Teams must adhere to paying salaries despite M-League suspension

SEVERAL M-League teams are ‘world’ famous for not paying salaries to players and coaches when things go bad.

And the FA of Malaysia (FAM) and the Malaysia Football League (MFL) could face a problem when the M-League comes to a halt from tomorrow due to Covid-19.

Some teams might either stop paying salaries or slash wages.

FAM secretary-general Stuart Ramalingam said the national body and MFL will keep a close watch.

“I hope teams will not do this. Players and coaches are contracted. Furthermore, all teams have the budget until November.

“We, however, will be monitoring the situation. There are proper channels for those who are not paid to take action,” said Stuart.

MFL chief executive officer Datuk Ghani Hassan said: “We will keep a close eye and make sure all teams follow the guidelines.”

Drastic action is also set to be taken if the Covid-19 outbreak ends the M-League season completely.

FAM will probably put forward alternative options.

They could include staging play-offs, not having a champion for 2020 or declaring the current standings final. The Malaysia Cup could also be cancelled.

Stuart said the concerned parties will come up with Plan B and C if the situation worsens.

“We do not know when things will get better. The biggest issue is whether we will have enough match dates.

“We will work around the dates marked by the Asian Football Confederation for international matches,” Stuart added.