SELANGOR - After a 17-year hiatus, Singapore will play in the Malaysia Cup from next year - to the delight of those who have been pining for a return to the competition's heady days.
Yesterday, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), which takes effect next year.
Under the four-year agreement, the Malaysian under-23 side will play in the S-League and Singapore's two cup competitions while its Singapore counterparts will ply their trade in the Malaysian Super League and its two domestic cup tournaments. Each team comprises 25 under-23 players and five seniors, with an option of utilising three or four foreign players depending on the regulations of the respective leagues.
A new competition will pit the S-League champions against the winners of the Malaysian Super League over two legs, while the Singapore Cup winners will play the Malaysia Cup winners at home and away. More international friendlies between the two countries - from the various age-group levels up to the senior national team - are also in store.
The MOU between the FAS and the FAM comes amid a breakthrough in bilateral relations, which was first set in motion in May last year after a meeting between Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak. The two leaders announced after the meeting that an agreement had been reached on outstanding issues concerning the Points of Agreement (POA), breaking a 20-year deadlock. Earlier this month, the POA - which included a land swap deal - was implemented.
FAS president Zainudin Nordin hailed the FAS-FAM agreement as an "important milestone" for both countries. Mr Zainuddin said: "The old on-field rivalry ... has thrilled fans for decades and I'm sure it will continue to do so for years to come."
FAM deputy-president Abdullah Al-Haj added: "We hope to revive the glory days of the Malaysia Cup when Singapore used to play on Malaysian soil ... We love Singapore and we miss the rivalry ... and I hope this opens the door to more collaboration."
Singapore football legend Fandi Ahmad told MediaCorp that the various collaborations under the MoU "will give the interest in the game a big shot in the arm".
He said: "I like to see our national selectors get a bigger pool of players to choose from, so this cooperation can only be good for Singapore football. It opens another avenue to expose our young footballers to competition, and in another country. We've always had a close relationship with Malaysian football."
Courts Singapore chief executive Terry O'Connor - a long-time supporter of Singapore football - reiterated that the higher level of interest in football - as a result of the collaborations - will have a "positive effect" on attendances at S-League matches. In January, Courts had inked a two-year sponsorship deal worth S$1 million with the Young Lions team.
He said: "We got involved ... to help with youth development and the game at the national level, and we are well-placed to achieve this even more now."
Amid excitement over the return of "Malaysia Cup fever", the FAS and FAM acknowledged kinks need to be ironed out, such as scheduling of the respective leagues and logistics involved in housing the teams. To that end, a working committee will be formed.
Match-fixing and a dispute over gate receipts had prompted Singapore to exit the Malaysian League and Malaysia Cup in 1994. FAM general-secretary Azzudin Ahmad believes that, 17 years on, the two countries are better equipped to handle the thorny issues.
He told MediaCorp: "That match-fixing demon hasn't died down, but should there be any attempt against us, we are very much stronger as two federations fighting the same war. We've got our own task force, and we'll see how we can work with the FAS on this."
From next year ...
- A Malaysian team, which will play in the S-League, League Cup and Singapore Cup, will be based here. - A Singaporean team will play in the Malaysian Super League, Malaysian FA Cup and Malaysia Cup.
- Both teams will comprise under-23 players, five seniors and have the option of fielding foreign players based on the rules of the respective leagues.
- The S-League champions will play the Malaysian Super League champions at home and away while the Singapore Cup winners will also play the Malaysia Cup winners over two legs.
- More international friendlies will be held between the two countries, from youth to senior level.
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