Yeoh said poor management, including unpaid salaries and the neglect of players’ welfare, deterred potential sponsors that could boost football development.

“Football has a large audience, which is why I believe that to convince sponsors, all they want to see is how a club is run, how they pay salaries or look after the welfare of players,” Bernama quoted her as saying at an event last night.

“Those who are not capable should not ‘touch’ it, let others take over. Sometimes, some cannot manage but still want to hold on to power, preventing others from stepping in.”

Yeoh’s remarks come amid a worsening financial crisis in local football, with Perak FC recently announcing that it was dissolving its team and pulling out of the Super League after spending RM40 million in three years.

Several other teams are reportedly contemplating similar action.

On a separate note, Yeoh dismissed criticism of Johor Darul Ta’zim’s (JDT) dominance, calling the club a model of professionalism that others should strive to emulate rather than complain about or boycott.

“To me, JDT are raising the standards of football, a club in Malaysia, and that’s a good thing,” she said.

“(Other teams should) find a way to become great competitors to JDT. That should be their goal, rather than saying, ‘because I can never be as good as JDT, I don’t want to play’. That’s not sportsmanship.”