KUALA LUMPUR: The worst-kept secret in the M-League is laid bare by Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) owner Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim on air as he called for players' welfare to be taken care of.
This came just when the Malaysian Football League (MFL) is expected to announce its decision on club licensing for the 2024 M-League this week.
Tunku Ismail, in a television programme on Monday, called on M-League clubs to be responsible and take care of the welfare of their players following reports that several teams have not paid salaries to their players.
"I like to talk based on facts and not just theory. For now I hope and ask the clubs and the relevant parties to take care of their players' welfare," said Tunku Ismail.
"Like Kedah, Kelantan, Sarawak (United) still in debt from before. Kuala Lumpur City also has some problems now, Melaka also has not solved their previous problems.
"I hope there are plans or actions that will be taken so the players' welfare is taken care of. I'm not giving people ear-ache, this is their responsibility."
Sports critic Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli said as long as clubs fail to manage their finances well, the unpaid wages issue will never end in the M-League.
He added that only a handful of clubs are being managed well and some clubs still rely on funding from state governments for survival.
"If we look, clubs here are either backed by rich benefactors or the state government. Most clubs with private funding seem to live from hand-to-mouth, barely paying off their monthly expenses," said Pekan, who is the Higher Education Ministry sports sector deputy secretary.
"They run their club expenses monthly and don't have funds for a full season. When these clubs for some reason don't get their partners or sponsors' promised funding, they land in hot water.
"On top of that, most clubs spend beyond their capacity and fail to generate income.
"If MFL and FAM take strict action in expelling problematic clubs, the M-League could end up with only four or five teams. Sadly this is the reality of the M-League clubs."
Pekan said relying on broadcast rights money is not enough and clubs must come up with creative ideas to generate income and must be attractive to investors. He added that the lack of infrastructure by the M-League is a big hindrance in moving forward.
"The sponsors will be looking for their return of investment (ROI), and if a club doesn't own any infrastructure or is not successful, it's hard to entice sponsors. If clubs have their own stadiums, they can sell off the naming rights which is done by most clubs globally," said Pekan.
"Most stadiums in the country are owned by the local authorities, so the clubs can work out a lease deal with their City Council for a win-win situation."