SINGAPORE (14 July 2011) – After a hiatus of 17 years, Singapore are set to see action in the Malaysian M-League following a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which was signed this week between the FA of Singapore (FAS) and the FA of Malaysia (FAM).
Among the other issues ironed out between the two countries are to increase the number of competitive matches starting from 2012, having a Malaysian team playing in the S-League (2012 to 2015) as well as seeing a Singapore team see action in the Malaysian Super League (2012-2015).
More friendly matches will be encouraged between the national and youth Teams of both countries to further improve the standard of the game and to foster closer ties.
Among the tournaments mooted are the ‘League Champions Challenge’ and the ‘Cup Winners Challenge’ which will take place annually between the victorious teams of the League and Cup competitions.
“There is always a special romance between Singapore and Malaysia football. I am pleased with this football partnership and am confident that it will further strengthen our ties with the FAM,” said Zainudin Nordin, the president of FAS.
“The key points of this partnership cannot be achieved overnight. It will take days, weeks and even months of planning as we iron out the creases. But I would like to reiterate that these are positive moves. I seek the patience and kind understanding of the media and public while we work round the clock to make it happen.
“In this regard, FAS and FAM will form a working committee to discuss and agree on all of the operational details and when these are completed, we will host another media briefing to share the details with members of the media.”
“We welcome this move. It certainly gives a positive impact to Malaysia especially among our young players. It is a big opportunity for our players to gain exposure in the S-League and at the same time, the Singapore Lions will have the same opportunities in our Malaysian Super League. With this agreement, we hope that this will open the door for many more collaborations in the future,” added Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, the deputy president of the FAM.
