But thanks to an emerging trend of potential employers going out of business, Malaysian footballers now face the stark possibility that playing football to earn a living is no longer a viable option.
“We could be in for a different trend in 2019 where there are more footballers than clubs employing footballers,” Effendi Jagan Abdullah, Malaysia’s first FIFA licensed players’ agent, told FMT.
“I get calls from players almost daily, some begging me to assist them to get into clubs. But it’s not that easy anymore.”
Effendi has been in the business for over a decade and has worked with both local and foreign players in the Malaysian league, including Bruno Martelotto, Francis Forkey Doe, Stuart Wark and N Thanabalan.
But securing employment for local footballers is not easy these days.
“It has evolved from a players’ market to a clubs’ market, where the clubs are now in control.
“There are so many players without jobs. Why? It’s because some clubs have closed down and players no longer have many options,” Effendi said.
“The salary scale has also reduced significantly, and clubs have slashed their budgets. It’s quite bad.”
Clubs shutting down due to financial failure has become the norm. Last April, Malaysia’s second division side, Kuantan FA, were declared defunct after owing their players up to 11 months in salaries.
Six months later, Felcra FC, who despite getting promoted to the top-tier Malaysia Super League (MSL), were declared out of business after failing to come up with funds for the 2019 season.
If clubs are not going obsolete, they are struggling to pay their players.
The financial woes of Perlis and Terengganu City FC are well documented this year, with former players forced to become fishermen and work odd jobs just to survive.
But Effendi says not all Malaysian footballers will be affected in this way.
“There are several categories of players. The ones in Category A (earning RM60,000-RM70,000) a month and Category B (earning RM20,000-RM50,000) are fine. These are the big name players who play for big clubs.
“It is the ones in Category C (RM5,000-RM10,000) who usually suffer. Players who have savings will survive. But those who do not save, or lack education, will suffer.”
So how can a football agent help change their fortunes?
“I have to see what a player can offer a club. If no one wants them, I have to look at lower tier leagues or even social leagues. They will have to adjust their lifestyle because the salaries are much smaller,” Effendi said.
He recalled a player he had once worked with who earned RM45,000 a month at the time.
“Now he only makes RM8,000. Another was making RM35,000 monthly. Now he makes RM10,000. No more luxury lifestyles for them.”
Effendi, whose company Action Football Asia is licensed with the Football Association of Malaysia, advised footballers to be savvy when it comes to transfer dealings.
“If players have a proper agent, they have a chance of getting legitimate deals. But sometimes these players use their friends or families, or do it themselves. That’s when the problems start because they do not understand the contracts.”
There were around 700 local players registered in the Malaysia Premier League and MSL in 2018.
That number could increase this year due to fewer clubs and more players coming up from the youth system.
Supply is set to exceed demand, and times look bleak for second and third-tier footballers on the local scene.
Finding the right agent, having talent and working hard may be their only modus operandi to survive the increasing challenges on the football terrain.