History of Malaysian football
Football is the most popular national sport in Malaysia, where the first modern set of rules were established in 1921. It is run by the Football Association of Malaysia. The association administers the national football teams and league competitions.

In 1997, Malaysia hosted the FIFA U-20 World Cup, but known as FIFA World Youth Championship during that time. In 2007, Malaysia co-hosted the Asian Cup 2007 with three other countries.

The most significant successes of the national team of Malaysia has come in the regional AFF Suzuki Cup (formerly known as the Tiger Cup), which Malaysia won in 2010 for the first time in history. They beat Indonesia 4–2 on aggregate in the final to capture the country's first major international football title.

Malaysia had many top players, such as the legendary Mokhtar Dahari and Sabah's Hassan Sani and James Wong, which led Malaysia into their golden age during the 1970s until the 1980s. Before Mokhtar, the Malaysian King of Football Datuk Abdul Ghani Minhat was the most famous and respected footballer in the whole Malaya during the 1950s and 1960s. Malaysia's 15–1 victory over the Philippines in 1962 is currently the highest win of the national team.

In the FIFA World Rankings, Malaysia's highest standing was in the first release of the figures, in August 1993 at 75th. Malaysia's main rival on the international stage are their geographical neighbours, Indonesia and Singapore, and past matches between these two teams have produced much drama. Malaysia is one of the most successful teams in Southeast Asia along with Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, winning the ASEAN Football Championship in 2010.

History

1900 to 1978 
Football arrived in Malaysia, (Malaya at that time), with the British. The locals soon picked up the game, and soon it was the country's leading sport. Towards the end of the 19th century, football was one of the central pillars of most sports clubs in Malaya. Even when the Selangor Amateur Football League took shape in 1905 – which ensured proper administration and organisation – the competition was confined only to clubs in Kuala Lumpur.

The earliest known winners of football competition in Malaysia was YMCA in Penang in 1906.

In January 1921, the British Royal Navy battleship H. M. S. Malaya was called at Port Swettenham (now Port Klang), Singapore, Malacca, Penang and Port Dickson. During its stay, the crew competed in friendly matches in football, rugby, hockey, sailing and golf against local clubs.

Three months later, the Chief Secretary of the Federated Malay States received a letter from Captain H. T. Buller of the H. M. S. Malaya, which offered two cups to be competed for in football and rugby as tokens of their gratitude for the reception they received in Malaya. The cup for football were then known as the Malaya Cup The offer was accepted and various club representatives met to organise the tournament. Malaya Cup committee was set up and it was decided to run the football competition in northern and southern sections. The first tournament were entrusted to be run by the Selangor Club. The first ever Malaya Cup match was played on 20 August 1921, with Selangor defeating Penang 5–1 in front of an estimated crowd of 5,000 in Kuala Lumpur. The inaugural tournament were played by six teams and won by Singapore. During 1923, a newspaper described it as “by far the greatest sporting event of the year (in Malaya)”.

In 1933, Football Association of Malaya (FAM) was founded. By 1954, FAM joins FIFA as a member in AFC.

Malaysia FAM Cup was established in 1952 as a secondary knockout competition to the more prestigious Malaya Cup. The competitions were held between the state teams including Singapore, Police, Army and Prisons Department of Malaysia in its early days.

In 1959, the Malaya Cup departed from the traditional one round tournament to a two-round home and away format in three zones (East, South and North).

FAM changed its name to Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in the early 1960s to inline with the formation of Malaysia. A new trophy for the Malaya Cup was inaugurated in 1967, and since then the competition has been known as the Malaysia Cup.

Starting in 1974, the state teams were barred from entering the FAM Cup and only the club sides could enter. In 1976 Penang was the first club from Malaysia which won the Aga Khan Gold Cup.

1979 to 1988: Era of amateur football league 

Malaysian football league competition involving the representative sides of the state football associations was first held in 1979. When it began, it was intended primarily as a qualifying tournament for the final knock-out stages of the Malaysia Cup, where teams compete in a one-round league before advancing to the knock-out stage. The top four teams at the end of the league would face off in two semi-finals before the winners made it to the finals. In 1981, the quarter-finals stage were introduced where eight teams were qualified from the preliminary stage.

However, it was not until 1982 that a league trophy was introduced to recognise the winners of the preliminary stage as the league champions. Since then, the Malaysia Cup has been held after the conclusion of the league each year, with only the best-performing teams in the league qualifying.

1989 to 1993: Era of semi-pro football league 

Over the years, the league competition has gained important stature in its own right. From 1982 until 1988 the league continued its purpose as qualifying round for Malaysia Cup. In 1989 it is changed to a new format as Malaysian Semi-Pro Football League (MSPFL), nearing towards fully professional status.

Initially the only teams allowed to participate in the league were the state FA's sides, teams representing the Armed Forces and the Police, and teams representing the neighbouring countries of Singapore and Brunei (though the Football Association of Singapore pulled out of the Malaysian League after the 1994 season following a dispute with the FAM).

The inaugural season of MSPFL consisted of nine teams in Division I and eight teams in Division II. The Malaysian Police joined Division II in 1990. Games were played on a home and away basis for about four months, roughly between the end of April or early May and the end of August or early September. Under the new format, only the top six teams in Division I and the Division II champions and runners-up would be involved in the Malaysia Cup. Malaysia Cup was played from the quarter-final stage, scheduled for November after the league was finished.

In 1990, a new national knock-out competition was introduced by the FAM, called the Malaysia FA Cup. Perak is the winner of the inaugural season of the cup.

In 1992, FAM created another amateur league for local clubs, the Liga Nasional. The league was managed by FAM outside entity, Super Club Sdn. Bhd. Some of the clubs which competed in the league were Hong Chin, Muar FA, PKNK Kedah, DBKL, PKNS, BSN, LPN, BBMB, Proton, PPC and PKENJ. Unfortunately, the league only ran for one season before folding. Some of the clubs were then evolved and joined the main league, such as PKENJ which became JCorp.

In 1993, the format of the competition was changed to include a two-group league, followed by the traditional knockout format. Promotion to the professional Malaysian League were introduced for the first time in 1997. Johor FC and NS Chempaka FC were the first two sides to be promoted that year.

1994 to 1997: Era of professional football 

MSPFL was the nation's top-tier league until formation of the  Malaysia Premier League (1994–97) in 1994 by the FAM.

In its inaugural season 16 teams competed in the league. The teams were based from all states in Malaysia an two foreign teams, Singapore and Brunei.

1998 to 2003: Clubs inclusion in main league 

In 1998, Malaysia Premier League was divided into two divisions, consisting of Malaysia Premier League 1 and Malaysia Premier League 2 (Liga Perdana 1 and Liga Perdana 2).

During 1998 Malaysia Premier League 1 consisted of 12 teams, while Malaysia Premier League 2 had 8 teams. 10 teams that previously played in 1997 Malaysia Premier League were automatically qualified to the Malaysia Premier League 1. The other two spots were filled by a playoff round of the 5 lowest teams and the Malaysian Olympic football team. They were then put into Malaysia Premier League 2 alongside Police, Malaysia Military, Negeri Sembilan Chempaka F.C and PKN Johor. At this time the league still consisted of semi-pro teams where each team was allowed to register 25 players (minimum of 12 professional for MPL 1 and 6 professional for MPL 2).

2004 to present: Era of Malaysia Super League 
Both leagues continued until 2003 when Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) decided to privatise the league and Malaysia Super League was formed. Teams in Malaysia Premier League 1 and Malaysia Premier League 2 were then put through a qualification and playoff to be promoted into Malaysia Super League. Teams that failed the qualification were put into now a new second-tier Malaysia Premier League.

A further changes were made to Malaysia FAM Cup in 2008 where the knockout stages were abolished and double round-robin format was introduced. The tournament got known as the Malaysia FAM League.

Records 
Below are the record of teams in Malaysian football competitions since 1921 till present.Clubs in bold compete in Liga Super Malaysia as of the 2023 season; clubs in italic no longer exist.

 Table shows teams' wins in all competitions
 The figures in bold represent the most times this competition has been won by the team
 Malaysia Super League Record Fastest goal in a match:  9 seconds
 Rafael Vitor for Penang against Perak (3 August 2021)

Hall of fame

League

Cups

Three major professional era competitions (1994–present)

Great honours

Double 

 In 1976 Penang is the first club from Malaysia won Asian title Aga Khan Gold Cup unofficial Asian Champions' Cup.

See also 
 Malaysia M3 League
 Malaysia M4 League
 Malaysia M5 League
 FAM Football Awards

References

External links 
 Football Association of Malaysia