{
  "id": 3459262,
  "title": "MFL told to tighten registration procedures after KL City player fiasco",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/mfl-told-to-tighten-registration-procedures-after-kl-city-player",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-26T07:33:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/sports/football/2026/08/1519124/mfl-told-tighten-registration-procedures-after-kl-city-player"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Malaysian Football League (MFL) was criticized after the KL City player-registration fiasco, highlighting a lack of professionalism in the M-League. Dr Zulakbal Abdul Karim, an AFC Elite Instructor, called for the MFL to tighten its registration procedures, stating that the incident raised questions over the club's ability to manage the administrative side of the club. KL City had only registered 12 players for their Super League match against Negri Sembilan, falling short of the required 15 to 20 players. The match was ultimately awarded a 3-0 win to Negri Sembilan and resulted in KL City receiving a fine of RM50,000. The club was also ordered to pay compensation and related costs. MFL must produce foolproof checklists to assist with player registration, according to Dr Zulakbal.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR: The KL City player-registration fiasco has exposed a worrying lack of professionalism in the M-League, with football critic Dr Zulakbal Abdul Karim calling for the Malaysian Football League (MFL) to tighten its registration procedures.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}