KUALA LUMPUR: After the Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) announcement of their 2023-24 calendar, it spurred talks that the league season for many Asian countries will take place between August and May spanning two years.
Malaysia's M-League has always been from January to December.
AFC general secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John said the Asian body was just reverting to pre-SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) days. The SARS outbreak from 2002-2004 led to AFC changing its calendar year from August-May (which follows the European football season) to January-December.
While it is not mandatory for Asian countries to follow the August-May calendar, it is advisable.
"Not everyone needs to abide by this but if they can change then it will be synchronised. We look at transfer windows where it will all be the same," said Windsor.
"This is why most players from Asia cannot sign for European clubs because the transfer window is different, so this is an important factor.
"If the Malaysian Football League wants to change it (to follow AFC's Aug-May calendar), it's up to them. There are far more advantages to following these dates," he added.
Meanwhile, AFC is set to announce on Oct 17 the new host of the Asian Cup following China's withdrawal due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Should AFC opt for an East Asian country as host, the competition will be played in June-July 2023. If it is Australia or Qatar, it will be held in 2024 due to weather conditions.
Malaysia has qualified for the Asian Cup for the first time on merit since 2007.