PETALING JAYA, Oct 5 — There is still some uncertainty over Pahang and Melaka’s participation in next season’s Malaysia League (M-League) after the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) gave both the teams conditional national club licences up to October 31.

The two clubs failed to join 10 other Super League sides whose application for the licence was approved and will definitely feature in next season’s competition.

FAM Club Licensing First Instance Body (FIB) chairman Sheikh Mohd Nasir Sheikh Mohd Sharif, through a statement issued by FAM, said Pahang and Melaka would have to complete the stipulated requirements by the end of the month or face punishment in the form of either a penalty, point deduction, demotion from the league or having their licenses revoked.

"A reply from the IRB (Inland Revenue Board) regarding Melaka’s application to repay their arrears in instalment was found to be unclear. Although the IRB received a letter from Melaka, it’s not clear whether they agree or not to the application.

"As for Pahang, there are details which were not included in their application letter to the IRB, EPF (Employees Provident Fund) and Socso (Social Security Organisation). It needs further explanation from Pahang,” the statement said.

Eight Premier League clubs also received their national club licences. They are Kuching FA, Kelantan, UKM FC, Penang, Sarawak United FC, Kelantan United FC, Kuala Lumpur and Negri Sembilan.

In another development, all 21 teams have completed the privatisation process, which involves turning football associations (FAs) into football clubs (FCs) and should have no problems competing in the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup competitions next season, if they qualify.

Meanwhile, FAM also announced that eight M-League teams had passed and been given the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) licence, namely Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), Perak, Selangor, Terengganu FC, Felda United FC, Petaling Jaya FC, Kedah and Kuala Lumpur. — Bernama