Liga Malaysia (English: Malaysian League) was an amateur football league in Malaysia that operated from 1982 until 1988. The league was managed by the Football Association of Malaysia. The Malaysian League was established in 1982 after the introduction of a league trophy for the winner of the league stage qualification round for the Malaysia Cup (Malay: Piala Malaysia), with the format first introduced in 1979 where the top eight teams qualified from the league to compete in the knockout stages of the Malaysia Cup.
During its inaugural season in 1982, 16 teams participated in a single-tier league. All 13 state football teams, Kuala Lumpur (known as Federal Territory FA at that time), the Armed Forces, and a representative team from Brunei competed in the league. In 1985, Singapore rejoined the Malaysian football league system and thus competed in the Malaysian League and Malaysia Cup after a temporary spell away, which brought the number of teams up to 17. The league did not operate on a system of promotion and relegation.
The league was the nation's top-tier league until it was succeeded by the formation of Liga Semi-Pro in 1989 which was also managed by the Football Association of Malaysia.
History
Origin
The concept of an annual competition between the states in Malaysia goes back more than 100 years with the advent of the Malaya Cup in 1921, while league football also existed around that time but was not structured and leagues such as the Selangor Amateur Football League was confined only to clubs in the Kuala Lumpur area. In 1967, the Malaya Cup was renamed as the Malaysia Cup, while state leagues were being run by their respective state football associations that covered wider geographical areas.
In 1979, the FAM introduced a new format for the Malaysia Cup with the introduction of a league stage qualification round for the tournament. The football league competition involved the representative sides of the state football associations, the armed forces and representative sides from Brunei and Singapore. The format was initially intended primarily as a qualifying tournament for the knockout stages of the Malaysia Cup.
League trophy introduction
It was not until 1982 that a league trophy was introduced to recognise the winners of the preliminary stage as the league champions. Over the years, the league competition gained an important stature in its own right. From 1982 until 1988 the league held an amateur status and continued its purpose as a qualifying round for the Malaysia Cup. It wasn't until 1989 that the league was succeeded by the formation of Liga Semi-Pro and the progression of Malaysian football towards semi-professional status.
1982 season
In its inaugural season, the league consisted of teams as below.
Penang (1982 Malaysian League champions) (1st Liga M Title) Pahang Federal Territory Kedah Kelantan Sarawak Johor Selangor (1982 Malaysia Cup winners) Malacca Armed Forces Negeri Sembilan Perlis Terengganu Brunei Sabah Perak
1983 season
In its second season, the league consisted of teams as below.
Malacca (1983 Malaysian League champions) Penang Kelantan Kedah Pahang (1983 Malaysia Cup winners) Selangor Brunei Federal Territory Johor Sabah Perlis Sarawak Negeri Sembilan Terengganu Perak Armed Forces
League Table:-
1.Malacca - 22 PTS (1st Liga M Title)
2.Penang - 21 PTS
3.Kelantan - 18 PTS
4.Kedah - 18 PTS
5.Pahang - 18 PTS
6.Selangor - 18 PTS
7.Brunei - 18 PTS
8.Federal Territory - 17 PTS
9.Johor - 17 PTS
10.Sabah - 16 PTS
11.Perlis - 13 PTS
12.Sarawak - 12 PTS
13.Negeri Sembilan - 11 PTS
14.Terengganu - 10 PTS
15.Perak - 6 PTS
16.Armed Forces - 5 PTS
1984 season
In its third season, the league consisted of teams as below.
Selangor (1984 Malaysian League champions and Malaysia Cup winners) Pahang Penang Federal Territory Sabah Malacca Kelantan Johor Negeri Sembilan Armed Forces Terengganu Perak Kedah Sarawak Brunei Perlis
League Table:-
1.Selangor - 30 PTS (1st Liga M Title)