FAM wants to re-brand local league to improve quality

FA of Malaysia (FAM) deputy president Tan Sri Annuar Musa wants a new roadmap for local football.

Annuar said a re-branding was needed to raise the bar of the M-League and also produce better quality players.

"We do not have teams in the Asian Champions League as our league is ranked among the lowest in this continent.

"This is because we have not fulfilled several conditions set by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 2009.

"And to make matters worse, AFC is coming out with new ones next year," said Annuar in his speech at the National Football Awards  yesterday.

He recommended that all parties concerned work on a comprehensive plan to re-brand the local league.

"Stakeholders must put their other interests aside and work together. We must not be reluctant to make changes," he said.

Annuar also said the M-League must be privately run.

"We need a change as our league is managed by the association's local competitions committee.

"Our national team are not among the elite in Asia despite being the best team in Southeast Asia. If we want to aim higher, we must be ready for changes," he said.

He once again reminded M-League teams to generate their own income for the upcoming season.

"Football is a business, not a charity. Locals teams should not depend on hand-outs from state funds.

"Although we do not have many teams in the M-League, we face a lot of problems. We need  to manage our football properly," he said.

According to Annuar, the league's gate collection totaling RM1.3 million was better than the previous season.

"Our success in international football has helped but to ensure continuity, the state FAs must work harder to keep them coming to the stadiums," he added.