Is there any hope left for Malaysian football?
Just when you think Malaysian football can’t get any worse, it did.
Several players have been hauled up by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) for match-fixing suspicions and many more are expected to be called up soon as the investigation continue to follow the money trail. Only time will tell if this latest shameful act is as worse as what happened in 1994-1995 when nearly 100 players had to be banished for their part in match-fixing. Unless you haven’t reached your puberty yet then you should know that one of those players banished was Matlan Marjan, Sabah’s most potent modern-day striker and ex-national.
He was just given the Malaysian captaincy and led the national team againts the Brazil veterans, a few weeks before he was locked up in jail during investigations. It was really shameful, especially for Sabahans and I think football lovers in the state still talk about it regretfully.
Regarding the current episode, you’d think that I meant this as a joke but of the two teams whose players are being investigate, one of them is the PDRM FA - PDRM for Polis Di Raja Malaysia. Yes, you read that right - the Police FA! Though not all of the players are the police, but still, it is the Police FA.
I’m sure some of you will say it’s no surprise heh.
So what is the best solution for this country? Legalising betting? I think that would only make it worse. Look at Singapore - they legalised betting and still 1 team was on the take.
Education is the proper way. FAM also should get sponsors so the team can pay their players’ salaries on time and also make the league better managed, to make it more prestigious and give it more class. We have daily shows on the EPL and yet, only one hour per week courting the local league. Sometimes even the mainstream news wouldn’t show the goal video clips from the matches, instead just give out the results on the screen and then show goal video clips from the EPL.
Tell me where’s the priority. It’s like the local league has been forgotten. Probably a corporate or private body should manage the league.
Links
Football Bribery Scandal A Lesson For All - Kelly Tham
New Approaches Needed To Stamp Out Bribery - Tengku Abdullah



