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The FA of Malaysia have called for a Special Meeting tomorrow to discuss issues relating to soccer bribery in the M-League. Tengku Mahkota Pahang, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, the Deputy President of FA of Malaysia will chair the meeting.
It is barely a month since the 2012 M-Soccer League has began, and there has been countless number of problems surfacing.
To start with, the return of foreign players this season despite being warned of the ills, have already starting giving problems from being injured, not good enough and boycotting functions.
Then with the FA of Malaysia going back on their earlier decision on the deadline of registration for foreign players to open the doors again until next month, more problems have surfaced.
Many teams are taking the opportunity to change their players they have signed on earlier, while Kelantan, who had signed on four players (although only two are allowed for the M-league) to use the other two for the AFC competition campaign, have now decided to loan the two players to Kuala Lumpur and look for two more fresh players.
I am just wondering if all these changes and loan of players, have all been done according to the Players' Contract, or can we expect more problems with these players taking action against their employers or going to FIFA?
Then we have coaches in the M-League admitting that they have signed on players without having seen them in action, but only by viewing video clippings and based on players' agent's recommendations.
It really puzzles me how teams could sign on players in this manner. Is it out of sheer desperation to have a foreign player or coaches really do not have a clue how to engage foreign players? Do we need all these problems in the League, when we are suppose to raise the standard of the League?
To make matters, the foreign players have shut out many local players by taking their places.
Has the League standard actually improved with the foreigners?
All I can say that these foreign players use their height and physique to score goals and it is all about pumping the ball to these players. Has the game given entertainment value? Far from it.
Is the Stadiums packed to the brim? Far from it too.
The postponement of League matches has already started. Hardly a week goes without a match being postponed. Does this augur well for the reputation of the League?
Then, we have the bribery allegations from Perlis. Penang have come forward to admit that they too believe that elements of bribery still exist all this while, but teams and associations do not want to admit because they do not want to be embarrassed besides all these allegations difficult to prove.
But there will be no smoke without fire.
And what is even more sad is that the alleged player in the bribery outcry is a first season and young player.
What does that tell you? That the youngsters are the target of the bookies or they have been trained at the lower level - President's Cup.
Already last year, a President's coach was charged in court for his involvement in the bribery scandal in the tournament.
Cleary, it is evident that the President's Cup is the breeding ground, but how much is done to monitor these matches, the players, coaches and officials.
Everyone is pushing the buck to the next person and no one has come out to admit that it is a problem and it needs to be addressed immediately.
Sweeping all the allegations under the carpet is not going to help one bit.
Something has to be done urgently, before Malaysian soccer is exposed for another bribery scandal and tarnish Malaysian football image further - if it not already tarnished!
The last time a major match-fixing scandal rocked Malaysia in 1994, investigations saw 21 players and coaches sacked, 58 players suspended or banished and 126 players questioned over corruption. Among them were the young and talented, experienced, the cream and backbone of Malaysian soccer.
The FA of Malaysia have called for a Special Meeting tomorrow to discuss issues relating to soccer bribery in the M-League. Tengku Mahkota Pahang, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, the Deputy President of FA of Malaysia will chair the meeting.
It is barely a month since the 2012 M-Soccer League has began, and there has been countless number of problems surfacing.
To start with, the return of foreign players this season despite being warned of the ills, have already starting giving problems from being injured, not good enough and boycotting functions.
Then with the FA of Malaysia going back on their earlier decision on the deadline of registration for foreign players to open the doors again until next month, more problems have surfaced.
Many teams are taking the opportunity to change their players they have signed on earlier, while Kelantan, who had signed on four players (although only two are allowed for the M-league) to use the other two for the AFC competition campaign, have now decided to loan the two players to Kuala Lumpur and look for two more fresh players.
I am just wondering if all these changes and loan of players, have all been done according to the Players' Contract, or can we expect more problems with these players taking action against their employers or going to FIFA?
Then we have coaches in the M-League admitting that they have signed on players without having seen them in action, but only by viewing video clippings and based on players' agent's recommendations.
It really puzzles me how teams could sign on players in this manner. Is it out of sheer desperation to have a foreign player or coaches really do not have a clue how to engage foreign players? Do we need all these problems in the League, when we are suppose to raise the standard of the League?
To make matters, the foreign players have shut out many local players by taking their places.
Has the League standard actually improved with the foreigners?
All I can say that these foreign players use their height and physique to score goals and it is all about pumping the ball to these players. Has the game given entertainment value? Far from it.
Is the Stadiums packed to the brim? Far from it too.
The postponement of League matches has already started. Hardly a week goes without a match being postponed. Does this augur well for the reputation of the League?
Then, we have the bribery allegations from Perlis. Penang have come forward to admit that they too believe that elements of bribery still exist all this while, but teams and associations do not want to admit because they do not want to be embarrassed besides all these allegations difficult to prove.
But there will be no smoke without fire.
And what is even more sad is that the alleged player in the bribery outcry is a first season and young player.
What does that tell you? That the youngsters are the target of the bookies or they have been trained at the lower level - President's Cup.
Already last year, a President's coach was charged in court for his involvement in the bribery scandal in the tournament.
Cleary, it is evident that the President's Cup is the breeding ground, but how much is done to monitor these matches, the players, coaches and officials.
Everyone is pushing the buck to the next person and no one has come out to admit that it is a problem and it needs to be addressed immediately.
Sweeping all the allegations under the carpet is not going to help one bit.
Something has to be done urgently, before Malaysian soccer is exposed for another bribery scandal and tarnish Malaysian football image further - if it not already tarnished!
The last time a major match-fixing scandal rocked Malaysia in 1994, investigations saw 21 players and coaches sacked, 58 players suspended or banished and 126 players questioned over corruption. Among them were the young and talented, experienced, the cream and backbone of Malaysian soccer.
