Paying high price for a better football league

IT’s an age old problem, the problem of wages.

Almost every year, some football club or other will hit the headlines as players complain they have not been paid their salaries, sometimes for months.

This year, although the Malaysian Football League (MFL) have said only two clubs have been reported for salary issues, three are known to be facing problems.

And three more are on the list, according to players.

The ones that have gone public are Kuala Lumpur, Kedah and Kelantan, but it is learnt that the other three also owe salaries to players.

It’s not just salaries. Some players say they have not received their bonuses and allowances, some for more than a year. Then, there is their Employees Provident Fund (EPF) dues.

When clubs can’t settle their dues, the owners fold or take the easy route by taking over another club, absolving themselves of their past commitments.

The MFL, who don’t want any of that are being strict in giving out club licences for the upcoming season. But looking at the way things are, we may have fewer than 14 teams in the league.

It’s a vicious cycle. A fall in the number of teams will mean it will be tougher for players to find new teams, while still fighting to get the wages owed to them by their previous teams.

Many players are already demotivated. No, they are down in the dumps.

They are just passionate players, not money-minded employees and many now wish they had picked up financial management at an early age.

What’s worse, some administrators admonish the players when they complain.

The players are only asking for what was promised them in their contracts. It is not right that clubs should point fingers at players and call them greedy when financial calamity strikes.

The contract has to be respected, no ifs or buts. These players have every right to speak on it.

And this salary problem has to end. It has become a pandemic, a systemic woe.

Many have suggested a salary cap, but is it feasible in an environment where clubs have overpaid some players for so many years?

Clubs look for short-term gains. There is no long-term planning and rational management.

To my knowledge, the only clubs that have done well in marketing, sponsorships and community engagement are Selangor and Johor Darul Ta’zim.

Kedah are doing a decent job on that front, but recent revelations of financial issues came as a jolt.

We need a financial mechanism to regulate the game. As much as it would hurt the players, they need to accept the fact that they have to take significant pay cuts until the game can bring in the funds.

For higher wages, they have to up their game and spread their wings abroad.

Players are brands, and that is something to tap into.

It is either the cap or the implementation of Financial Fair Play (FFP). MFL said they are fine-tuning the details for the latter, and many are looking forward to seeing how the mechanism works.

There is also the question of why the local game has not attracted Malaysian tycoons to invest.

The reasons seem quite obvious. Our teams are just not professional enough to these business magnates, and they offer little in returns.

If there is nothing to offer, why would they invest?

Without infrastructure, planning and marketing, why would these tycoons pump in their money? They may be rich but they are not football philanthropists. They want to see returns, too.

Putting their money in Malaysian football now won’t even be philanthropy. It will be philandering.

Indeed, things looks gloomy and a seismic shift is needed. But like they say, no pain, no gain.

Clubs – and players – need to learn to live within their means to create a steadier future.