11/05/2026

SPORTS MONDAY | MAY 11, 2026

31

Lacklustre Super League Non-competetive top-tier competition has lost much appeal, says sports analyst

Ű BY ZUJ AHSAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

home or follow updates on their phones. The cul ture of queuing for tickets or going to stadiums has declined,” he added. While acknowledging the convenience of mod ern viewing habits, he warned that declining sta dium attendance have direct financial implica tions for clubs, particularly in terms of ticket reve nue. He said matchday income remains one of the key revenue streams in football, alongside spon sorship and broadcasting rights. “When fans stop coming to stadiums, clubs lose one of their most important sources of income.” Using an analogy, Zulakbal said that football fans are unlikely to go to the stadium if they already know how the story ends — like watching a film where the ending has already been revealed from the beginning. “When you watch a thriller movie, you wouldn’t be excited anymore when you already know how it will end.” He however lauds the recent strong turnout fig ures in Negeri Sembilan and urge other clubs to use it as an example of how fan engagement can still be revived. He added that improving competitiveness across the league is essential not only for rankings, but also for long-term sustainability of Malaysian football. JDT clinched their 12th straight Malaysian Super League title in March and became the first team to score more than 100 goal in a single league season.

F OOTBALL FANS are staying away from stadiums as the domestic league is no longer competitively balanced, with the dominance of Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) reducing overall excitement and match day unpredictability, according to sports analyst Dr Zulakbal Abd Karim. Zulakbal said while the Malaysian League has seen an improvement in its international standing and ranking in recent years, the pro gress must be examined alongside the realities on the ground. He stressed that the perception of a “non

iour, saying that modern audiences are increasingly consuming football through digital platforms rather than attending matches physically. He said the rise of social media engagement has transformed how fans experience the sport, with commentary, debates and highlights often replac ing stadium attendance. “At present, many fans prefer to watch from

competitive” league remains a concern among sup porters, particularly with one club dominating the domestic scene for more than a decade. “In football, excitement comes from uncertainty. “If fans already know who the champion will be early in the season, the intensity naturally drops,” he told theSun when contacted. Zulakbal also pointed to changing fan behav

RESULTS & STANDINGS

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Liver pool 1 (Gravenberch 6) Chelsea 1 (Fernandez 35) , Brighton 3 (Hinshelwood 1, Dunk 5, Minteh 86) Wolves 0, Fulham 0 Bournemouth 1 (Rayan 53) , Sunder land 0 Manchester United 0, Manchester City 3 (Doku 60, Haaland 75, Marmoush 90+2) Brentford 0. P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 35 23 7 5 67 26 76 Man City 35 22 8 5 72 32 74 Man Utd 36 18 11 7 63 48 65 Liverpool 36 17 8 11 60 48 59 Aston Villa 35 17 7 11 48 44 58 Bournemouth 36 13 16 7 56 52 55 Brighton 36 14 11 11 52 42 53 Brentford 36 14 9 13 52 49 51 Chelsea 36 13 10 13 55 49 49 Everton 35 13 9 13 44 44 48 Fulham 36 14 6 16 44 50 48 Sunderland 36 12 12 12 37 46 48 Newcastle 35 13 6 16 49 51 45 Leeds 35 10 13 12 47 52 43 Crystal Palace 34 11 10 13 36 42 43 Nottm Forest 35 11 9 15 44 46 42 Tottenham 35 9 10 16 45 54 37 West Ham 35 9 9 17 42 61 36 Burnley 35 4 8 23 35 71 20 Wolves 36 3 9 24 25 66 18 CHAMPIONSHIP (Promotion playoffs semifinal) : M’brough 0 Southampton 0. LA LIGA: Elche 1 (Rodriguez 72) Alaves 1 (Martinez 51-pen) , Sevilla 2 (Castrin 82, Adams 90+1) Espanyol 1 (Dolan 56) , Atletico Madrid 0 Celta Vigo 1 (Iglesias 62) , Real Sociedad 2 (Oskarsson 79, Oyarzabal 90+1-pen) Real Betis 2 (Antony 39, Abde 47) . TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 34 29 1 4 89 31 88 Real Madrid 34 24 5 5 70 31 77 Villarreal 34 21 5 8 64 39 68 Atleti 35 19 6 10 58 38 63 Real Betis 35 13 15 7 54 43 54 Celta Vigo 35 13 11 11 49 44 50 Getafe 34 13 5 16 28 36 44 SERIE A: Cagliari 0 Udinese 2 (Buksa 56, Gueye 90+6) , Lazio 0 Inter Milan 3 (Martinez 6, Sucic 39, Mkhitaryan 76) , Lecce 0 Juventus 1 (Vlahovic 1) . 35 17 11 7 59 28 62 BUNDESLIGA: Stuttgart 3 Bayer Leverkusen 1, Hoffenheim 1 Werder Bremen 0, Augsburg 3 Borussia Moenchengladbach 1, RB Leipzig 2 St Pauli 1, Wolfsburg 0 Bayern Munich 1. Top 6 P W D L F A Pts Bayern 33 27 5 1 117 35 86 Dortmund 33 21 7 5 68 34 70 RB Leipzig 33 20 5 8 65 43 65 Stuttgart 33 18 7 8 69 47 61 Hoffenheim 33 18 7 8 65 48 61 Leverkusen 33 17 7 9 67 46 58 Freiburg 32 12 8 12 45 53 44 TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts 36 27 4 5 85 31 85 35 21 7 7 52 33 70 36 19 11 6 59 30 68 35 19 10 6 48 29 67 35 20 4 11 52 29 64 Inter Milan Napoli Juventus AC Milan Roma Como

366/26

10/05/2026

Cats close in on No. 2 spot

4502 2128 2501

8674 0523 8711 0391 8137

2082 9596 2013 8835 0856

2574 8396 9044 2982 6499

5806 5539 7846 3578 4821

Kuching’s Jerome Etame (left) in action against Melaka’s Noel Abgre during the Malaysian Super League match at the City Stadium on Saturday night. – @kuchingcityfc_official/Instagram

RM9,572,839.40

4502 + 2501 2128 + 2501 2501 + 2128

4502 + 2128 2128 + 4502 2501 + 4502

RM171,204.06

KUCHING CITY FC head coach Aidil Sharin Sahak praised his players’ fighting spirit after the Cats secured a crucial 3-1 win over Melaka FC in the Super League lon Saturday night, a victory that lifted them to second place in the standings. Aidil said his players displayed great deter mination and composure throughout the match, with forward Jerome Etame stealing the spotlight after netting his maiden hattrick for the club. “I think the boys executed the game plan very well and came into the match with a strong desire to win. We are very happy for Etame on his first hattrick and hopefully he can continue this momentum,” Aidil said after the match. Cameroonian import Etame scored in the 40th, 71st and 87th minutes while Melaka’s lone goal was scored by Muhamad Umar Hakeem Suhar Rezwan in the 47th minute. Aidil said the victory has boosted the squad’s confidence ahead of their final league match of the season. The former Singapore international described the club’s achievements this season as remarkable, considering many within the team had never experienced competing at such a high level before. “It is not easy for a small club like us to be in this situation. Some players have experience, but most do not. However, this shows everyone is hungry to achieve something special and cre ate another chapter of history for Kuching City,” he added.

Etame broke the deadlock with a free-kick in the 40th minute to put the Cats ahead before the end of the first half. As the second half resumed, Melaka did not wait long to equalise, as Muhamad Umar Hakeem Suhar Rezwan executed a solo run before beating Kuching City goalkeeper Muhammad Haziq Nadzli in the 47th minute. However, Etame put Kuching back in front in the 71st minute following an assist from Jimmy Raymond, before completing his hattrick with a solo run after receiving a pass from Gabriel Tamin in the 87th minute. With one match remaining this season, Kuching City now sits in second place with 50 points after 23 matches, just one point ahead of third-placed Selangor FC. Kuching City is scheduled to host Kuala Lumpur City FC in their final league match at the State Stadium on Sunday, while Selangor will face PDRM FC at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium. Despite already reaching the FA Cup semi finals and the National Cup final, Aidil said the team remain determined to finish strongly in the league. Aidil called on supporters to turn up in full force for the club’s final home match of the sea son. Meanwhile, Gabriel Peres emerged as the hero for Sabah FC, scoring a late penalty to ensure “Sang Badak” recorded a 1-0 win over Brunei representative DPMM FC in another match at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. – Bernama

15 16 17 18 23 25 28 30

8 11

RM10,183,628.71

RM100,000.00

0 2 2 8 0 1 02280

22801

0228

2801

022

801

02

01

28

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