KUALA LUMPUR - Is the Super League turning into a schoolboy league?
That stark question has been raised following another lopsided result in the Malaysian Super League, after reigning champions Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) hammered Kelantan The Real Warriors 14–1 in their latest fixture at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium.
The emphatic scoreline has once again brought into focus the widening gulf between teams in the top flight, with growing concerns that repeated heavy defeats are undermining the competitiveness and credibility of Malaysian football.
Speaking to Scoop, senior sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli said results of such magnitude reflect an “unhealthy” state of affairs for a professional league, warning that the Super League risks damaging its reputation both locally and abroad.
He said while such results may draw attention internationally, they project the wrong image of Malaysian football.
“These kinds of results damage the image of our league and undermine its credibility and prestige. How can a professional league produce a 14–1 scoreline?” he said.
“Such results are rare, but this is certainly not the standard expected of the Super League. Some may take pride in it, but from another perspective, it is embarrassing.
“These are two professional teams, yet the outcome does not reflect a competitive league. Is this a schoolboy league? Even against amateur sides, you would not expect such a scoreline.
“This creates the impression of a two-tier system. Do we want this to continue? Are we comfortable with this being the standard of our league?”
Pekan, who is also a senior lecturer at UiTM’s Sports Science and Recreation Faculty, warned that if such disparities persist, the league risks long-term damage to its appeal and integrity.
“If this continues, it becomes an unhealthy situation. Not only does it create a poor image, but it gradually erodes the reputation of the Super League,” he said.
“It will take away the enjoyment of the competition itself. If nothing is done to address this imbalance, it is not impossible that teams may eventually lose interest in competing.”
The result capped another dominant campaign for JDT under head coach Xisco Muñoz, who guided the side to an unbeaten Super League season.
JDT finished the campaign with 24 wins and no defeats, extending their remarkable unbeaten run to 108 matches since 2021.
That streak has equalled the world record set by Ivory Coast side ASEC Mimosas between 1989 and 1994.
Attention now turns to next season’s Charity Shield, where JDT will have the opportunity to surpass that record and set a new world benchmark, further underlining their domestic dominance.
However, while JDT continue to rewrite records, the broader concern remains over whether the Super League is becoming too uneven to sustain meaningful competition. - May 13, 2026
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