KUALA LUMPUR: The Super League and Malaysia Cup will continue next month despite the Asean Championship coming smack right in from Dec 8 to Jan 5, making it a busy December for Malaysian football.
The Malaysian Football League (MFL) on Wednesday updated the remaining fixtures — from Nov 20 to April next year — for the 2024-25 M-League season.
The decision to keep the domestic competitions going during the Asean Championship is to ensure that the season is completed on time. This is to prevent player contracts' issues that could arise if the season is delayed, resulting in financial burdens to the clubs.
"The M-League will continue in December to ensure that the competition concludes as planned in April next year.
"This decision takes into account potential conflicts with international fixtures and the need to avoid disruptions to player contracts," said the MFL, which added that it is working closely with the Football Association of Malaysia to accommodate the national team's needs as they prepare for the Asean Championship.
The league will provide flexibility for clubs in releasing players for national duty.
The revised M-League calendar took into account several key international events including the Asean Championship, FIFA international match days, the 2024-25 AFC Champions League, 2024-25 AFC Champions League 2 and Asean Club Championship.
MFL said the temporary closure of several stadiums for maintenance and upgrades has also led to the reorganisation of fixtures.
The affected venues include the Selayang Municipal Stadium (closed from Nov 4 to Dec 24), Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium in Kota Baru (September to December), Perak Stadium in Ipoh (November to April next year) and Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu (Nov 23 to Dec 1).