KUALA LUMPUR: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has opened an investigation into the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and the Malaysian Football League (MFL) for violation of club licensing regulations.
Last week, the AFC warned that FAM and MFL risk losing their authority to grant national licences to M-League clubs due to unpaid wages.
The recent revelation that Super League side Kuala Lumpur City received a club licence for the 2024-25 M-League season, despite unpaid Employees Provident Fund contributions reportedly since February 2023, has forced the AFC to act.
Violation of club licensing regulations could result in FAM and MFL losing their authority to grant national licences to M-League clubs and could lead to no Malaysian representatives eligible to compete on the Asian stage.
AFC Secretary General Datuk Seri Windsor John said the AFC Club Licensing Department has opened an investigation after some clubs were given licences despite failing to meet the club licensing conditions.
"The investigation file has been opened, and the next step is to contact MFL and FAM to initiate discussions with the Club Licensing Department, which will monitor and review the licensing process," Windsor told the media.
"After the information is gathered, we will make a decision through our committee.
"The most severe consequence is that we cannot accept any representatives if we revoke the authority of FAM and MFL to grant licences due to issues in the licensing process.
"If there is a violation, there will be penalties, as we have regulations in place. It cannot be that one country faces penalties while another does not. There will always be penalties. So, we need to first see if they have violated the rules or not."
In 2022, the AFC Club Licensing Task Force suspended the Iranian FA until they addressed and rectified their Club Licensing Administration to the satisfaction of the AFC General Secretariat.
The ban prevented 2020 AFC Champions League finalists Persepolis, two-time Asian champions Esteghlal, and Gol Gohar Sirjan from taking part in the 2022 competition.
Meanwhile, FAM Deputy President Datuk Yusoff Mahadi said FAM and MFL are ready to fully cooperate with the AFC.
"I welcome any action from AFC because I think it is done to ensure our league runs well. For this matter, I can only say that we (FAM) are open-minded because in my view, it is to see if our league has any flaws or weaknesses, and certainly, it can improve the current situation," he said.