History of Malaysian football

Football is the most popular national sport in Malaysia, where the first modern set of rules were established in 1921. It is run by the Football Association of Malaysia. The association administers the national football teams and league competitions.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

In 1997, Malaysia hosted the FIFA U-20 World Cup, but known as FIFA World Youth Championship during that time. In 2007, Malaysia co-hosted the Asian Cup 2007 with three other countries.

The most significant successes of the national team of Malaysia has come in the regional AFF Suzuki Cup (formerly known as the Tiger Cup), which Malaysia won in 2010 for the first time in history. They beat Indonesia 4–2 on aggregate in the final to capture the country's first major international football title.

Malaysia had many top players, such as the legendary Mokhtar Dahari and Sabah's Hassan Sani and James Wong, which led Malaysia into their golden age during the 1970s until the 1980s. Before Mokhtar, the Malaysian King of Football Datuk Abdul Ghani Minhat was the most famous and respected footballer in the whole Malaya during the 1950s and 1960s. Malaysia's 15–1 victory over the Philippines in 1962 is currently the highest win of the national team.

In the FIFA World Rankings, Malaysia's highest standing was in the first release of the figures, in August 1993 at 75th. Malaysia's main rival on the international stage are their geographical neighbors, Indonesia and Singapore, and past matches between these two teams have produced much drama. Malaysia is one of the most successful teams in Southeast Asia along with Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, winning the ASEAN Football Championship in 2010.

History

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1900 to 1978

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Football arrived in Malaysia, (Malaya at that time), with the British. The locals soon picked up the game, and soon it was the country's leading sport. Towards the end of the 19th century, football was one of the central pillars of most sports clubs in Malaya. Even when the Selangor Amateur Football League took shape in 1905 – which ensured proper administration and organization – the competition was confined only to clubs in Kuala Lumpur.[8][9]

The earliest known winners of football competition in Malaysia was YMCA in Penang in 1906.[10]

In January 1921, the British Royal Navy battleship H. M. S. Malaya was called at Port Swettenham (now Port Klang), Singapore, Malacca, Penang and Port Dickson.[11] During its stay, the crew competed in friendly matches in football, rugby, hockey, sailing and golf against local clubs.[11]

Three months later, the Chief Secretary of the Federated Malay States received a letter from Captain H. T. Buller of the H. M. S. Malaya, which offered two cups to be competed for in football and rugby as tokens of their gratitude for the reception they received in Malaya.[11] The cup for football were then known as the Malaya Cup The offer was accepted and various club representatives met to organize the tournament.[11] Malaya Cup committee was set up and it was decided to run the football competition in northern and southern sections. The first tournament were entrusted to be run by the Selangor Club.[11] The first ever Malaya Cup match was played on 20 August 1921, with Selangor defeating Penang 5–1 in front of an estimated crowd of 5,000 in Kuala Lumpur.[11] The inaugural tournament were played by six teams and won by Singapore.[12] During 1923, a newspaper described it as “by far the greatest sporting event of the year (in Malaya)”.[11]

In 1933, Football Association of Malaya (FAM) was founded.[13] By 1954, FAM joins FIFA as a member in AFC.

The Malaysia FAM Cup was established in 1952 as a secondary knockout competition to the more prestigious Malaya Cup. The competitions were held between the state teams, including Singapore, the Police, Army and the Prisons Department of Malaysia, in their early days.[14][15]

In 1959, the Malaya Cup departed from the traditional one-round tournament to a two-round home and away format in three zones (East, South, and North).[16]

FAM changed its name to Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in the early 1960s to coincide with the formation of Malaysia.[8] A new trophy for the Malaya Cup was inaugurated in 1967, and since then, the competition has been known as the Malaysia Cup.[17]

Starting in 1974, the state teams were barred from entering the FAM Cup, and only the club sides could enter.[15] In 1976 Penang was the first club from Malaysia which won the Aga Khan Gold Cup.

1979–1988: Era of Amateur Football League

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A Malaysian football league competition involving the representatives of the state football associations was first held in 1979.[18][19] When it began, it was intended primarily as a qualifying tournament for the final knock-out stages of the Malaysia Cup, where teams compete in a one-round league before advancing to the knock-out stage.[18] The top four teams at the end of the league would face off in two semi-finals before the winners made it to the finals. In 1981, the quarter-final stage was introduced, where eight teams qualified from the preliminary stage.[20]

However, it was not until 1982 that a league trophy was introduced to recognise the winners of the preliminary stage as the league champions.[21] Since then, the Malaysia Cup has been held after the conclusion of the league each year, with only the best-performing teams in the league qualifying.

1989–1993: Era of semi-pro football League

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Over the years, the league competition has gained important stature in its own right. From 1982 until 1988, the league continued its purpose as a qualifying round for Malaysia Cup. In 1989, it was changed to a new format, the Malaysian Semi-Pro Football League (MSPFL), nearing fully professional status.

Initially, the only teams allowed to participate in the league were the state FA's sides, teams representing the Armed Forces and the Police, and teams representing the neighboring countries of Singapore and Brunei (though the Football Association of Singapore pulled out of the Malaysian League after the 1994 season following a dispute with the FAM).

The inaugural season of the MSPFL consisted of nine teams in First Division I and eight teams in Second Division. The Malaysian Police joined Division II in 1990.[22] Games were played on a home and away basis for about four months, roughly between the end of April or early May and the end of August or early September. Under the new format, only the top six teams in Division I and the Division II champions and runners-up would be involved in the Malaysia Cup.[22] The Malaysia Cup was played in the quarter-final stage, scheduled for November after the league was finished.[22]

In 1990, a new national knockout competition was introduced by the FAM, called the Malaysia FA Cup.[15] Perak is the winner of the inaugural season of the cup.[15]

In 1992, FAM created another amateur league for local clubs, the Liga Nasional.[23] The league was managed by an outside FAM entity, Super Club Sdn. Bhd. Some of the clubs that competed in the league were Hong Chin, Muar FA, PKNK Kedah, DBKL, PKNS, BSN, LPN, BBMB, Proton, PPC and PKENJ. Unfortunately, the league only ran for one season before folding. Some of the clubs then evolved and joined the main league, such as PKENJ, which became Johor FC.

In 1993, the format of the competition was changed to include a two-group league, followed by the traditional knockout format. Promotion to the professional Malaysian League was introduced for the first time in 1997. Johor FC and NS Chempaka FC were the first two sides to be promoted that year.[15]

1994 to 1997: Era of professional football

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MSPFL was the nation's top-tier league until the formation of the Malaysia Premier League (1994–97) in 1994 by the FAM.

In its inaugural season, 16 teams competed in the league. The teams were based in all states in Malaysia and two foreign teams; Singapore and Brunei.

1998 to 2003: Clubs inclusion in main league

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In 1998, the Malaysia Premier League was divided into two divisions, consisting of Malaysia Premier League 1 and Malaysia Premier League 2 (Liga Perdana 1 and Liga Perdana 2).[24][25]

During 1998, Malaysia Premier League 1 consisted of 12 teams, while Malaysia Premier League 2 had 8 teams.[24] 10 teams that previously played in the 1997 Malaysia Premier League were automatically qualified for the Malaysia Premier League 1. The other two spots were filled by a playoff round of the five lowest teams and the Malaysian Olympic football team. They were then put into the Malaysia Premier League 2 alongside Police, Malaysia Military, Negeri Sembilan Chempaka F.C., and PKN Johor. At this time, the league still consisted of semi-pro teams, where each team was allowed to register 25 players (minimum of 12 professionals for MPL 1 and 6 professionals for MPL 2).[24]

2004 to present: Era of Malaysia Super League

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Both leagues continued until 2003, when the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) decided to privatize the league and the Malaysia Super League was formed. Teams in Malaysia Premier League 1 and Malaysia Premier League 2 were then put through a qualification and play-off process to be promoted into the Malaysia Super League. Teams that failed the qualification were put into a new second-tier Malaysia Premier League.

Starting in 2016, the Football Malaysia LLP (FMLLP), which is now known as the Malaysian Football League (MFL), took over all the top-tier professional football competitions. Under the new management, all clubs in the Malaysian league enjoyed their first ever season in 2021 as private football clubs. The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has been pushing its member clubs towards privatization in a bid to end their reliance on state funds.[26]

Further changes were made to the Malaysia FAM Cup in 2008, where the knockout stages were abolished and the double round-robin format was introduced. The tournament became known as the Malaysia FAM League.[27] In 2018, a new subsidiary of the company was formed known as the Amateur Football League (AFL), which was tasked with managing the third division and below from 2019 onward.[28] The AFL officially confirmed the formation of the Malaysia M3 League and the Malaysia M4 League as the third and fourth divisions of the Malaysian football league system as amateur league competitions.

Records

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Below are the record of teams in Malaysian football competitions since 1921 till present. Clubs in bold compete in Liga Super Malaysia as of the 2023 season; clubs in italic no longer exist.[11][15][29][30]

Team (First Division)

Liga Malaysia (1982-1988), Liga Semi-Pro Divisyen 1, Liga Perdana (1994-1997), Liga Perdana 1, Liga Super Malaysia

(Second Division)

Liga Semi-Pro Divisyen 2, Liga Perdana 2, Liga Premier

(Third Division) Malaysia M3 League (Fourth Division) Malaysia M4 League Malaysia FA Cup Malaysia Cup Malaysia Challenge Cup Malaysia Charity Shield MFL Cup Malaysia President Cup Piala Belia Malaysia FAM Cup Liga Bolasepak Rakyat AFC Champions League AFC AFC Cup/Asian Cup Winner's Cup Total
  Selangor 6 2 - - 5 33 - 8 - 5 4 7 - 1 (Runners-up) 1967 1 (Quarter Final) 2006 70
  Singapore 2 - - - - 24 - 1 - 1 - 2 - - - 30
  Johor Darul Ta’zim 10 - - - 3 4 - 9 - 2 - - - 1 (Round of 16) 2022 1 (Champions) 2015 29
  Kedah 3 4 - - 5 5 - 3 - 3 1 - - 1 (1st Round) 1994-95 1 (Quarter Final) 2008 24
  Kelantan 2 1 - - 2 2 - 1 - 7 2 3 - - 1 (Quarter Final) 2012 20
  Perak 2 - - - 2 8 - 3 - 3 1 - - 2 (Group Stage) 1969, 1971 2 (Quarter Final) 2004 2008 19
  Penang 3 1 - - 1 4 - 1 - 1 - 5 - - - 17
  Kuala Lumpur 2 1 - - 3 4 - 3 - 3 - - - 2 (Group Stage) 1987, 1989-90 1 (Runners-Up) 2022 16
  Pahang 5 - - - 3 4 - 3 - - - - - 1 (Semi Final Group Round) 1988-89 1 (Quarter Final) 2015 15
  Negeri Sembilan 1 2 - - 2 3 - 1 - 2 - - - - 2 (Group Stage) 2004 2007 11
  Terengganu - 2 - - 2 1 - 1 - 3 1 1 - - 1 (Round of 16) 2012 11
  Johor FA 1 1 - - 1 2 - 1 - 1 - - - - - 7
  Perlis 1 1 - - - 2 - 2 - - - - - - 1(Group Stage) 2006 6
  Sarawak 1 1 - - 1 - 1 1 - 1 - - - - 1 (Quarter Final) 1998-99 6
  PKNS - 1 - - - - - - - 1 1 3 - - - 6
  Armed Forces - 1 - - - - - 1 - - - 2 - - - 4
  DBKL S.C. - - - - - - - - - - - 4 - - - 4
  Sabah 1 1 - - 1 - - - - 1 - - - - 1 (2nd Round) 1995 4
  Johor F.C. - 1 - - - - - - - 1 - 2 - 1 (2nd Round) 1996-97 1 (Group Stage) 2009 4
  MPPJ - 1 - - - 1 - 1 - - - 1 - - - 4
  Melaka United 1 - - - - - - - - 1 - 1 - 1 (1st Preliminary Round) 1985-86 - 3
  Penjara F.C. - - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - 3
  Kuantan - - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - 3
PDRM - 2 - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - 3
  LionsXII 1 - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - 2
  JKR F.C. - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - 2
  PKNK F.C. - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - 2
  SPPP F.C - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - 2
  Melaka TM F.C. - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - 1 (1st Round) 1997-98 2
  Sime Darby F.C. - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - 2
  Johor Darul Ta’zim FC II - 1 - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - 2
  Felda United - 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 (Group Stage) 2017 2
  Terengganu II F.C. - - - - - - 1 - 1 - - - - - - 2
 Brunei - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - 1
  Intel F.C. - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  NS Indians FC - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  UMNO Selangor F.C. - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  Kelab Sukan Adabi - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  Kelab Kilat Kota Bahru - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  Darul Makmur F.C. - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  Kelab Sultan Sulaiman - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  Johor Bahru FA - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  KL Cheq Point F.C. - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  PDC F.C. - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  JPS F.C. - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  Suria NTFA F.C. - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  Pasir Gudang United - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  Proton F.C.; - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  T-Team F.C. - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  Pos Malaysia F.C. - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  NS Betaria F.C. - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  Putrajaya SPA F.C. - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  Gua Musang FA - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - 1
  Kuching FA - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - 1
  MIFA - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  Terengganu City F.C. - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
  Kelantan United - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - 1
  PIB F.C. - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - 1
  Immigration FC - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - 1
  UiTM United - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - 1
  • Table shows teams' wins in all competitions
  • The figures in bold represent the most times this competition has been won by the team
  • Malaysia Super League Record Fastest goal in a match: 9 seconds

Hall of fame

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League

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Year Champion Runners-up Third place
1982 Penang Kuala Lumpur Selangor
1983 Malacca Penang Kelantan
1984 Selangor Pahang Penang
1985 Singapore Johor Pahang
1986 Kuala Lumpur Singapore Selangor
1987 Pahang Kuala Lumpur Singapore
1988 Kuala Lumpur Singapore Kelantan
1989 Selangor Kuala Lumpur Kedah
1990 Selangor Singapore Perak
1991 Johor Pahang Perak
1992 Pahang Terengganu Negeri Sembilan
1993 Kedah Sarawak Perak
1994 Singapore Kedah Sarawak
1995 Pahang Selangor Sarawak
1996 Sabah Kedah Negeri Sembilan
1997 Sarawak Kedah Sabah
1998 Penang Pahang Brunei
1999 Pahang Penang Negeri Sembilan
2000 Selangor Penang Perak
2001 Penang Terengganu Kelantan
2002 Perak Selangor Sabah
2003 Perak Kedah Perlis
2004 Pahang Selangor Public Bank Perlis
2005 Perlis Pahang Perak
2006 Negeri Sembilan Melaka TMFC Perak
2007 Kedah Perak Brunei DPMM
2008 Kedah Negeri Sembilan Johor FC
2009 Selangor Perlis Kedah
2010 Selangor Kelantan Terengganu
2011 Kelantan Terengganu Selangor
2012 Kelantan LIONSXII Selangor
2013 LionsXII Selangor Johor Darul Ta'zim
2014 Johor Darul Ta'zim Selangor Pahang
2015 Johor Darul Ta'zim Selangor Pahang
2016 Johor Darul Ta'zim Felda United Kedah
2017 Johor Darul Ta'zim Pahang Felda United
2018 Johor Darul Ta'zim Perak PKNS
2019 Johor Darul Ta'zim Pahang Selangor
2020 Johor Darul Ta'zim Kedah Terengganu
2021 Johor Darul Ta'zim Kedah Penang
2022 Johor Darul Ta'zim Terengganu Sabah
2023 Johor Darul Ta'zim Selangor Sabah

Cups

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Year Malaysia Cup / Malaysia Challenge Cup Malaysia FA Cup FAM Cup / Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League
1921 Singapore No competition No competition
1922 Selangor No competition No competition
1923 Singapore No competition No competition
1924 Singapore No competition No competition
1925 Singapore No competition No competition
1926 Perak No competition No competition
1927 Selangor No competition No competition
1928 Selangor & Singapore No competition No competition
1929 Selangor & Singapore No competition No competition
1930 Singapore No competition No competition
1931 Perak No competition No competition
1932 Singapore No competition No competition
1933 Singapore No competition No competition
1934 Singapore No competition No competition
1935 Selangor No competition No competition
1936 Selangor No competition No competition
1937 Singapore No competition No competition
1938 Selangor No competition No competition
1939 Singapore No competition No competition
1940 Singapore No competition No competition
1941 Singapore No competition No competition
1942–47 No competition due to World War II No competition No competition
1948 Negeri Sembilan No competition No competition
1949 Selangor No competition No competition
1950 Singapore No competition No competition
1951 Singapore No competition No competition
1952 Singapore No competition Penang
1953 Penang No competition Kelantan & Selangor
1954 Penang No competition Kelantan
1955 Singapore No competition Penang
1956 Selangor No competition Penang
1957 Perak No competition Penang
1958 Penang No competition Malaysian Combined Services
1959 Selangor No competition Perak
1960 Singapore No competition Selangor
1961 Selangor No competition Selangor
1962 Selangor No competition Selangor
1963 Selangor No competition Singapore
1964 Singapore No competition Perak
1965 Singapore No competition Perak
1966 Selangor No competition Selangor
1967 Perak No competition Singapore
1968 Selangor No competition Selangor
1969 Selangor No competition Terengganu
1970 Perak No competition Prisons
1971 Selangor No competition Prisons
1972 Selangor No competition Selangor
1973 Selangor No competition Prisons
1974 Penang No competition Selangor Umno
1975 Selangor No competition Kuantan
1976 Selangor No competition Adabi Sports Club
1977 Singapore No competition Kuantan & Kilat Kota Bharu
1978 Selangor No competition NS Indians & Selangor PKNS
1979 Selangor No competition Selangor PKNS
1980 Singapore No competition Darulmakmur FC
1981 Selangor No competition Penang Port Commission
1982 Selangor No competition Sultan Sulaiman Club
1983 Pahang No competition Penang Port Commission
1984 Selangor No competition Johor Bahru
1985 Johor No competition Cheq Point FC
1986 Selangor No competition Penang Development Corporation
1987 Kuala Lumpur No competition Kuala Lumpur City Hall
1988 Kuala Lumpur No competition Kuala Lumpur City Hall
1989 Kuala Lumpur No competition Kedah
1990 Kedah Perak Kuala Lumpur City Hall
1991 Johor Selangor Kuala Lumpur City Hall
1992 Pahang Sarawak Kedah
1993 Kedah Kuala Lumpur Intel FC
1994 Singapore Kuala Lumpur Johor SEDC (PKENJ)
1995 Selangor Sabah Johor SEDC (PKENJ)
1996 Selangor Kedah Melaka Telekom
1997 Selangor Selangor Armed Forces
1998 Perak Johor Melaka Telekom
1999 Brunei Kuala Lumpur Kelantan JKR
2000 Perak Terengganu Kelantan JKR
2001 Terengganu Selangor Selangor MPPJ
2002 Selangor Penang Kelantan JPS
2003 Selangor MPPJ Negeri Sembilan Selangor PKNS
2004 Perlis Perak Suria NTFA
2005 Selangor Selangor Kelantan
2006 Perlis Pahang Pasir Gudang United
2007 Kedah Kedah Proton
2008 Kedah Kedah T-Team
2009 Negeri Sembilan Selangor Pos Malaysia
2010 Kelantan Negeri Sembilan Sime Darby
2011 Negeri Sembilan Terengganu NS Betaria
2012 Kelantan Kelantan KL SPA
2013 Pahang Kelantan Penang
2014 Pahang Pahang Kuantan
2015 Selangor LionsXII Melaka United
2016 Kedah Johor Darul Ta'zim MISC-MIFA
2017 Johor Darul Ta'zim Kedah Sime Darby
2018 Perak / Terengganu II Pahang Terengganu City
2019 Johor Darul Ta'zim / Johor Darul Ta'zim II Kedah Kelantan United
2020 No competition / No competition No competition No competition
2021 Kuala Lumpur No competition No competition
2022 Johor Darul Ta'zim Johor Darul Ta'zim PIB
2023 Johor Darul Ta'zim / PDRM Johor Darul Ta'zim Immigration FC

Three major professional-era competitions (1994–present)

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Year League FA Cup Malaysia Cup
1994 Singapore Kuala Lumpur Singapore
1995 Pahang Sabah Selangor
1996 Sabah Kedah Selangor
1997 Sarawak Selangor Selangor
1998 Penang Johor Perak
1999 Pahang Kuala Lumpur Brunei
2000 Selangor Terengganu Perak
2001 Penang Selangor Terengganu
2002 Perak Penang Selangor
2003 Perak Negeri Sembilan Selangor MPPJ
2004 Pahang Perak Perlis
2005 Perlis Selangor Selangor
2006 Negeri Sembilan Pahang Perlis
2007 Kedah Kedah Kedah
2008 Kedah Kedah Kedah
2009 Selangor Selangor Negeri Sembilan
2010 Selangor Negeri Sembilan Kelantan
2011 Kelantan Terengganu Negeri Sembilan
2012 Kelantan Kelantan Kelantan
2013 LionsXII Kelantan Pahang
2014 Johor Darul Ta'zim Pahang Pahang
2015 Johor Darul Ta'zim LionsXII Selangor
2016 Johor Darul Ta'zim Johor Darul Ta'zim Kedah
2017 Johor Darul Ta'zim Kedah Johor Darul Ta'zim
2018 Johor Darul Ta'zim Pahang Perak
2019 Johor Darul Ta'zim Kedah Johor Darul Ta'zim
2020 Johor Darul Ta'zim No competition No competition
2021 Johor Darul Ta'zim No competition Kuala Lumpur
2022 Johor Darul Ta'zim Johor Darul Ta'zim Johor Darul Ta'zim
2023 Johor Darul Ta'zim Johor Darul Ta'zim Johor Darul Ta'zim

Great honours

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Quadruple

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Team Seasons Winning titles
Johor Darul Ta'zim 2022 Super League, FA Cup, Malaysia Cup, Piala Sumbangsih
Johor Darul Ta'zim 2023 Super League, FA Cup, Malaysia Cup, Piala Sumbangsih

Treble

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Team Seasons Winning titles
Kedah 2006–07 Super League, FA Cup, Malaysia Cup
Kedah 2007–08 Super League, FA Cup, Malaysia Cup
Kelantan 2012 Super League, FA Cup, Malaysia Cup

Double

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Team Seasons Winning titles
Selangor 1984 Malaysian League, Malaysia Cup
Kuala Lumpur 1988 Malaysian League, Malaysia Cup
Johor 1991 Liga Semi-Pro Divisyen 1, Malaysia Cup
Pahang 1992 Liga Semi-Pro Divisyen 1, Malaysia Cup
Kedah 1993 Liga Semi-Pro Divisyen 1, Malaysia Cup
Singapore 1994 Liga Perdana, Malaysia Cup
Selangor 2009 Super League, FA Cup
Johor Darul Ta'zim 2015 Super League, AFC Cup
Johor Darul Ta'zim 2016 Super League, FA Cup
Johor Darul Ta'zim 2017 Super League, Malaysia Cup
Johor Darul Ta'zim 2019 Super League, Malaysia Cup

See also

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References

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  1. ^ John Duerden (7 July 2012). "Malaysia: A new hope". ESPN.com. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  2. ^ "Malaysia hopes to relive football glory days by training 10,000 teenagers". Bernama. The Edge. 21 October 2013. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  3. ^ Ooi Kin Fai (4 October 2013). "The biggest change in Malaysian football". Goal.com. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  4. ^ Simon Ingka Crown; Jeremy Veno (30 July 2010). "Football development: A tough job". The Borneo Post. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  5. ^ Jeeva Arulampalam (21 October 2009). "Malaysian soccer clubs need right structures to attract funding". Business Times. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  6. ^ Shebby Singh (15 November 2013). "A much-needed intervention for the good of Malaysian football". The Malaysian Insider. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  7. ^ T. Avineshwaran (21 September 2013). "Future of our football". The Star. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  8. ^ a b "History". Football Association of Malaysia. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  9. ^ "History of Singapore Football". Football Association of Singapore. Archived from the original on 3 August 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
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  11. ^ a b c d e f g h Alvin Chua (2015). "Malaysia Cup (football)". National Library Board. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  12. ^ "Malaysia 1921". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  13. ^ "Association Information [Football Association of Malaysia]". FIFA. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  14. ^ Karel Stokkermans (11 January 2018). "Malaysia 1952". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  15. ^ a b c d e f Atsushi Fujioka; Erik Garin; Mikael Jönsson; Hans Schöggl (11 January 2018). "FA Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  16. ^ Karel Stokkermans (18 January 2018). "Malaysia 1959". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  17. ^ "Malaysia 1967". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  18. ^ a b "Malaysia 1979". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  19. ^ Peter Wilson; Benson Sim (28 July 2006). "The demand for Semi-Pro League football in Malaysia 1989–91: a panel data approach". Applied Economics. 27: 131–138. doi:10.1080/00036849500000015.
  20. ^ "Malaysia 1981". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  21. ^ "Malaysia 1982". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  22. ^ a b c Ian King (28 September 2003). "Malaysia 1989". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  23. ^ "Amanat Tengku Abdullah" (in Malay). Liga Bolasepak Rakyat. 27 May 2016. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  24. ^ a b c "Pemain Malaysia bebas ke Brunei". Bernama (in Malay). Utusan Malaysia. 11 January 1998. Archived from the original on 2 March 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  25. ^ Zainu'l Azhar Ash'ari (13 June 1998). "Demam Piala Dunia rasuk Liga Perdana". Utusan Malaysia (in Malay). Archived from the original on 2 March 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  26. ^ "When will Malaysia's football teams go private? | ASEAN Today". www.aseantoday.com. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  27. ^ Hamdan Saaid (18 July 2003). "Malaysia 2007/08". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  28. ^ "14 amateur leagues confirmed as part of inaugural Malaysian tier five season". Goal.com. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  29. ^ Karel Stokkermans (10 August 2017). "Malaysia - List of Champions". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  30. ^ Karel Stokkermans (15 September 2016). "Malaysia - List of Second Level Champions". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
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