The Malaysian football interview

In part 12 of my global interview series we visit Malaysia and Moses Francis. Moses hosts the Footy Blog which is dedicated to Premiership football. You don't often hear anything about Malaysian football so here is your chance. My thanks for joining in.

FC: Please describe the youth football system in Malaysia at the moment:

MF: The youth system in Malaysia is growing, football being the favorite sports of Malaysians has helped spur the growth of the youth system. They have even created a "reality TV" about football, in which the winner will get a chance to showcase his skills at Fulham FC (UK).

FC: Who coaches the Malaysian national team and when do you think Malaysia will reach the World Cup?

MF:Malaysia are currently looking for a coach, I believe they will get one soon. As for the world cup, it has always been the dream of Malaysians to have their national team in the World Cup, although I personally don't see it happening in the near future, because the team still lacks a little in experience, skills, etc..... But with the youths coming up, we might have a good shot at maybe the 2010 World Cup.

FC:How popular and how well attended are the Malaysian football leagues?

MF: The Malaysian league is quite popular, although it must be said, only the teams that are doing well (on top) receives the best crowds. I guess some fans are not as dedicated as their counterparts all over the globe, whereby they will support their teams through thick and thin.... Malaysians however tend to be fickle and support the teams that's doing well at the moment.

FC: What countries do Malaysian players typically play in? What countries do players come from that play in the Malaysian leagues?

MF: This is a good question, so far Malaysian footballers have not done well outside of Malaysia, and this however is slowly changing as new players like Titus James Palani, Akmal Rizal are making their mark overseas. Titus is now in France, while Akmal returned from a stint in Germany.

On what kind of players that play in Malaysian league, here's a list of countries: Hungary, Australia, Africa, Brazil & Argentina.

FC: What would a top footballer in Malaysia earn? Who are some of them?

MF: Malaysian footballers don't earn as much as thier counterparts over the globe I reckon. Their earnings vary from RM 2000 to RM 20,000 (300 to 3,000 pounds). Some of the top players in Malaysia are:

Ahmad Sharul Azhar, Akmal Rizal, Keita Mandjou, Juan Arostegui, K. Sanbagamaran.

The Malaysian football association can be found at http://www.fam.org.my/

See a list of all the interviews published so far

*Please email if you'd like to conduct an interview (over email) or if you know the name of a weblog in your country.