaik Mohd said previous plans were delayed due to several unavoidable circumstances.
He, however, said the MFL remained open to suggestions and views submitted by clubs to discuss the direction and resolution of current issues in the league.
“Actually, we already had plans to meet with the CEOs of this club. However, as everyone knows, several things are happening that have caused it to be postponed.”
“…but, when there are requests and views from the club, we are very open. God willing, MFL will hold a meeting with all the CEOs of this club, including shareholders and board members in the near future,” he said when met after the collaboration ceremony between Konami and MFL here today.
Mohd Shazli said his party is currently examining the suitability of the date to ensure that the attendance of all stakeholders can be well coordinated.
He expects the meeting to be realized before the end of April.
Meanwhile, Mohd Shazli, when commenting on the notion that the proposal to hold a roundtable meeting depicted the M-League being in a dire situation, stressed that the actual situation was not like that.
He said the implementation of the Financial Fair Play (FFP) Regulations, which is now entering its first year, still needs time to show its overall impact on the stability of the league.
“La Liga (Spanish League) took five years to really stabilize their league, while we are only in the first year and the process is still ongoing. However, we can already see many positive developments as a result of the implementation of this FFP.
“So, for me at the MFL, we do not see this situation as dire or that the league is heading towards decline. On the contrary, this meeting is a good platform for us to hear the voices of the clubs and subsequently improve the matters raised,” he said.
Recently, several clubs have called for serious discussions to be held, including the possibility of organising a roundtable session involving all M-League stakeholders, especially following the increasingly worrying financial situation among most teams.
Selangor FC, Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), Negeri Sembilan FC, Terengganu FC, Penang FC and Sabah FC are among the clubs that support the proposal to hold the roundtable session.
Among the recurring issues affecting the M-League are the delays in paying salaries to players and team officials by several clubs, as well as the challenge of increasing operating costs, exacerbated by the effects of ongoing tensions in West Asia.
— BERNAMA
