Football in Malaysia
Football in Malaysia | |
---|---|
Governing body | FAM |
First played | Late 1800s |
National competitions | |
Club competitions | |
International competitions | |
Football is the most popular sport in Malaysia, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1921, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game. The sport of football in the country of Malaysia is run by the Football Association of Malaysia.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
In 1997, Malaysia hosted the
History
Football arrived in Malaysia (Malaya at that time) with the British. The locals soon picked up the game, and before long, 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. But it was not structured. Even when the Selangor Amateur Football League took shape in 1905 – which ensured proper administration and organisation – the competition was confined only to clubs in Kuala Lumpur.[8][9]
In January 1921, the
Three months later, the Chief Secretary of the
Football began to spread rapidly throughout the region following the establishment of the Cup, although the composition of the teams at the time was mainly based on ethnic background.[12][13][14] In British Borneo, football has also become the most popular choice of sport in Malay schools.[15]
In 1933, Association football of Malaysia was founded as Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) which managed the local football scene at that time.[16] By 1954, FAM joins FIFA as a member of the AFC.
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.[19] A new trophy was inaugurated in 1967, and since then, the competition has been known as the Piala Malaysia.[20]
Starting in 1974, the state teams were barred from entering the FAM Cup competition, and only the club sides could enter.[18]
This football league competition involving the representative sides of the state football associations was first held in Malaysia in 1979.
Over the years, the league competition has gained important stature in its own right. From 1982 until 1988, the league was an amateur status and continued its purpose as a qualifying round for Piala Malaysia, and only in 1989 did it change to a new format as the
Initially, the only teams allowed to participate in the league were the state FA's sides, teams representing the
The inaugural season of Liga Semi-Pro consisted of nine teams in
In 1992, FAM created another amateur league for local clubs in Malaysia to compete in, which is called the Liga Nasional.[25] The league was managed by FAM outside entity, Super Club Sdn. Bhd. Some of the clubs that compete in the league are Hong Chin, Muar FA, PKNK from Kedah, DBKL, PKNS, BSN, LPN, BBMB, Proton, PPC and PKENJ. Unfortunately, the league only ran for one season before it folded. Some of the clubs then evolved and joined the main league, such as PKENJ, which became JCorp and is now JDT.
With the advent of the two-league
Liga Semi-Pro was the nation's top-tier league until it was succeeded by the formation of Malaysia's first professional football league, the
In 1998, Liga Perdana was divided into two divisions consisting of Liga Perdana 1 and Liga Perdana 2.[26][27] During this time both of the division was still just referred as Malaysian League as a whole.
During 1998, Liga Perdana 1 consisted of 12 teams, while Liga Perdana 2 had 8 teams.
Both leagues continued until 2003, when Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) decided to privatise the league for the 2004 season onwards, when the
Further changes were made to the Malaysia FAM Cup in 2008 when the knockout stages were abolished and the double round-robin league format was introduced. The tournament is now known as the Malaysia FAM League.[28]
The most significant successes of the national team of Malaysia have 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 42 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 from 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 of Malaya from the 1950s until the 1960s. Malaysia's 15–1 victory over the Philippines in 1962 is currently the record for the highest win for the national team. In the current generation, Mohd Safee Mohd Sali and Norshahrul Idlan Talaha are considered by Malaysians to be their best striker pair.
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 rivals on the international stage are their geographical neighbours, 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 2010 and other small competitions while improving at the same time.
League system
Liga Super
The Liga Super (Liga Super Malaysia) is the top flight of the Malaysian football league system. The league is contested between 14 teams. The clubs participating in this league need to pass a set of requirements and verification processes, particularly those related to professionalism and infrastructure feasibility.[29]
Liga Premier
The Liga Premier was the second-tier football league in Malaysia. The league was contested between 12 teams and operated on a system of promotion and relegation with the Liga Super.[29] The league was named Astro Liga Premier (Astro Liga Premier Malaysia in Malay) in the 2013 season and TM Liga Premier before then because of the sponsorship reason.
Malaysia M3 League
The Malaysia M3 League (formerly Liga FAM and
Malaysia M4 League
The Malaysia M4 League is the third-tier league in the Malaysian football league system (from 2023). The league was created in 2018 as part of the Malaysian Football League's plan to reform the Malaysian football league structure. Earlier played under the name of Liga Bolasepak Rakyat, it was an independent football league in Malaysia and not part of the national-level football pyramid. However, the winners had been often invited by the FAM to compete in the third-tier national-level competition. The league was managed by the Liga Bolasepak Rakyat-Limited Liability Partnership (LBR-LLP) as a mostly amateur-level competition, aiming to create a bigger base at the grassroots level.[30]
Malaysia M5 League
The Malaysia M5 League is the lowest overall tier in the Malaysian football league system (4–9). The league was created in 2018 as part of the Malaysian Football League's plan to reform the Malaysian football league structure. It consists of various state FA, community, and social leagues.
Cup competitions
There are several cup competitions for clubs at different levels of the football pyramid. The two major cup competitions are the Malaysia FA Cup and the Malaysia Cup.
Domestic cup competitions
- The Malaysia Cup, first held in 1921, is the oldest national cup competition in Asia. Only qualified teams from the top 2 levels of the football pyramid can enter.
- The Piala Presiden is the developmental football competition in Malaysia for under-21 players. Since its inception, in 1985, the Piala Presiden has been the major tournament for under-21 and under-23 players. In 2009, the format of the competition was changed with only under-20 players eligible to be fielded for the tournament. In 2015 the competition reverted to the original format with under-21 players and three over age players eligible to play.[31]
- The Piala Belia is the developmental competition for under-19 players. Since its inception in 2008 to 2011, the competition was combined with Piala Presiden. In 2015 the format of the competition changed to the league format.[32]
- The Malaysia Challenge Cup, first held in 2018, is for teams that failed to qualify for the Malaysia Cup from the top 2 level of the football pyramid.
- The Malaysia FA Cup, first held in 1990, is a national cup competition in the world. Teams from all levels of the football pyramid may enter.
- The Piala Sumbangsih (also known as Piala Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah) is a single match Charity Cup played between the Malaysia Cup winners and the Super League champions at the start of a Super league and Premier League season.
International cup competitions
Qualification for Asian competitions
Clubs who do well in either the Super League, Piala FA or League Cup can qualify to compete in various AFC-organised Asian-wide competitions in the following season. The number of Malaysia teams playing in Asian in any one season can range from three to four. Currently, Malaysia is awarded the following places in Asian competitions:
Competition | Allocated slot | Qualifier | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
AFC Champions League | 1 | Malaysia Super League champions | |
AFC Cup | 2 | Malaysia FA Cup Winner
Malaysia Super League runners-up |
If Malaysia FA Cup were cancelled, either the Malaysian Cup winner or the third highest eligible Team in the Super League will enter |
National teams
The Malaysia national football team represents Malaysia in international football. Malaysia is one of the national teams to have won the
Women's football
Women's football competitions are also managed by FAM. Malaysia women's football national team represents Malaysia in international women's football.
In local football scene, a woman football competition has been held in Malaysia since 1960.
Women Football Association of Malaysia (PBWM) was officially registered in December 1974 where the first president was the
The cup was held for consistent basis until 2004 when it was not held for 11 years and making a comeback in 2015 for the 28 edition.
Stadiums
Some of the major stadium used for various team in Malaysia League listed as follow:
- Bukit Jalil Stadium
- Shah Alam Stadium
- City Stadium (Penang)
- Merdeka Stadium
- Ipoh Stadium
- Hang Tuah Stadium
- Hang Jebat Stadium
- Larkin Stadium
- Sultan Mohammad IV Stadium
- Darul Aman Stadium
- Darul Makmur Stadium
- Sarawak Stadium
- Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium
- Tun Abdul Razak Stadium
Seasons
The following articles detail the major results and events in each season since 1921, when the first organised competition, the Malaya Cup, was created. Seasons in italics are wartime seasons, when official national competition was suspended, although regional football continued.
1920s: | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 |
1930s: | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 |
1940s: | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 |
1950s: | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 |
1960s: | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 |
1970s: | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 |
1980s: | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 |
1990s: | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
2000s: | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
2010s: | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
See also
- List of Malaysia football champions
- List of football clubs in Malaysia
- Malaysia national football team honours
- Malaysia Premier Futsal League
- Malaysia Premier Futsal League (Women)
- Malaysia national futsal team
- Malaysia women's national futsal team
- Malaysia national beach soccer team
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