The debate surrounding governance and decision-making within Malaysian football has intensified after comments from Kevin Ramalingam, Head of Commercial at Johor Darul Ta’zim, regarding discussions linked to the upcoming CEO roundtable involving Malaysian Football League (MFL).
Taking to his official X account (@kevinramalingam), Ramalingam questioned the confusion surrounding the platform being used for discussions about Malaysian football’s future, stressing that MFL itself already provides the proper structure for clubs to raise concerns.
“I don’t understand what the confusion is. The platform is MFL. The teams own it and the constitution allows for the teams to raise matters for discussion,” he wrote.
Ramalingam highlighted that while informal conversations among stakeholders are common, serious matters affecting the league should be addressed through official mechanisms.
He pointed out that discussions often take place casually — what he described as “sembang kedai kopi” (coffee shop conversations) — but emphasized that formal governance channels already exist within MFL.
According to him, clubs should utilize official forums such as board meetings and partner congress sessions to raise issues that require collective decisions.
“MFL is the teams’ platform. Use the board meetings and partners meetings (congress), please,” he added.
In his posts, Ramalingam also criticized stakeholders who voice strong opinions publicly but fail to contribute meaningfully during official meetings.
“What’s the use of saying things in public but when you attend the actual platform you just smile, drink coffee, eat curry puffs and go home — no contribution,” he said.
Ramalingam’s comments arrive amid growing discussions among clubs regarding the direction, sustainability, and governance of Malaysian football competitions under the MFL structure.
Credit Photo : JST
