Malaysia and Singapore look to benefit from league cooperation

Does the M-League really need Singapore back in its fold?

The FA of Malaysia certainly thinks so, hence the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it signed with its Singapore counterpart on Tuesday.

It is a move that has been greeted with excitement across the Causeway and the Singapore media has gone to town with the story.

Such is the excitement there that there is speculation that both national associations are even exploring the possibility of merging their respective leagues into a Super League before the MoU expires in 2014. 
 

Certain Singapore clubs have already expressed their willingness to play in the league -- should it materialise -- and by all accounts, it does seem that the 17-year separation has hurt football in the island state more than it did Malaysia.

The S-League, created after Singapore departed the Malaysian scene in 1994, has not been able to generate the excitement the Malaysia Cup did.

Even the entry of foreign clubs into the S-League failed to excite Singapore fans and one newspaper from across the Causeway has already described the league as a failed experiment.

For Singapore, the return makes sense simply because their Under-23 team, strengthened by five over-age players, will play regular competitive football against the best Malaysian sides in the Super League.

Even better for Singapore is the fact that FAM has reopened the M-League door to foreign players next season, thus ensuring matches of higher quality for what will basically be their senior side and not the Young Lions.

Whether the national Under-23 side, or Young Tigers, can expect the same from the S-League is debatable, especially as they have done well playing locally in the Super League and Premier League.

This has translated into success as many were part of the 2009 Laos Sea Games and last year's AFF Cup squads.

We should also not forget that their development could have been helped even more with the return of foreign players next season.

Going by the disdain fans across the Causeway have for the S-League, the Under-23 squad will not have the kind of competitive matches the Singaporean side can look forward to in the Super League.

In turn, this could have a drastic effect on the long term future of the national squad and it is a concern, especially as Singapore are major rivals in Southeast Asia and Malaysia play them in a two-leg World Cup Qualifier soon.

Malaysian national coaches have been sacked before following defeats to Singapore -- such is the rivalry between the two football teams and hopefully, this latest partnership is indeed a win-win situation for both associations.