From ‘extraordinary licence’ to no licence for Perlis to play in Super League

PETALING JAYA: Perlis United’s hopes of competing in the Malaysian Super League this upcoming season have been dashed as the First Instance Body (FIB) have not granted them their licence.

The “extraordinary licence” given to Perlis by the Malaysian Football League (MFL) earlier this month was revoked after the club failed to meet three of four requirements set by the FIB.

FIB chairman Sheikh Mohd Nasir Sheikh Mohd Sharif said: “The body had set conditions to ensure all financial issues were resolved before any licences were issued for Perlis, such as proof of RM5mil in the club’s account as per the cheque presented before March 7.”

The club had also failed to present a declaration signed by team officials and players stating that there are no outstanding debts from Dec 31, 2023, before March 13.

Evidence of the sponsorship agreements between the club and four potential sponsors, which were supposed to be submitted before March 15, was also not provided.

Even though Perlis have until March 22 to show their first payment from the potential sponsors, the FIB see no reason to proceed with their licence.

“Although the submission deadline of March 22 has not passed, the FIB have confirmed that Perlis have failed three out of the four initial requirements by not submitting the documents requested and have violated all given deadlines.

“Therefore, the FIB have decided not to issue the 2024-2025 Super League licence to Perlis.

“The FIB maintain their strict conditions in order to maintain the financial stability of the league and clubs, and this process is implemented to ensure the Malaysian League does not face financial worries if Perlis are allowed to compete,” he said.

Perlis were previously given the licence to replace Kelantan as they had better documentation and had assured RM5mil in sponsorship.

Their failure to obtain the licence means only 13 teams will be competing in the upcoming Super League season.