KUALA LUMPUR: The 2016 Malaysian League (M-League) which begins on Feb 12, has been hit by a new phenomenon as companies involved in cosmetics and beauty products seem to be racing to sponsor local football teams since the Kelantan FA received a RM16-million sponsorship from Vida Beauty Sdn Bhd – with a pink clause on jersey colour and the stadium (full story on page 30).
Among companies reported keen to sponsor football teams is D’Herbs Holdings Company which is eyeing either Pahang or Terengganu after negotiations with 2015 Malaysia Cup winners Selangor failed to materialise.
Megah Perawan Sdn Bhd, which was reportedly interested in sponsoring Premier League team PKNS FC initially made a u-turn by announcing it was not ready to invest in football yet, while Nouvelle Visages expressed interest in sponsoring one of three local football teams (no teams revealed) that the company had shortlisted.
The enthusiasm shown by cosmetic companies to sponsor football teams is seen as a positive development for local football as sponsorships for the country’s number one sport was previously from either telecommunications, sporting goods or isotonic product firms.
Sponsorship is actually pivotal for the teams, as management costs for teams in the M-League is estimated to be between RM8 million to RM18 million, depending on whether they compete in the Super League or the Premier League, and the numbers are expected to increase this year due to the privatization of the league through Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP).
FMLLP is expected to only provide grants of between RM500,000 and RM1 million to each team in the Premier League and Super League, and the amount would not be enough to cover the financial expenditure, leaving the teams desperately looking for sponsors.
FMLLP is a special body that has been set up to manage the M-League beginning this season, following a cooperation between the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and leading international media rights company Media Partners & Silva (MP & Silva), early last year.
Former national footballer Mohd Nidzam Jamil when contacted by Bernama yesterday, supported the move by cosmetic companies to inject funds into their favourite teams, to overcome the financial problems faced by M-League teams.
Nidzam, who is also FAM League club AirAsia FC coach, however, expressed concern about the interference of these companies in team administration.
“For me, the sponsorship by these cosmetic companies is a good thing, but what I worry is if they interfere with the management of the team, that will eventually lead to a conflict of interest in the team itself,” he said, adding that managing a football team and managing a company were two different things.
Mohd Nizam, who represented Selangor in the 90s, said the other aspect was that sponsors would also put pressure on the football teams to succeed, as they seek to harvest mileage as returns for significant investments.
“Football is a very demanding sport and pressure from sponsors for team success (every season) is normal.
“Even without any pressure (from outside), the management of the football teams would surely aim for success.
“But they (sponsors) should keep in mind, that the ability of a team to make great strides in a short period of time is not an easy task, because it requires careful planning,” he said, stressing that players should also know how to manage pressure and expectations of the management as well as the fans.
For national sports critic Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim, sponsorship by companies dealing with cosmetics and beauty products is merely a marketing strategy.
“In the past, the national football scene was very different, as players even used their own money to help the team without expecting any sponsorship deals,” he said, adding it was sad how teams now only focused on securing sponsorship to achieve success.
Khoo, who is writing a book on Malaysian history said, however, the injection of funds by the cosmetic companies was important for teams in the M-League to avoid being ‘put out of business’ as was experienced by teams such as NS Betaria, MP Muar and USM FC in the past.
He said the management of the football teams must also be able to balance the books well, as sponsors want to know what their money was being spent on.
In addition, he said football teams should also not be overly dependent on sponsorship and instead seek to commercialise certain products with their team’s branding exercise, akin to what is practised by football teams in Europe. — Bernama