KUALA LUMPUR – Has Malaysian football received sufficient support from local corporations to foster its overall development?
Thus far, it appears that many business magnates exhibit a preference for investing in foreign clubs rather than domestically.
Consider prominent figures such as Berjaya Corporation Bhd founder Tan Sri Vincent Tan, who owns the EFL Championship club Cardiff City, and is also associated with Bosnian-based FK Sarajevo.
Datuk Ananth S. Nathan is affiliated with the English club AFC Wimbledon, while Ruben Gnanalingam is a co-owner of the Championship’s Queen Parks Rangers.
Although collaborations like Matrade’s partnership with QPR, securing stadium naming rights for Loftus Road, demonstrate some level of involvement, local sports analysts posit that the recent RM5 million grant to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) by the Youth and Sports Ministry could potentially be a transformative catalyst for the industry.
Speaking to Scoop, sports analyst Mohd Sadek Mustaffa emphasised the potential impact of increased local investment in local clubs and leagues, stating that it would enhance FAM’s ability to attract high-quality players for the national team.
He urged local corporate sponsors to recognise the massive football fan base in Malaysia and redirect their focus to supporting local football clubs.
“Football is indeed the biggest sport in our country, and FAM requires a lot of funds to run its programmes and initiatives. It has never been easy for them to find the funds.
“But at least FAM gets some sort of funding from the government over the years, and the scenario is very different compared to the football clubs in our country, as they are usually shied away by local corporates in sponsoring them.
“If we look at certain clubs like Johor Darul Ta’zim FC, Selangor FC and Terengganu FC, they are well funded by some of the top local and international corporate sponsors. That’s the reason why they can produce quality players such as Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi and Faisal Halim for the national team.
“With the government giving an allocation to FAM and with so many Harimau Malaya fans coming to Kuala Lumpur International Airport to receive the players last week, I hope local corporate sponsors would have realised the huge football fan base in our country and shift their focus to investing in our local football clubs,” said the senior sports science lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Mara.
With the government allocating an additional RM5 million to FAM, following the commendable performance of the national football squad, there is optimism for the future.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement came after the team secured a 3-3 draw against South Korea, marking a notable achievement despite challenges in the Asian Cup.
Meanwhile, another local football observer, Datuk Pekan Ramli echoed the sentiment, highlighting the need for more local corporate sponsorships to propel the national team to greater heights.
With the recent progress, including an improved FIFA world ranking from 170 to 130 over the past five years, Pekan stressed the role of local sponsors in providing facilities, securing world-class coaches and addressing player welfare issues.
“The fans have been waiting passionately to see Harimau Malaya excel on a global stage, and we managed to see a slight glimpse of hope after the team reached the Asian Cup on merit after 42 years and also managed to get a decent result against South Korea.
“We have a huge sentiment for football in this country, and finally, we have been seeing some progress.
“For Harimau Malaya to continue this excellent run, FAM will need more backing from local corporate sponsors so that they can come up with more facilities and get more world-class coaches to elevate the team’s gameplay.
“Football is also the biggest sport that contributes to our economy, and despite several clubs being entangled with player welfare issues, local corporate sponsors can make a change if they invest in local football clubs so that welfare issues will not arise again, and the clubs can also develop more top-class players that can easily be absorbed into FAM’s radar, and Harimau Malaya can keep excelling in the years to come,” said Pekan.
Notable local corporations like Bank Islam, Malaysia Airlines, Telekom Malaysia, 100PLUS and Milo Malaysia have been sponsoring FAM over the past decade, ultimately contributing to the sport’s growth.
As Harimau Malaya face upcoming fixtures in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, calls intensify for increased local corporate support to ensure sustained success on the global stage.
After their group-stage exit in the Asian Cup campaign in Qatar, head coach Kim Pan-gon’s squad are scheduled to face Oman home and away in March, before confronting Kyrgyzstan and Taiwan in June, with both home-and-away fixtures shaping their journey in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. – February 2, 2024