MSL's new stratergy

M-League Logo

The Malaysian Super League Sdn Bhd (MSL) plans to adopt a three-pronged approach to provide assistance and support to enable clubs and state teams to improve the commercial aspects of football.

MSL, the commercial arm of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) unveiled its plans during the first 2011 M-League team briefing held at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya, Wednesday.

At the briefing, attended by representatives of teams participating in 2011 tournament, MSL Chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa announced the appointment of Stuart Michael Ramalingan as MSL’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Stuart, 39, has been a Professionalisation Consultant and Regional Instructor with FIFA since 2008. He is also the founder of The Brainchild Group, an Integrated Marketing and Communications Agency.


Tan Sri Annuar, who is the Deputy President of FAM, also unveiled the new logos for the M-League, Super League and Premier League.

MSL plans to take Malaysian football to the next level by improving the commercial aspects of the sport in line with the developing standard of the game.

For this, MSL plans to adopt a three-pronged approach to provide assistance and support for teams to grow the business side of things, mainly in marketing sponsorship, media relations and fan base development.

The first of the three initiatives is aimed at helping teams make more money through enhanced marketing and promotional efforts. MSL will soon equip club and state teams with the necessary expertise to handle commercial negotiations and providing direction, assistance and support.

Tan Sri Annuar also announced that MSL will conduct workshops on brand building and sponsorship procurement for team management and administration staffs.

Among the programs scheduled is a media workshop themed ‘Making Media work for you – WHY, HOW AND WHEN?”

To assist teams in building a larger fan base, MSL will also implement a uniformed fan club system for all club and state teams while also providing teams with fan club development strategies.

During the briefing, MSL introduced teams to the commercial rights and activities of media partner ASTRO, which has pledged RM120 million to FAM over the next four years.

CEO Sathia

B Sathianathan yang digantung selama enam bulan oleh Persatuan Bola sepak Malaysia (FAM) berkuatkuasa semalam tetap mendapat perhatian sewajarnya oleh Persatuan Bola Sepak Kelantan (Kafa) yang mengumumkan bekas ketua jurulatih itu kini dilantik sebagai Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif (CEO) Kejurulatihan Kafa.

Pelantikan yang diumumkan Presiden Kafa Tan Sri Annuar Musa itu membolehkan Sathianathan bertanggungjawab sepenuhnya dalam bidang teknikal kejurulatihan bagi membimbing bakat-bakat baru sebagai pelapis pada masa depan.

"Walaupun Kelantan kehilangan ketua jurulatih di saat kita menghadapi perlawanan Piala Sumbangsih dan musim baru Liga Malaysia tidak lama lagi, namun khidmat Sathianathan masih diperlukan.

"Hari ini kita melantik dia (Sathianathan) sebagai CEO dalam pasukan Kelantan dan masih bertanggungjawab dalam bidang kejurulatihan yang tidak membabitkan bidang kuasa FAM," katanya kepada pemberita selepas majlis penyampaian sumbangan insentif RM200,000 oleh kerajaan negeri Kelantan di sini, Selasa.

Majlis itu disempurnakan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat yang turut dihadiri Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pembangunan Insan, Belia, Sukan dan NGO Negeri Abdul Fatah Mahmood dan Sathianathan.

Katanya khidmat Sathianathan masih diperlukan kerana Kafa melalui Kelab Red Warriors sedang mempelopori akademi bola sepak di peringkat remaja bagi melahirkan pemain pelapis negeri yang mampu meneruskan kecemerlangan dalam bidang bola sepak di negeri ini.

"Kita akur dengan keputusan FAM itu dan sedang mengambil langkah pro-aktif untuk menggunakan khidmat bekas ketua jurulatih itu dengan mengambil pendekatan yang boleh membawa kebaikan kepada Kafa," katanya.

Annuar berkata berikutan kekosongan itu, Kafa kini sedang mengintai beberapa jurulatih tempatan dan luar negara bagi mengisi tempat Sathianathan itu.

Sementara itu, Sathianathan yang ditemui berkata beliau akan menggunakan saluran tertentu untuk membuat rayuan semula penggantungannya mengikut peruntukan undang-undang dan peraturan supaya dapat dipertimbangkan FAM.
-- BERNAMA

Malaysia 2 Singapore 0

Malaysian Olympic team defeated their Singapore counterparts 2-0 in a friendly match at Jalan Besar Stadium, Monday.

After a SEA Games triumph in 2009 was followed by success at the ASEAN championship last month, Malaysian football has been on a high and the Olympic team has also been bristling with confidence. Seven players from their Suzuki Cup-winning squad are in the Olympic team.

However, Singapore coach Radojko Avramovic was not downcast at all after the game.

He may be under pressure after the senior side's shock first-round exit at the Suzuki Cup last month but the Serb felt the Olympic team did well enough.

"I don't think this has got anything to do with what happened before, this was a build-up for the Olympic team and that's that," he said, insisting the pressure on him would not increase because of the latest reverse.

"For our first competitive game, I know we can do better but I'm satisfied. To tell the truth I expected more from Malaysia and I don't think there exists any gap in quality between us and Malaysia, only they've got more time to prepare the team.

"We had two '100 per cent' chances to score, and we didn't ... but we really shouldn't have lost," he claimed.

Haniff Sadique and Eugene Luo fluffed two gilt-edge chances to score early on before Malaysia asserted themselves in front of around 1,600 fans.

The impressive Irfan Fazail scored for the visitors in the 23rd minute, eluding the attentions of Afiq Yunos at the top of the Singapore box and then clipping a left-foot shot into the far corner of the Singapore goal.

The central midfielder was involved in just about every good Malaysian attack and he started the move that Syahrul Azwari eventually converted at the stroke of half-time to make it 2-0.

Avramovic said the team would benefit after the 10-minute run out given to Hariss Harun at the tail-end of the game and he was pleased with the contributions of 19-year-old substitutes Safirul Sulaiman and Ignatius Ang.

The lack of a finishing touch and confidence would be the biggest hurdles for his team as they prepare for their Feb 23 Olympic qualifier away to Yemen.

"We are missing that one central attacker who can individually make a difference but all the players must start to believe in themselves. I hope in the next two days, we will be able to show better cooperation and understanding," said the coach, whose team will play Hougang United on Jan 28 before the final squad will be named.

"The boys deserve to have people coming to support them," said Avramovic.

"They have proven themselves with the SEA Games bronze (in 2009) and in the S-League last year ... and we will look to go to Yemen with this team to do well and maybe win."

Confirmed: Asean wants World Cup

An Indonesian foreign ministry official confirmed on Tuesday that Asean member nations could launch a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup in an effort to boost unity among countries in the region.

“The idea was discussed in an informal meeting during the Asean foreign ministers’ retreat in Lombok over the weekend,” Michael Tene, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the Jakarta Globe.

He said the plan was “still evolving” amid ongoing talks among member nations.

“However, discussions are still at an early stage, though we’ve planned another meeting to talk about this before the Asean Summit,” he said, referring to the May 7-8 talks in Jakarta.

He said foreign ministers had yet to discuss details such as which of the 10 Asean members would host the competition.

But he said Malaysia — which had first proposed the idea at the annual foreign ministers’ meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, last year — had been tasked to come up with a detailed proposal that would be discussed at the summit in May.

“We haven’t even spoken with the PSSI [Indonesian Football Association] or any government official about the idea yet,” Michael said.

“But if we agree within the Asean to push this through, then we’ll talk with all parties involved such as the football association.”

Indonesia was also briefly involved in the bidding process for the 2022 World Cup final before withdrawing its tender in March last year.

Nugraha Besoes, PSSI secretary general, said he had yet to hear from the foreign ministry about the 2030 World Cup, and was doubtful of the bid’s chances of success.

“Until now, there has only ever been one jointly hosted World Cup — South Korea and Japan back in 2002,” Nugraha said.

“Spain and Portugal, and the Netherlands and Belgium also made bids to host in 2018 and 2022, but they failed.”

“I think it would make no sense for the Asean to submit a joint bid involving 10 countries, especially as there are only 32 teams [competing in the final],” he said.

“It would make more sense if the Asean appointed just two countries to bid.”

Although it will be more than a decade before FIFA makes any decision on the highly anticipated football competition, Asean nations were slow off the mark compared with Argentina and Uruguay, which announced last year that they were considering a joint bid to host the 2030 Cup.

The 2014 final is set to be staged in Brazil, followed by Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022.

Malaysian-born Chung heads OFC

WELLINGTON: Oceania Football Confederation acting president David Chung will replace the banned Reynald Temarii in the post permanently and has pledged his region's support for the re-election of Fifa president Sepp Blatter.
Papua New Guinea's Chung was elected unopposed to the position at the OFC's congress in Pago Pago, American Samoa after New Zealanders Frank van Hattum and Fred de Jong withdrew their candidacies immediately before the vote.

The Malaysian-born Chung, who now becomes a Fifa vice president, then pledged Oceania's support when the 74-year-old Blatter, who was present at the meeting, bids for his fourth term as Fifa president later this year.

"I thank you for entrusting me with the position of OFC president for the next four years," said Chung. "I am truly humbled. You can be rest assured that I will do everything possible to promote unity, solidarity and transparency.
"And to the Fifa president, we are indebted to you for your continued support. In return, I can say on behalf of all member association presidents we are behind you 100 percent."

Chung had assumed the role in an acting capacity after Temarii was implicated in a votes-for-cash scandal ahead of the decision for hosting rights of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and suspended for 12 months by Fifa. -Agencies

Football graft

Indonesia Corruption Watch called in a news conference for a thorough audit of the much-maligned Indonesian Football Association’s (PSSI) finances, which the group said lacked transparency.

Abdullah Dahlan, a researcher at ICW, said they would use the Freedom of Information Law, newly enacted six months ago, to ask the PSSI to open its books. He said they would also request the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) to audit the association.

Earlier, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said it had found indications of possible misuse of PSSI funds set aside for the improvement of teams nationwide.

The PSSI annually receives Rp 27 billion ($3 million) from the Indonesian Super League, a subsidy of Rp 2.2 billion from FIFA and Rp 4.5 billion in foreign-player registration fees, Koran Tempo reported last week. It also collected the proceeds of fines from discipline violations totalling around Rp 4.5 billion last year, adding to donations from businessmen and ticket sales from events such as the hot-selling Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup.

PSSI treasurer Achsanul Qasasi said the association was audited annually by a public accountant. He also argued that FIFA, the international governing body of football, routinely checked PSSI’s use of the annual subsidy.

“We have always been audited. [We] are transparent,” Achsanul told the Jakarta Globe. “What kind of transparency are these people asking? Do they want to tear apart our financial reports?”

He said the PSSI would welcome financial data requests as well as a BPK investigation, even though the association, which is not a state institution, is not under the audit body’s auspices.

“We receive funds from the state budget through the Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs. We are accountable to the ministry for the funds,” he said.

Football clubs also get a slice of regional government budgets — a fact that ICW strongly criticized.According to Tempo, each club received Rp 8 billion to Rp 15 billion last year from regional funds.

Abdullah said these funds, which went to 17 of 18 ISL clubs, were being spent “without clear accountability” and could be misused by
politicians.

Velix Wanggai, the presidential adviser for regional autonomy and development, said this budget system should be scrapped. The money should be used for training young athletes and improving sports facilities, he said.

“Many football fields in the country have not met the standards of a [suitable] field,” he said. “There are even clubs that don’t have their own pitch, like Persipura Jayapura.”

I Gusti Kompyang Manila, a former manager of the national football team, cited the recently launched Indonesian Premier League, a breakaway from the PSSI-sanctioned ISL, as proof that some teams are aiming to succeed without financial support from regional governments.

Manila said scrutiny of the PSSI’s management and finances would keep the association in top form. “This is the right momentum needed to improve our football management,” he said at Sunday’s press conference.

If many were opposed to the regional budget allocation for football clubs, Achsanul said, then the system should be changed. In the first place, he said, the PSSI had “never asked for any province to give budgets to clubs.”  - JG.

Windfall for national players

Players and coaches of the national football team that won the AFF Suzuki Cup recently will receive shares and cash incentives worth RM65,000 each.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak who hosted a reception to celebrate their victory at Seri Perdana on Wednesday said all 25 members of the national squad would receive Amanah Saham Wawasan 2020 shares worth RM50,000 each, plus RM15,000 in cash.

Apart from the shares that cannot be redeemed for at least 10 years, Najib announced RM10,000 cash incentives from the government and RM5,000 cash from the Skim Hadiah Kemenangan Sukan (Shakam) from the National Sports Council, for each of the 25 members.

Najib added that the Youth and Sports Ministry would also allocate RM500,000 to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to upgrade facilities like the gymnasium and sauna room at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya.

Malaysia ended a 14-year wait to lift the AFF Suzuki Cup by beating Indonesia 4-2 on aggregate after winning 3-0 at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium here during the first leg final and losing 1-2 at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia during the second leg final.

Najib also said that the government and FAM would work together when sending players for training stints with prominent international football clubs abroad.

"For the development of football, the government will do everything possible to support the FAM. The government will also sponsor players for attachment with renown clubs abroad. However, FAM will have to discuss such options with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and NSC," he said.

Najib added that the "Harimau Malaya" squad's achievement must be exemplary to others, especially the younger generation.

"It is not just any victory but one that triggered an extraordinary sense of patriotism among the people. I guess no other event that could have produced such euphoria when compared with the AFF Suzuki Cup win.

"The atmosphere at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil was simply electrifying and although I was not there physically, I did watch the goals on You Tube," he said.

The Prime Minister who was among hundreds of fans who sat on the street of Bukit Bintang to watch the second leg semi-final match between Malaysia and Vietnam that was played in Vietnam, through a big screen display, said he himself had set a personal history of sorts by doing so.

"No other Prime Minister has sat on the road and watched a football match with the people...and I am proud. When (Malaysia) eventually won, we were close to shedding tears," he said.

The focus for the national team now would be to try and qualify for the 2012 London Olympics and try to become a power house in Asia, he said.

-- BERNAMA