In a post on X, the Johor regent and former Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president also called for a refereeing body that operates independently from FAM, as he weighed in on the various complaints about the Malaysian Football League (MFL).

Tunku Ismail hit out at those blaming FAM and the MFL for their own shortcomings, and said numerous excuses and conspiracy theories have been bandied about for the past 11 years.

He said it was time for a change in the attitude of team management.

“(People give excuses about) stadiums and pitches not being in good condition, players not getting paid and thus being unmotivated, the rainy season, those tasked with running the clubs not caring, and so on.

“It’s like teams in the Bundesliga (German League) asking everyone to boycott the league because they can’t challenge Bayern Munich. Mindset is everything.

“If our neighbour’s house is beautiful and ours is neglected, does it make sense to burn down the entire neighbourhood? It’s like having a neglected house and inviting people to live in the forest.

“If you don’t pay salaries, don’t blame FAM and MFL,” he said.

First introduced in 2011 by the Union of European Football Associations, financial fair play regulations ensure clubs manage their funds responsibly and prevent them from spending more than they earn.

Tunku Ismail had first proposed the implementation here in 2023 to curb team budget overruns and clubs not being able to pay their players’ salaries.

“Not all clubs are able to take government money every year,” he had said in a post on Instagram.