The Malaysia League 2023 will have a new look when the Malaysian Football League (MFL) takes a step forward by restructuring to ensure the country’s professional football league is more dynamic and competitive.
As a result of the League Partners agreement through the Extraordinary Meeting (EGM) held today, MFL introduced a restructuring of the domestic football pyramid that is more relevant to the current modernization of football, commercial aspects and prioritize the development of local players starting next season.
The reform will involve six main aspects:
The Super League will involve the participation of 18 clubs compared to only 12 clubs since 2013.
The Premier League will be abolished within a certain period before being re-launched as a Semi-Pro League after a club development program is implemented with the AFL for the M3 team.
The Reserve League will be introduced as a league that will be a bridge to bridge the development gap seen in the local league structure. The Reserve League also acts as a Super League intermediary platform for players to get game minutes, adaptations and preparation for the Super League. With that, the Reserve Team concept will come to an end and all Super League teams will have under-23 teams (B-23) and this in turn will give more balanced competitiveness to all teams.
The quota of import players is in line with the AFC movement but also based on the guarantee of slots to local players on the field while ensuring the improvement of quality and opportunities of each team in a national elite league is also given priority and the quota of import players is equal to all Super League teams.
The format of the FA Cup and Malaysia Cup will be reformulated with the increase in league matches as well as changes to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) calendar next season.
Restructuring and improvement of Youth Cup and President’s Cup matches with the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
Today’s MFL presentation is the result of a study that began in early 2022 where MFL has referred to various stakeholders and football authorities such as the International Football Association (FIFA), AFC and also a study of several international leagues to see the appropriate formula to be absorbed in Malaysia.
The MFL has also held a series of discussions with international agencies including international commercials that cooperate with leagues around the world.
Liga Super
The 2023 Super League will see 18 teams compete for 16 Super League 2024 slots where the 16 -team Super League format will remain for next year.
This year (2022), the bottom two teams of the Premier League will compete with the 2 M3 League teams for the 17th and 18th slots of the 2023 Super League but M3 representatives must meet the MFL club licensing criteria before being admitted to the Super League where for the 2023 season, meanwhile, the Super League will move to a 16 -team league.
The Reserve League and the Reserve Team Concept are over
The 2023 Super League will also be supported by the Reserve League which is the stage for the development of U23 players to ensure guaranteed minutes of play based on the MFL study where young players do not get minutes in the main team.
For information, the age gap between President’s Cup and Youth Cup players is so big and former Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Technical Director Datuk Ong Kim Swee previously said that on January 25, 2022, he proposed that the Reserve League be established to ensure the development of young players by getting minutes. game.
To ensure the quality of Reserve League matches is improved, development is prioritized and adaptation of U23 players ready to play in the Super League at any time, each Super League team will be allowed to list five (5) older players in the Reserve League but only three (3 ) older players including imports (maximum two (2) players) are allowed to play on the field to guarantee minutes of play for at least eight (8) local B-23 players at all times.
These older slots and the involvement of imported players will balance and improve the league benchmarks as well as be a platform for B-23 players to adjust to the Super League gap.
This also opens up opportunities for Super League teams to use the Reserve League as a rehabilitation platform for senior players or to ensure that first team players are given the opportunity to maintain performance.
This Reserve League should not only be seen from the aspect of development but this Reserve League is a positive innovation for local players where it will operate as a ‘player preparation’ to move into the Super League.
Liga M3
MFL has not forgotten the importance of more professional football clubs and its relevance to the growing ecosystem to support the professional industry in Malaysia.
However MFL is also aware of the gap between
Credit Photo : Goal Malaysia
