Ex-S.League stars say Malaysian league is stronger

SINGAPORE – The Malaysian Super League (MSL) is of a higher quality than the S.League.

That is the claim made by two former S.League foreign imports, ex-Geylang international star Mark Hartmann and former Home United striker Ken Ilso.

Both players have since signed for MSL teams for the coming season – Dane Ilso joined Kedah FA two weeks ago after spending the past two years at Home, while Philippines international Hartmann signed for Sarawak FA following the end of his six-month stint with Geylang in December.

While Ilso has just embarked on his MSL journey, the 30-year-old claims he has already seen how much tougher it is as compared to the S.League.

Speaking to Goal.com, Ilso, who found the back of the net 19 times in the S.League last year, said: “In general, players in Malaysia are more technical as well as faster. Even though I know Malaysia has a tougher league than Singapore, I’m also at a better team now, so I hope to score 20 goals (with Kedah) this year.”

Ilso’s sentiments are something that 25-year-old Hartmann, who scored eight goals in 11 appearances for Geylang last season, agrees with.

In an interview with FourFourTwo, Hartmann, who was the first-ever Filipino player to play for Geylang said: “I think the Malaysian players here are a lot quicker than in Singapore. Technically, there is little difference. But this league (MSL) is definitely of a better standard.”

The S.League has come under the spotlight in recent weeks after the league’s chief executive officer Lim Chin announced that he would be stepping down after five years at the helm.

Many have questioned the long-term future of the S.League, with longstanding issues such as poor attendance figures, a lack of public interest and limited sponsorships continuing to affect the 21-year-old competition.

The MSL, which became privatised in 2015, attracts an average of 6,000 spectators per match. In comparison, S.League attendance figures usually range from the mid-hundreds to just over 1,500.