M-League teams threatening to withdraw from the M-League after being slapped with hefty fines for not submitting their registration documents on time or incomplete documents are free to do so.
“They are free to go. Their threat to withdraw will not deter us from wanting to impose the rules and regulations to take football professionalism to another level in Malaysia.
“A fine is still a fine…but there is still the appeal they (the affected teams) can make. We will study their grounds in the appeal and there is a possibility of the fines being reduced,” said the FA of Malaysia president Major General Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, who is also the chairman of Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP).
Earlier this week FMLLP came down hard on the teams who breached the deadlines with the four Super League teams slapped with a hefty RM1.5 million fine each and the six Premier League teams were fined RM500,000 each.
The four Super League outfits are Klang Valley outfits Selangor, PKNS FC, Kuala Lumpur and East Coast giants Kelantan. The Premier League teams Penang, Sarawak, Police, Malaysian Indian FA (MISC-MIFA), Kuantan FA and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM FC).
The 10 teams have been given two weeks to file their appeals and Tunku Ismail, who is also the Crown Prince of Johor, reminded that he brooks no nonsense in poor management of teams.
For Tunku Ismail the weakness of a team’s management cannot be accepted and steps should be taken by all teams in ironing out the disease which is a stumbling block. – BY RIZAL ABDULLAH
