KUALA LUMPUR – How efficient is the Malaysian Football League (MFL) with its decision-making?
Over the past one and a half months, the MFL has been one of the busiest sports bodies in town following the acid attack on Selangor FC’s Faisal Halim.
The horrific incident prompted Selangor to withdraw from the Charity Shield match against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) on May 10, citing player trauma and safety concerns.
Selangor’s move did not sit well with MFL’s commercial interests, as the Selangor vs JDT match was supposed to be the biggest game of the season.
Consequently, the MFL awarded the Charity Shield trophy to JDT and awarded the winning three points to the Southern Tigers.
Things got worse when the MFL imposed another sanction on Selangor, deducting three points, imposing a fine of RM100,000, and deciding that the Super League match between Selangor FC and JDT at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium would be played without spectators.
This decision sparked heavy criticism from Selangor and neutral fans, who questioned their empathy towards Faisal’s incident and their over-focus on commercial aspects.
However, fans were shocked when the MFL revised their decision as a gesture of “respect and compliance” with the decree by the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
The inconsistency in the MFL’s decision-making raises crucial questions: Why is the MFL not stern and consistent with its decisions? Is the MFL being pressured or influenced by external parties?
Speaking to Scoop, sports analyst Mohd Sadek Mustaffa compared the MFL’s decision-making to that of a “mamak” restaurant, suggesting they act based on orders and lack efficiency.
“I don’t see any difference between MFL and a mamak restaurant, as MFL runs the association like a mamak restaurant, where they work by receiving orders from their customers. I have never seen such a sports body that has been so inconsistent with their decision-making over the years.
“Since Faisal’s incident, all the MFL has done is take regular actions against Selangor without even discussing with the club before making any statements.
“Okay, since they have made the decisions, why aren’t they sticking to them if they believe it is the best decision for the betterment of the Super League?
“This clearly shows that the MFL has no idea what they are doing, they don’t have a clear direction, and they are not professional. They should take their time and evaluate by hearing from the management of all the parties before making any decisions, without rushing to please certain parties.
“It’s so obvious that the MFL is being influenced by certain people, but we don’t have a clear picture of who is behind them. Being a governing body, the MFL should start being more efficient and stop catering to outsiders’ orders like a ‘mamak’ restaurant,” said Sadek when contacted.
Sadek, a senior sports science lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Mara, added that the MFL’s inconsistent decision-making has created a platform for football fans to spread hatred against each other.
“This is something really bad that the MFL has created, as they are just making the fans fight because of the inconsistent decisions.
“As the MFL continues doing things like this, fans will continue to fight on social media, and there will be more incidents like what happened to Faisal in the years to come.
“In the end, it’s a ripple effect, so the MFL has to be firm and do their part well instead of always reversing their decisions,” Sadek added.
It was reported that Selangor would file an appeal against the revised decisions made by the MFL board of directors. – June 28, 2024