Johor Darul Ta’zim has firmly rejected claims circulating on social media suggesting that the club’s financial income in 2024 was largely funded by public or government sources.
In an official statement, JDT described the allegation that 91% of the club’s revenue originated from public or government-linked funds as inaccurate, baseless and a misunderstanding of the actual financial structure.
The clarification was issued by the club’s Chief Operating Officer and Technical Director, Alistair Edwards.
According to the Southern Tigers, confusion arose after the club’s audited financial accounts listed entities such as the Johor State Sports Council as part of financial channels linked to certain sponsorship flows.
However, JDT explained that this is a standard operational procedure in Malaysia, where corporate sponsorship funds are commonly routed through sports councils at national or state level.
This system allows private companies to receive tax incentives for their contributions to sports development.
As such, many private sponsorships supporting JDT are channelled through the sports council, which may have led to the misconception that the funds originated from public or government sources.
The club also clarified that government grants and contributions recorded in the accounts are specifically allocated for grassroots sports development programmes.
These initiatives include youth tournaments and football development activities across districts in the state of Johor.
Much of the funding is distributed through the Johor Football Association (PBNJ) and local district football associations to support grassroots initiatives aimed at nurturing future talents.
JDT stressed that none of the government grants are used for the club’s operational expenses.
This includes the running of the first team, staff salaries, operations of the JDT Academy, or the maintenance of club assets.
The club reiterated that its professional football operations are financed independently through commercial revenue streams, sponsorship agreements and other private-sector partnerships.
JDT stated that the clarification was necessary to ensure accurate public understanding of the club’s financial structure and to address misleading narratives spreading online.
Credit Photo : JST
