KUALA LUMPUR: The imprisonment of a Malaysian football club owner has sent a strong message that owners can no longer shirk their responsibilities.
The owner of Kuantan FA and Marcerra United was arrested and sentenced to a week's jail on Wednesday for defying a court order to settle salary arrears amounting to RM1.4 million, owed to 46 players and 12 club officials since 2018.
It is understood that the 50-year-old Datuk Seri had paid only RM600,000 by the middle of last year. With RM1.4 million still outstanding, he was imprisoned for contempt of court after failing to comply with the payment order, leading to an arrest warrant being issued.
Action Football Asia Sdn Bhd Managing Director Effendi Jagan Abdullah, described the case as a landmark moment for Malaysian football.
"We need capable and responsible people to manage football clubs. If you don't have the funds, you shouldn't get involved in Malaysian football," said the football agent today.
"The imprisonment of the club owner is a precedent and a lesson to all. It shows that club owners are now legally accountable. Their decisions affect the livelihoods of hundreds of people in the football system."
Effendi said that the issue of unpaid wages in the M-League has gone from bad to worse in recent times, with even established clubs facing financial difficulties.
He added that while cases of unpaid salaries were reported to have happened only in the lower levels of Indonesian football, it is not common in Thailand.
"Unpaid wages do happen at the lower levels of Indonesian football, but in Thailand, it's rare to see such issues. The situation here is worrying, especially when even big teams are affected," said Effendi.
"It's surprising to see many such cases, and even big teams like Kedah have problems. The impact is worse at the lower levels in the President Cup and the Youth Cup as the players are paid very low salaries, and when not paid, this put them in very difficult financial situations.
"Foreign players will lodge their reports which can be done online and resolved in a short matter of time. But the local players report to the Players Football Association Malaysia, where their grievances are reported to the National Dispute Resolution Chamber.
"We have to know why this happens in the M-League. Most clubs sign players, expecting to get funds from sponsors and when it doesn't happen, the clubs have problems paying their players."