KUALA LUMPUR — Football should not be judged in isolation when assessing Malaysia’s sporting progress, with Road to Gold (RTG) programme coordinator Datuk Stuart Ramalingam arguing that the game’s development is inseparable from the nation’s broader economic, cultural and institutional growth.
Speaking on Scoop’s Sport Check podcast, hosted by Executive Editor T. Vignesh, the former Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) secretary-general and Malaysian Football League (MFL) chief executive officer said comparisons between Malaysian and Japanese football often ignore the wider national ecosystem that fuelled Japan’s emergence as a global football power.
“People like to compare. That’s a very prevalent story,” Stuart said when asked about Japan’s rise after adopting elements of Malaysia’s semi-professional league model decades ago.
“But when we tell that story, we also need to define the culture of Japan.
“Japan is not a football leader. It’s an economic leader. It’s a cultural leader. When they take something and they run with it, the plan is implemented not by the football association. The plan is implemented by the whole country.”
Stuart said football inevitably attracts greater scrutiny than any other sport in Malaysia because of its immense popularity, but warned that expecting it alone to shoulder the country’s sporting ambitions is unrealistic.
“Football is under the microscope,” he said.
“But if we truly want to call ourselves a sporting nation, then everyone has a role to play.”
Turning to the domestic game, Stuart said Malaysian football has the commercial potential to operate independently, although clubs continue to grapple with significant financial challenges.
Drawing on his experience at MFL, he said the league demonstrated that football could be managed without relying on government funding.
“MFL never took government funding. We never applied for it,” he said.
“During my time as CEO, even when the government introduced programmes like the GPS, MFL never applied. We were self-sustaining.
“The money generated through broadcasting and sponsorship was the fuel that kept the organisation running.”
However, he acknowledged that the situation is considerably more difficult at club level.
“I believe that, if managed properly, a league can be self-sustaining.
“But at club level, it’s much tougher. I’ve worked closely with clubs throughout my time at MFL. I understand the challenges they face.”
Stuart also urged football administrators not to dismiss discussions about how the sport could evolve, even if such ideas challenge long-held traditions.
While stressing that he was not advocating immediate rule changes, he said football must remain open to exploring ways of adapting to changing audience habits.
“Today we’ve got additional substitutions introduced after the pandemic. We’ve got concussion substitutions.
“So here’s a big question. What if, to cater to a younger demographic, football was played in three periods of 30 minutes?
“Just a question.
“Could consuming the game in shorter, higher-intensity periods help? Would it reduce injuries? Would rolling substitutions become part of the game?”
He pointed to other sports that have successfully modernised their formats to appeal to younger audiences.
“Hockey has changed its format many times. Badminton has changed from 15 points to 21 points. Cricket introduced T20 and created an entirely different economy around the sport.
“Football has remained largely unchanged.
“Are we losing younger consumers because their attention spans are shorter? Would reducing the duration of each half increase the intensity of the game?
“Those are the debates I find interesting. Whether it actually happens is another story. But I think it’s worth having those conversations.”
Stuart said football’s rich traditions should not prevent administrators from considering new ideas that could strengthen the sport commercially and ensure it remains relevant for future generations. — July 7, 2026