KUALA LUMPUR: Pundit Datuk Richard Scully said the Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) interest in the M-League over club licensing is a crucial wake-up call for Malaysian football.
The former footballer highlighted the long-standing issue of salary arrears, which has been overlooked due to complacency in policy enforcement.
"It's a much-needed wake-up call from the AFC. We established a correct pathway over the years but neglected to address lingering issues.
"Non-payment of salaries was an issue even before club licensing was introduced, and we failed to tackle these problems head-on," said Scully.
He stressed the importance of professional conduct within the football community.
"It's a timely reminder of how a professional body should act. If we don't address this now, today's champions could become tomorrow's fallen heroes.
"We must practice what we preach, especially in this professional era where club licensing is crucial," he added.
Scully acknowledged that complacency and seemingly minor issues can have a significant impact.
"The issue of wages is sensitive because it represents the services rendered by the players, who all have commitments," he said.
Scully hopes AFC's investigation into the Malaysian Football League (MFL) doesn't open a can of worms.
Non-salary payments for foreign players are managed by FIFA if the footballers file complaints, whereas local players fall under the purview of the Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia (PFAM).
"We don't want to be dragged into a situation where FIFA has to intervene. To prevent this, we need to clean up our house.
"The football fraternity is like a family; we must sit together, straighten things out, and fix them to the best of our ability to protect the league's reputation. These small issues can drag down the entire football ecosystem," Scully said.