MFL Club Licensing First Instance Body (FIB) has delayed proof of national club licensing Liga Super Malaysia season 2024/25 for Kelantan FC due have salary overdue in their declaration.
The 6th MFL Club Licensing First Instance Body (FIB) Meeting chaired by Sheikh Mohd Nasir Sheikh Mohd Sharif was held on the 18th of October 2023. Nonetheless, FIB needed more time to review the documentation before deciding on 22 November 2023.
According to the financial subcriteria F.04 of MFL Club Licensing Regulations Edition 2023, the financial overdue declaration of the first financial date is as of the 30 June.
Following this period of time, FIB will review the second financial overdue declarations for the clubs as of 31st August in line with finance sub-criteria F.11 MFL Club Licensing Regulations Edition 2023. This is done to ensure the club declares any debts that might happen between the first and second declarations.
With this deadline, MFL also requests each club to submit a statutory declaration letter that shows that they are free from any forms of debts of salary towards the employees, KWSP, LHDN, Perkeso, and EIS as on 30th November to MFL latest by 15 December 2023 in line with the finance sub-criteria F.09.
For the 2024/25 MFL Liga Super season, ten clubs that were granted the National License are Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), Perak FC, Sri Pahang FC, Selangor FC, Terengganu FC, Penang FC, Kuching City FC, Kedah Darul Aman FC, Negeri Sembilan FC and PDRM FC.
However, 3 clubs granted National License with Sanction are Kuala Lumpur City FC, Kelantan United FC, and Sabah FC.
All three clubs Kuala Lumpur City FC, Kelantan United FC, and Sabah FC, have been granted a National License with Sanctions with RM20,000 fine due to the offence of incorrect overdue declaration.
Despite the fact that Kelantan FC does not have overdue players and officials salary overdue as of 30th June, yet found to have salary overdue in their declaration as of 31 August.
Therefore, as a first step, FIB instructed Kelantan FC to settle all the outstanding payments as of 31st August or submit the mutual agreement with the players and officials on 15th November 2023.
But after the deadline of 15 November 2023, FIB did not receive any proof of payment or mutual agreement with players and officials, instead only receiving appeals for time extensions.
The first sanction imposed on Kelantan FC is a fine of RM20,000 due to the offence of not complying with FIB’s timeline. FIB has given a last chance until 30 November to submit the overdue salary payment evidence until 31 August or a mutual agreement with the players and officials of the club.
If Kelantan FC completed the first step, Kelantan FC still needed to complete the second step to receive the National License. However, if they fail at the first step, Kelantan FC automatically will not be granted the National License for season 2024-2025.
FIB decided to impose the second sanction for Kelantan FC with the MFL Transfer Ban until all local and international cases are fully resolved.
Next, as a second step, Kelantan FC needs to send a declaration letter to prove that they are free from any overdue as of the 30th of November, according to the financial sub-criteria F.09 MFL Club Licensing Regulations Edition 2023, along with solutions regarding cases containing decisions from FIFA and FAM before 31 December 2023.
Subsequently, 7 clubs from the MBSB Championship (Amateur Football League, M3) consisting of Kuala Lumpur Rovers, Harini Selangor FT, Armed Forces FC, Imigresen FC, Perlis United FC, Melaka FC, and Sarawak United FC have applied Extraordinary National License for MFL Club Licensing Cycle 2023 for Liga Super National License season 2024/25.
However, all 7 clubs did not receive the National License after the decisions that had been made during the 7th MFL Club Licensing First Instance Body (FIB) Meeting that was held on 31 October 2023.
