Malaysian Super League
| Malaysian Super League | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Sport | Football |
| Founded | 2004 |
| No. of teams | 13 |
| Country/ Countries |
 Malaysia Brunei |
The Malaysian Super League is the top flight of football in Malaysia. It replaced the M-League as the highest division a professional football team in Malaysia can participate in.
Introduced in 2004, the Malaysian Super League catered only to the top eight football teams in the country. The bottom two teams at the end of the season are usually relegated to the Malaysian Premier League. The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) also decided to privatize the league and created MSL Sendirian Berhad (or MSL Proprietary Limited) to oversee the marketing aspects of the game.
The league used to have eight teams and teams would play three rounds of matches (21 matches in total). The first two rounds were played on a home/away format while the third round would be hosted by the stadium which had the bigger attendance during the first two rounds.
From 2006/2007 the league will have 14 teams, and all teams will play each other only twice (26 matches total).
Malaysian Super League Champions
Since its inception in 2004, the Malaysian Super League has seen four different teams become champions. No team has been able to successfully defend the title.
| Season | Champions |
|---|---|
| 2006 / 2007 |  Kedah FA |
| 2005 / 2006 |  Negeri Sembilan FA |
| 2005 |  Perlis FA |
| 2004 |  Pahang FA |
(For detailed information on a particular season, click on the season.)
Malaysian Super League teams
These teams will be playing in the Malaysian Super League 2007/2008 season.
- Kedah FA
Perak FA
DPMM FC (Duli Pengiran Muda Mahkota FC)
(Brunei)- Image:Terengganu mls.gif Terengganu FA
- Perlis FA
Johor FC- Image:SelangorFA.gif Selangor FA
- Pahang FA
Penang FA (Penang E & O)- Negeri Sembilan FA
Sarawak FA
PDRM FC - Malaysian Premier
League champions 2006/7.
UPB-MyTeam FC - Malaysian Premier League runners-up 2006/7.
Former Malaysian Super League teams
These teams played in the Malaysian Super League but are not participating in the current season.
Public Bank FC (defunct)- MPPJ FC (defunct)
Melaka TMFC (defunct)*
Note: * Melaka
TMFC Pulled out from the Malaysian Super League 2007/08 season to concerntrate on
sponsoring the Malaysian Super League.
Criticism
The Malaysian Super League has had its share of criticism throughout its history.
Radical Position Movements
With only eight teams in the league prior to the 2006/2007 season, position movements were radical. Successive losses would condemn teams to a relegation dogfight. Similarly, successive wins would put a team in contention for the title. Notable examples include:
- In 2005, Perak FA was rooted at the bottom of the table (with 12 points from 3 wins, 3 draws & 8 losses) after 14 rounds (which was already two-third of the season), relegation dangers seemed imminent back then. However, 6 straight wins that followed propelled them into direct contention for 2nd place with Pahang FA (the defending champions then) on the last day of the season. They eventually lost that game, but still finished in a respectable 3rd place.
- In 2006, MBPJ FC was leading the table (with 21 points from 7 wins, 1 draw & 2 losses) after 10 rounds (which was almost half of the season), winning the title to follow up their famous victory in 2003 Malaysia Cup was certainly on the cards. However, 8 losses in a row subsequently left them in deep relegation troubles. Their place in the Malaysian Super League was only saved with 2 straight wins in the final rounds of the season. In the end they finished in a disappointing 5th place.
Constant Format Changes
The reasons given for the formation of the Malaysian Super League was the need to improve the standard of football in Malaysia. However, the Malaysian Super League was criticized by local press. Many called it a variation of the older M-League but with fewer teams in the top division. Many also disagreed with the fact that the league format changed almost annually and it is a problem which persists until today. The Malaysian Super League has gone through two format changes in its short history spanning three-years. The Football Association of Malaysia decided to expand the Malaysian Super League to accommodate 14 teams instead of 8, which was the number of league teams in the Malaysian Super League's first three seasons.
Foreign Players
The professionalism of some teams have also been questioned. Most Malaysian Super League teams view foreign players as a necessity and as a result, most teams usually fill up their rosters with unknown foreigners. Malaysian teams usually sign foreigners based on their credentials alone or based on performances during trials. It is not uncommon for foreign players to be released after just two or three matches or be kept on the sidelines for an entire season.
The latest case of unprofessional conduct involved Ivan Ziga, a Slovakian player who plays for Sarawak FA. Ivan Ziga claims his contract was terminated nine-months early without any explanation. He also claims he was not paid. He has taken his plight to the Football Association of Malaysia but received no reply until Ivan Ziga threatened to take the case to FIFA.
Ivan Ziga's case is not uncommon in Malaysia, with most other cases involving African players who are either not paid or left stranded when their contracts are terminated early without any proper explanation given by teams.
Even so, these unknown foreigners are heads and shoulders ahead of most local players. Of the ten top goalscorers in the Malaysian Super League for the 2006 season, only one is a Malaysian, Mohammad Hardi Jaafar and even he occupies the 10th spot.
As of March 2007 a 'local' player is on top of the charts, though DPMM FC's Mohd Shahrazen Said (like his team) is actually from Brunei.
History of league football in Malaysia
A football league competition involving the representative sides of the state football assiociations was first held in Malaysia in 1982. When it began, it was intended primarily as a qualifying tournament for the final knock-out stages of the Malaysia Cup. However over the years since then, the league competition has gained important stature in its own right.
Initially the only teams only allowed to participate in the league were the state FA's sides, teams representing the Armed Forces and the Police, and teams representing the neighbouring countries of Singapore and Brunei (though the Football Association of Singapore pulled out of the Malaysian League after the 1994 season following a dispute with the Football Association of Malaysia over gate receipts, and has not been involved since). In recent years, top Malaysian club teams have also been admitted to the league competition.
Between 1989 to 1993 and 1998 to 2003, the football league in Malaysia was divided into two groups:
- 1) First Division: Malaysian Premier One League
- 2) Second Division: Malaysian Premier Two League
Between 2004 to 2006, the professional football league in Malaysia was divided into three groups:
- 1) First Division: Malaysian Super League
- 2) Second Division: Malaysian Premier League Group A
- 3) Second Division: Malaysian Premier League Group B
Between 1994 to 1997, there was no second level league as the top two leagues were combined.
Prior to the introduction of the current set-up, the top league competition in Malaysia was known as the Semi-Pro League (1989-93), and the M-League (1994-2003).
Malaysian League Champions
Best performing teams in the Malaysian league (1982-present)
| # | Club | Wins | Runner-ups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pahang FA |
5 | - |
| 2 | Image:SelangorFA.gif Selangor FA | 4 | 1 |
| 3 | Penang FA (Penang E & O) |
3 | - |
| 4 | Kedah FA |
2 | 4 |
| 5 | Perak FA |
2 | 1 |
| 6 |  Kuala Lumpur FA |
2 | - |
| 7 |  Singapore |
2 | - |
| 8 |  Johor FA |
1 | - |
| 9 | Perlis FA |
1 | - |
| 10 | Negeri Sembilan FA |
1 | - |
| 11 | Sarawak FA |
1 | - |
| 12 |  Sabah FA |
1 | - |
| 13 |  Malacca FA |
1 | - |
Golden Boot Winners
| Season | Players | Teams/Clubs | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006/2007 |  Keita
Mandjou Mohd Shahrazen Said |
 Perak FA
DPMM FC (Duli Pengiran Muda Mahkota FC) |
21 |
| 2005/2006 | Keita
Mandjou |
Perak FA |
17 |
| 2005 |  Julio Cesar Rodrigues Zacharia Simukonda |
 Sabah FA Perlis FA |
18 |
| 2004 | Indra Putra Mahayuddin |
 Pahang FA |
15 |
| 2003 | Phillimon Chepita |
Perlis FA |
23 |
| 2002 | Muhamad Khalid Jamlus |
Perak FA |
17 |
| 2001 | Norizam
Ali Hassan |
Perak FA |
13 |
| 2000 | Azizul
Kamaluddin |
Pahang FA |
12 |
| 1999 | Azman Adnan |
 Penang FA (Penang E & O) |
13 |
| 1998 |  Viatcheslav
Melnikov |
Pahang FA |
17 |
| 1997 |  Laszlo Repasi |
Perak FA |
19 |
| 1996 | ? | ||
| 1995 |  Scott Ollerenshaw |
Sabah FA |
22 |
| 1994 | Mohd
Hashim Mustapha |
 Kelantan FA |
25 |
| 1993 | ? | ||
| 1992 | ? | ||
| 1991 | Abbas Saad |
 Johor FA |
11 |
| 1990 | ? | ||
| 1989 | ? | ||
| 1988 |  Fandi Ahmad |
Kuala Lumpur FA |
? |
| 1987 | ? | ||
| 1986 | ? | ||
| 1985 | ? | ||
| 1984 | ? | ||
| 1983 | ? | ||
| 1982 | ? |
Record of teams in Malaysian football competitions (1921-present)
| Team | League Championship titles | League Second Division titles | Malaysian FA Cup | Malaysia Cup | Malaysian Charity Shield | AFC Cup | AFC Champions League | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image:SelangorFA.gif Selangor FA |
4 | 2 | 4(1) | 32(15) | 6(4) | - | (1) | 48 |
Singapore |
2 | - | - | 24(19) | 1(1) | - | - | 27 |
Perak FA |
2(1) | (1) | 2 | 7(11) | 3 | - | - | 14 |
Kedah FA |
2[4] | 3 | 2 | 3[6] | 2[1] | - | - | 12 |
Kuala Lumpur FA |
2 | - | 3[1] | 3[1] | 3[4] | - | - | 11 |
Pahang FA |
5 | - | 1[1] | 2[4] | 2[4] | - | - | 10 |
Penang FA (Penang E & O) |
3 | - | 1[2] | 4[9] | 1 | - | - | 9 |
Johor FA |
1 | 1 | 1 | 2[1] | 1[2] | - | - | 6 |
Perlis FA |
1 | 1 | [3] | 2[1] | 1[1] | - | - | 5 |
| Image:Terengganu mls.gif Terengganu FA |
- | 2 | 1[2] | 1[3] | 1[1] | - | - | 5 |
Negeri Sembilan FA |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1[2] | [1] | - | - | 4 |
Sarawak FA |
1 | - | 1[2] | [1] | 1[1] | - | - | 3 |
MPPJ FC (Selangor) |
- | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
Sabah FA |
1 | - | 1[3] | [3] | [1] | - | - | 2 |
Malacca FA |
1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
 Kelantan FA |
- | 1 | - | [2] | - | - | - | 1 |
 Brunei |
- | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
PDRM FC |
- | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
Johor FC |
- | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
Public Bank FC (Selangor) |
[1] | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
 ATM FC |
- | - | - | [2] | - | - | - | - |
UPB-MyTeam FC |
- | [1] | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Melaka TMFC |
[1] | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
- Table shows teams' wins in all competitions
- Numbers in bracket shows runner-up finishes in competitions
- The figures in bold represent the most times this competition has been won by the team
See also
- Malaysian Premier League
- Malaysia Cup
- Malaysian FA Cup
- Malaysian FAM Cup
- Malaysian Charity Shield
- Football Association of Malaysia
- Malaysian Super League seasons
External links
- Football Association of Malaysia
- History of football in Malaysia
- RSSSF.com: Malaysia - List of Champions
- SoccerDB: Malaysia Super League
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