Sri Pahang's Withdrawal From M-League A Call For Grassroots Football Development - Al-Sultan Abdullah

By Afifitri Muhammad

KUANTAN, Aug 1 (Bernama) -- Sri Pahang FC’s decision to withdraw from the 2025/26 Malaysia League (M-League) should serve as a catalyst to strengthen grassroots football development in the state, focusing on nurturing local talent.

Sultan of Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah stated that the financial demands of modern football, especially with clubs relying heavily on imported players, are a major concern.

“I welcome Sri Pahang’s decision to pull out. Competing at the Malaysia Cup or M-League level requires significant funding.

“It was already expensive before, but now it’s even more so because of the need for foreign players,” the Sultan said in a special interview with Bernama at Istana Abdulaziz in conjunction with his 66th birthday, recently.

Al-Sultan Abdullah also emphasised the importance of establishing more football academies and organising school and district leagues as platforms to discover young talents and strengthen the local football ecosystem.

“Not just Sri Pahang, but teams in other states should have their own leagues. I believe it is time to establish more academies in every state or district. However, I recognise that such initiatives require substantial financial resources,” he said.

The Pahang ruler also expressed hope that the ‘Tok Gajah’ club would utilise this break period effectively to restructure its club management, including player development and financial stability, to avoid recurring issues.

Addressing the current dominance of naturalised players in the Harimau Malaya squad, Al-Sultan Abdullah, who served as Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president from 2014 to 2017, stressed that priority should be given to local players.

“If too many naturalised players are involved, local talent may be overshadowed. This means no prospects, and youth development programmes might fail to inspire young players.

“We want quick success, but there must be concrete grassroots programmes. When we successfully produce quality players from the bottom up, we will no longer depend on foreign players,” he explained.

Meanwhile, ahead of the centenary celebration of the Royal Pahang Polo Club in Pekan next year, Al-Sultan Abdullah announced his intention to retire from the sport.

“I will remain active in polo until 2026, the year the Royal Pahang Polo Club marks its 100th anniversary with various tournaments. That will be the year I fully retire from the sport,” he said.

He also expressed pride in seeing four generations of polo athletes and young talents from Pahang competing internationally, including in Argentina.

“I hope this programme continues,” the Sultan said, adding that he currently enjoys golf, pickleball, and padelball with his children.

Additionally, Al-Sultan Abdullah shared his health tips, recommending exercising two to three times a week at the gym and engaging in activities like cycling and horseback riding.

“The most important thing is to control diet, especially rice consumption. Eating too much rice causes weight gain and makes it hard to maintain the body. If we can manage our diet, Insya-Allah, we will stay healthy,” he concluded.

-- BERNAMA