Short break for M-League as Harimau Malaya set to field best team for Nations Cup
Malaysia's Endrick Dos Santos in action against Taiwan during the World Cup qualifier match at Bukit Jalil National Stadium last night. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian League (M-League) will take a short break to allow the national team to assemble their best squad for the CAFA Nations Cup, which is scheduled to take place in September.
Malaysia Football League (MFL) acting chief executive officer Mohd Shazli Shaik Mohd said they are prepared to pause the season, even though the new campaign is set to begin on Aug 8, as part of their commitment to supporting Harimau Malaya.
The temporary break will also allow players from top Super League clubs to focus fully on the tournament without leaving their teams short-handed if league matches were to continue as usual.
Malaysia have been invited to take part in the CAFA Nations Cup, a Central Asian tournament featuring eight strong teams, including World Cup 2026 qualifiers Iran and Uzbekistan.
The other participating teams are Oman, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
'Part of managing the league involves prioritising the national team. The CAFA tournament will take place just a few days before the FIFA international window.
'When the national squad are assembled, it will likely involve players from Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT), Selangor and possibly Sabah and Kuala Lumpur.
'During that period, priority will be given to the national team, and no league matches will be played,' said Shazli.
At the same time, he also gave his assurance that the pause will not disrupt the season.
'There will be no delays to fixtures because the league calendar and match schedule have yet to be released. We have taken the national team's request into account to ensure the league runs smoothly.
'In the past, these requests came in the middle of the season. This time, we have been in constant communication with the national team and have reviewed all the necessary input to plan accordingly.
'MFL is also in regular contact with all clubs to ensure they understand the plan,' he added.
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