PEKAN: Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has slammed some state football associations (FAs) for taking short cuts by seeking his ministry’s assistance to help them settle the salaries owed to their players and officials.
He said their action was not only wrong but also unfair to those sports associations and football clubs who managed their finances prudently.
“(It’s) not fair to come to the ministry for aid when they have a problem ... definitely wrong. Secondly, it’s their (FAs) mess, and they should sort it out themselves,“ he told reporters after officiating the National Youth Skills Institute aircraft repair workshop in Pekan here today.
Previously, a few FAs were reported to be having difficulty settling the arrears owed to their players and team officials and the Malaysian Football League (MFL) became aware of the problem.
Following that, seven teams, Felda United, Perlis, Kuala Lumpur, Kelantan, Penang, Royal Malaysia Police and Malacca United, were instructed to submit additional information regarding their financial status within 48 hours, effective last Friday.
Syed Saddiq described the issue of unpaid wages to players and officials by teams competing in the Malaysia League as nothing new, adding that it was a recurring problem caused by their inefficient business management modules.
“They sign players with promises of high salaries, but even before the season is over they find that they can’t pay the players. Then, they start giving excuses like ‘we did not anticipate this problem’,“ he said.
“The ministry is ready to collaborate with the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and state FAs to find a solution to this issue, which is plaguing the football arena in the country.”
Asked to comment on players’ involvement in match-fixing syndicates, Syed Saddiq said he would let the proper authorities investigate it. — Bernama
