The increase of ticket prices did not affect the attendance at Saturday's Malaysia Cup final as all 80,000 seats at the Shah Alam Stadium were taken up.
The FA of Malaysia's (FAM) decision to introduce a flat rate of RM50 per ticket initially angered fans, who wanted to boycott the final.
But the situation was defused when the Negri Sembilan and Terengganu FAs offered subsidised rates for tickets.
But the situation was defused when the Negri Sembilan and Terengganu FAs offered subsidised rates for tickets.
However, there were some unhappy fans who resorted to splashing paint at Wisma FAM and also hacking its official website.
Some even protested outside the stadium, hours before the final, but it was done in a peaceful manner under the watchful eyes of security officers.
Despite the initial protests from fans, FAM refused to budge from its decision to reduce the ticket price, stating that it was reasonable.
Despite the initial protests from fans, FAM refused to budge from its decision to reduce the ticket price, stating that it was reasonable.
FAM, however, must stop making ad hoc decisions as its fickle ways are hurting local football. The other unpopular decision this season was the rescheduling of league matches to accommodate the national team's international friendlies.
The association must, before the start of the new season, draw up its international calendar (encompassing tournaments and friendlies) first before deciding the league fixtures. It is a standard practice for most associations affiliated to Fifa, and FAM must follow suit.
It is learnt, however, the local competition committee is having a tough time deciding next season's league fixtures as the concerned parties cannot commit to scheduling international fixtures.
The national body has also been guilty of over-protecting its match officials as those who criticised them openly were punished harshly, regardless whether their comments were valid.
Some league matches were marred by woeful refereeing and FAM must do something to improve its quality.
The association must work out a standardised formula to ensure next season's M-League is incident-free. The return of foreign players to the league will definitely bring the fans back to stadiums as some teams, with huge budgets, have started scouting for the best.
ROLL OF HONOUR
M-LEAGUE 2011
SUPER LEAGUE — Champions: Kelantan; Runners-up: Terengganu; Third: Selangor
PREMIER LEAGUE – Champions: PKNS FC; Runners-up: Sarawak; Third: Police
FAM CUP – Champions: Negri Sembilan Betaria; Runners-up: Johor MBJB; Third: Tentera Darat
PRESIDENT CUP – Champions: Kelantan; Runners-up: MP Muar FC
CHARITY SHIELD — Champions: Kelantan, Runners-up: Selangor
FA CUP — Champions: Terengganu; Runners-up: Kelantan
MALAYSIA CUP — Champions: Negri Sembilan; Runners-up: Terengganu; Semi-finalists: Selangor and T-Team; Man-of-the-match (final): Hairuddin Omar
TOP SCORERS
M-LEAGUE (all competitions) — Abdul Hadi Yahya (Terengganu) 24 goals
SUPER LEAGUE — Abdul Hadi Yahya (Terengganu) 20 goals
PREMIER LEAGUE — Mohd Fitri Omar (MP Muar FC) 16 goals
MALAYSIA CUP — Hairuddin Omar (Negri Sembilan) eight goals
No comments:
Post a Comment