Pre-independence football The British introduced football to
Malaya, and the locals quickly embraced the game, making it the country's leading sport. By the late 19th century, football had become a central activity in most sports clubs across Malaya, though it lacked proper structure. The establishment of the Selangor Amateur Football League in 1905 brought some administration and organization, but the competition remained limited to clubs in
Kuala Lumpur. In 1921, the
battleship HMS Malaya visited the country. After competing in football and rugby matches with local teams, the officers and crew decided to commemorate the games by presenting trophies for annual competitions in both sports. This led to the establishment of a national football tournament involving all states in Malaya. Known initially as the
Malaya Cup—later renamed the Malaysia Cup in 1963—the competition has been held continuously, except during the war years. The SAFL was responsible for the administration of league competitions in Selangor. As soon league football gained firm in Selangor, the Selangor Football Association established a new tournament known as SFA Cup in 1926. This association began organizing tournaments, which inspired other states in Malaya to follow suit. Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, and Perak demonstrated a parallel institutional development in football governance, as Malacca established its football association in 1924, followed by Negeri Sembilan and Perak in 1926. In 1932, the MFA was reorganized into the Football Association of Malaya (FAM). The committee decided to choose Kuala Lumpur as the headquarters due to its strategic geographical location. and the FAM took on responsibility for running the Malaya Cup competition. The stadium also marked the beginning of the Merdeka Tournament (
Pestabola Merdeka), which was popularly referred to as the 'Mini Asia Cup' from the 1960s to the 1980s. The tournament was a significant success and inspired similar events such as the
Jakarta Anniversary Tournament in Indonesia, the
King's Cup in Thailand, and the
President's Cup in South Korea. The inaugural
tournament—then the premier football competition in Asia—was won by Hong Kong. In 2019, FAM was also awarded the AFC Dream Asia Award (Bronze) in the Inspiring Category. On 26 September 2025, FAM and seven Malaysian heritage players–
Gabriel Palmero,
Facundo Garcés,
Rodrigo Holgado,
Imanol Machuca,
João Figueiredo,
Jon Irazabal, and
Hector Hevel–were sanctioned by FIFA due to falsification and forgery of documents regarding the seven players' eligibility to play in the
third round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against Vietnam. FAM was fined CHF 350,000 (around RM 1.9million) whereas each player was fined CHF 2,000 (around MR 10,560) and were suspended from all football related activities for 12 months. FAM has confirmed it will file an appeal against FIFA's sanctions. On 3 November 2025, the FIFA Appeal Committee rejected FAM's appeal and the sanctions remains as it is. In light of the footballers naturalization falsification scandal, on 28 January 2026, all FAM exco members resign en masse. == Associations affiliation ==