KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian football was handed a costly reminder about discipline and professionalism this week after the Asian Football Confederation’s Disciplinary and Ethics Committee issued US$13,125 (RM61,075) in fines in a single sitting. 

The New Straits Times reported that Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT), Selangor, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and Kelana United were all cited — many for offences the AFC said it considers basic and largely avoidable.

The Southern Tigers were fined US$5,000 (RM23,500) for failing to provide a clean stadium at the official training venue before their Asian Champions League Elite match against Machida Zelvia. 

Selangor, another of Malaysia’s storied football institutions, were fined US$1,250 for an 80-second delay to the second-half kickoff of their Asian Champions League Two game against Persib Bandung on Oct. 23. 

The AFC noted that it was Selangor’s second countdown violation — a sign, the ruling suggested, that this was less a slip-up than a developing habit.

FAM found itself in similar territory. 

The governing body was fined US$1,875 after Malaysia’s Asian Cup qualifying match against Laos on October 14 restarted 150 seconds late. 

It was also FAM’s second countdown offence within the AFC’s recidivism window, underscoring ongoing questions from Malaysian fans about operational consistency at the national level.

The most striking censure, however, came from Kelana United. 

Their fitness coach, Mohd Zahidibudiman Ibrahim, was fined US$5,000 for behaviour the AFC said had “brought the game into disrepute” and breached integrity-of-conduct rules. 

The federation did not disclose details of the incident, but the severity of the penalty — joint-highest among Malaysian-linked offenders — signals that the conduct was considered far beyond the line.

Taken together, the two largest fines — JDT’s operational breach and the conduct case involving Kelana United’s coach — each accounted for 38 per cent of the Malaysian total.