A heavy task is expected to await the new president of the MFL

KUALA LUMPUR: A heavy task is expected to await Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan who was elected as the new President of the Malaysian Football League (MFL) effective yesterday to replace Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin.

Local football observer Mohd Sadek Mustafa said among the responsibilities he had to face was to drive the local football arena to a better level when the country was still plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic, political uncertainty and economic downturn.

The senior lecturer at the Faculty of Sports and Recreation Science, UiTM Shah Alam, said the main step that Ab Ghani needed to do was to strengthen the parent body's finances by attracting or convincing more sponsors to invest in the Malaysia League (M League).

“Perhaps the three main tasks that Ab Ghani needs to do at an immediate pace include giving confidence to the National Security Council (MKN) by applying to allow spectators to enter the stadium.

"Secondly, to reassure the sponsors that next year or the start of this Malaysia Cup, the rights of the sponsors will be given priority to ensure that returns can be returned to them.

"Third, addressing the issue of uncontrolled spending by the club which is currently facing salary arrears and this indirectly lowers the performance of the national team where players do not perform with real performance because they cannot get a salary," he told BH Sukan.

Yesterday, MFL announced that Ab Ghani was elected as the new president of the M League governing body after the resignation of Hamidin who is also the President of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).

The selection was made with the consent of the MFL Board of Directors at a special meeting, yesterday, after receiving a letter of resignation from Hamidin dated August 12.

Commenting on the proposal that MFL needs to make to get spectators' approval to the stadium, Mohd Sadek explained that the same formula used to enter shopping malls and restaurants for fully vaccinated individuals may be used.

“I think the formula is good enough for MFL to give recommendations because the formula can be used for football matches which also includes the source of income of players and officials as well as sponsors.

"The NSC needs to be rational and overall, the percentage of people in the country who have been vaccinated is also high," he said.