Former players support Singapore's return to Malaysian league

Singapore's return to the Malaysian League has been greeted with open arms in a move hailed as a boost to football development on both sides of the Causeway.
 

The football associations of Malaysia and Singapore recently inked a deal to send their respective development teams over to each side of the Causeway, thus ending Singapore's 17-year absence from the M-League.

While the Young Lions will play in the Super League, FA Cup and Malaysia Cup, the Young Tigers will compete in the S-League and Singapore Cup.

Singapore's involvement in the M-League ended in 1994, when they won the League and Malaysia Cup double, after a row over gate receipts, match-fixing and the FA of Singapore's desire to launch its own domestic professional league.

Whether the split did more harm than good to either country's football is debatable but some of the romance was lost, though the cross-border tentacles of bookies was not.

While the match-fixing problem seems persistent and unlikely to ever go away, Singapore's return could rekindle some of the excitement in both countries.

Singapore's rivalry with Selangor is well established and kept fitfully alive through the Sultan of Selangor competition although the southern derby with Johor, who remain in the Premier League, may have to wait a while more.

Razip Ismail and Fandi Ahmad, teammates at Kuala Lumpur in the 1980 yet fierce rivals at international level, expect the standard of football will be raised significantly in both countries.

"Our league will be more competitive with the Singapore's inclusion, never mind if it is only the Young Lions and not the national team.

"It has been very long since they last played in our league and I remember when I used to play them, the desire to beat Singapore was very strong.

"I think that is true of every Malaysian team at that time and I believe it will be the same again. For one thing, this will certainly attract the fans," current KL coach Razip, who had many memorable matches against Singapore in his playing career, told Timesport.

Fandi too believes the agreement will benefit Singapore football. The Singapore legend won the Malaysia Cup a total six times with Singapore (1980, 1994), Kuala Lumpur (1987-89) and Pahang (1992) and finished runners-up three times with Singapore (1979, 1981, 1993).

"It will give the interest in the game a big shot in the arm," Fandi told Singapore's MediaCorp.

"I'd like to see our national selectors get a bigger pool of players to choose from, so this cooperation can only be good for Singapore football.

"It opens another avenue to expose our young footballers to competition, and in another country. We've always had a close relationship with Malaysian football."

Kedah coach Wan Jamak Wan Hassan, who was involved in fixtures against Singapore during his playing career with Johor, also welcomed the move.

"I'm really looking forward to meeting them next season. We've always had a good relationship with Singapore teams and it will certainly have a positive effect on our league," said Wan Jamak.

Azraai Khor Abdullah, the Negri Sembilan coach, said that with the M-League open to foreign players again, the standard of domestic competitions can only improve.

"In some ways, club football can be even stronger than international level when foreign players are included. It works both ways with Young Tigers playing against their teams and the Young Lions playing against ours.

"It's a good move for both teams to gain experience," said Azraai.

However, the match-fixing fear that constantly cast a dark shadow over football in Malaysia and Singapore is a threat that is ever-present.

But co-operation between the two FAs will be increased to reduce the menace, if not completely erase it, said FAM general secretary Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad.

"That match-fixing demon hasn't died down, but should there be any attempt against us, we are very much stronger as two federations fighting the same war.

"We've got our own task force, and we'll see how we can work with the FAS on this," Azzuddin was quoted as telling MediaCorp.

In addition to the cross-over participation, each country's domestic league and cup champions will also face off in a playoff over two legs in two new competitions while the national teams of Malaysia and Singapore will also meet regularly in international matches.

While the move is intended to boost development, Razip is worried that Young Tigers may not get the full benefit of playing in the S-League.

"I think the Young Lions got a better deal. I feel that our league, with imports included, is stronger. I don't see how the Young Tigers will improve playing in the S-League.

"The M-League offers more competitive action and more games," added Razip.