Clubs Must Tackle Wage Arrears Or Risk Legal, Reputation Fallout, Say Experts

KUALA LUMPUR, Football clubs across the country must manage their finances wisely, with transparency and within their means, to avoid falling deeper into the wage arrears crisis, an issue that continues to plague the Malaysian League (M-League). Academician and sports analyst Mohd Sadek Mustafa stressed that clubs need to remain grounded in financial realities and resist the urge to overspend in an attempt to match the wealthier teams. 'Many clubs try to emulate bigger teams that can afford to offer luxury, and that's where the problem starts. Clubs that don't have financial issues should maintain their transparency in budgeting and focus on doing what they can afford. 'The question is, how long can clubs sustain themselves? How long will sponsors be willing to support them? The M-League must stay grounded, there's no need for extravagance. This problem is severe but often goes underreported,' he told Bernama today. The senior lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Mara's (UiTM) Faculty of Sports Science and R ecreation described the wage arrears issue as increasingly chronic, creating an unhealthy environment within the local football league. He believes the responsibility for solving the problem rests squarely on the shoulders of the clubs and associations, without involving government intervention. 'The Youth and Sports Ministry can't do much except help players in terms of skills development and other areas. This is the responsibility of the associations and stakeholders, and it's not the same as those managed under state government associations,' he said. Another sports analyst, Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli suggested that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and MFL work closely to take the wage arrears issue more seriously. 'If necessary, call together all the troubled teams, have discussions, identify the root causes and propose workable solutions to show concern for the issue. FAM and MFL should also evaluate whether the structure of the local league is placing too much burden on the teams. 'If the wage arrears issue isn't addressed, we could see clubs opting out of the league, resulting in less competition. Also, clubs could face legal action, tarnishing the reputation of our local football scene,' he added. The current M-League season has seen several teams embroiled in wage arrears issues, including Kuala Lumpur City FC, Kedah Darul Aman FC and Perak FC. Source: BERNAMA News Agency