LionsXII booted out of M’sian competitions over money, fan issues

SINGAPORE — Disagreements over television broadcast revenue, teams’ accommodation costs, and fan issues led to the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) decision not to renew their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Football Association of Singapore, which saw the Lions­XII unceremoniously ditched from the Malaysian Super League (MSL) and Malaysia Cup on Tuesday night (Nov 24).

Hailed as a game-changer for Singapore football by the FAS in 2011, some fans here and across the Causeway then had celebrated the LionsXII’s return to Malaysia’s domestic club competitions after an 18-year absence.

But four years on, the Singapore-Malaysia football partnership has come to an ignominious end. On Tuesday night, FAM’s executive committee decided via a unanimous vote in a meeting that they would not extend the MOU with Singapore. The Lions­XII’s spot will be filled by ATM or T-Team, which will compete in a play-off match to determine who will play in the league’s top-tier competition next year. Malaysian under-23 side Harimau Muda will also be disbanded in favour of a new team formed for the 2017 SEA Games.

The FAM announced the decision in a late-night press conference on Tuesday without first informing its Singaporean counterparts. While the news soon set social media sites abuzz as fans lamented or applauded the decision, the FAS did not comment until 8.48pm last night after receiving late confirmation from the FAM.

A number of factors had led to the FAM’s decision, with the higher cost of accommodation for visiting Malaysian teams — because of the weaker Malaysian ringgit — and the FAS’ reluctance to cover the costs apparently a main bugbear. They were also keen for the LionsXII to field a stronger team with four imports, and take over television rights for the Singapore outfit. Malaysian fans’ unhappiness with the Lions­XII’s participation in the MSL had also contributed to their eventual exit. However, TODAY understands that the FAS had expected to resolve the issues with the FAM, but were instead caught off guard by the decision.

This is the second time that Singapore has left Malaysian football. In 1994, Singapore’s league and cup double champions left Malaysia’s competitions under a cloud after disagreements between both parties.

Kevin Ramalingam, chief executive officer of Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP) — the company that manages the Malaysian Super League, Premier League, Malaysian Cup and FA Cup — said yesterday that “tough decisions” had to be made for the sake of Malaysian football.

“In the past four years, it has been a great period for the LionsXII,” said Ramalingam, amid suggestions that some quarters within the FAM frowned at the prospect that the MSL has been helping to improve Singapore football. The Lions are ranked 152 in the world compared with Malaysia’s 171.

“We hope the old rivalry between Singapore and Malaysia football will be redeveloped, as it has always drawn the most interest. But the fact is that it was not a Singapore (national) team ... that didn’t quite ignite the flame. It has been a period of very tough decisions on the way forward for Malaysia football. The disbanding of Harimau Muda will see the injection of talented youngsters back into our league as well, and I hope to see the Lions­XII players back into the S-League fold. We want our football to progress alongside our neighbours as well.”

The news shocked many in Singapore, particularly with previous meetings between both parties indicating that there would be an extension of the MOU. The LionsXII had enjoyed a good run in Malaysia, finishing runners-up in their debut MSL season in 2012 before clinching the title a year later. In May this year, they won the Malaysia FA Cup.

While there had been talk of the Lions­XII competing in the new ­ASEAN Super League (ASL) next year, the club and its players’ future remains uncertain after Tuesday’s announcement. However, there could be an option for the LionsXII to play in the S-League, TODAY has learnt.

The FAS said in a statement that they had held a series of discussions with the FAM over the past 12 months — the most recent meeting was held earlier this month — and was informed of the decision only yesterday evening. “Our immediate priority is to assist the LionsXII players and backroom staff, and we will be meeting them over the next few days,” the statement read. LOW LIN FHOONG with ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY ADELENE WONG

WHY LIONSXII ARE OUT:

- Away matches in Singapore too expensive for Malaysian teams, with accommodation costs rising because of the weakened ringgit. FAS was also reluctant to foot the expense.

- FAM and FMLLP had wanted a stronger LionsXII team with four imports.

- Malaysian fans unhappy at having Singaporean team in MSL.

- FAS requested for television broadcast income for Singapore matches here to be attributed back home, while Malaysians wanted revenue to be shared equally.