| Malaysian Football League | |
| Foundation: | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia[1] |
| Location: | Putrajaya, Malaysia |
| Key People: | Dato’ Ab Ghani Hassan |
| Industry: | Sports |
The Malaysian Football League, also known simply as the MFL, was created during the course of the privatisation of the Malaysian football league system.[2] [3] It was formerly known as Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP). The company operates and runs all entities in Malaysian football under its jurisdiction, which include Liga Super, A1 League, A2 League, A3 League, MFL Cup, Malaysia Cup, Malaysia Challenge Cup, Malaysia FA Cup, Piala Sumbangsih, Piala Emas Raja-Raja, Malaysia Premier Futsal League and Malaysia Futsal Cup.[4] [5] It aims to transform and move Malaysian football forward.[6] [7] [8]
The Malaysian Football League organises and keeps the official records of domestic matches, oversees the development, certification and registration of players and staff, promotes through broadcasts and other media outlets.[9] [10]
After the appointment of MP & Silva by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) as its Global Advisor for all media and commercial rights for an extensive lineup of FAM competitions, the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP) was established to manage the top two tiers of Malaysian football league competition while the MP & Silva and FAM partnership's goal was to extend its broadcast reach and maximising the commercial potential of its properties.[11] The partnership signified the first steps of the privatisation of the Malaysian professional leagues as their subsidiary holding company, the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP), was established for the day-to-day administration of local club football at a league-wide level.
This deal was worth RM 1.26 billion over a 15-year period, commencing from 2016. However, cracks in the agreement appeared later that year, with MP & Silva only offering a level of investment lower than FAM had originally turned down.[12] [13] [14]
In March 2018, the company was rebranded as the Malaysian Football League from Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership.[15] The company aimed to be more dynamic and competitive, with the MFL now an independent organization and was no longer tied to FAM.
In 2018, a new subsidiary of the company was formed known as Amateur Football League (AFL) which was tasked to manage the third division and below from 2019 onward.[16] The AFL officially confirmed the formation of the Malaysia M3 League and the Malaysia M4 League as the third and fourth division of the Malaysian football league system as amateur league competitions.[17] A total of 14 clubs were confirmed to compete in the inaugural season of the newly reformed third division, which replaced the former Malaysia FAM Cup while the Malaysia M4 League had state FA leagues and social leagues run in parallel to form the new fourth division.
Malaysian Football League structure consists of the following:[5]
| Charity Shield competition | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piala Sumbangsih | 2024 | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 9th | Selangor | 2025 | |
| League competition | ||||||
| Malaysia Super League | 2023 | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 10th | Selangor | 2024–25 | |
| Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League | 2023 | Immigration FC | 1st | Kuala Lumpur Rovers | 2024–25 | |
| Malaysia A2 Amateur League | 2023 | UiTM United | 1st | YPM FC | 2024–25 | |
| Malaysia A3 Community League | 2023 | align=center colspan="3" | Various | 2024–25 | ||
| Cup competition | ||||||
| Malaysia FA Cup | 2023 | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 3rd | Kuala Lumpur City | 2024 | |
| Malaysia Cup | 2023 | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 4th | Terengganu | 2024–25 | |
| MFL Challenge Cup | 2023 | PDRM | 1st | Kuching City | 2024–25 | |
| MFL Cup | 2023 | Terengganu II | 1st | Johor Darul Ta'zim II | 2024–25 | |