Mizzima News

New Delhi (Mizzima) – The first ever Burmese Premier League soccer tournament, played by professional Burmese football clubs, will be kick started in May 2009.

The Myanmar National League (MNL) was established in 2008 and people from the Federation of Burma Football and other soccer professionals have started collaborating on establishing national level football clubs in Burma.

The signing ceremony for the final official transfer of players from 'Myanmar National League' to private football clubs, from their respective ministry teams, was held yesterday.

In the first batch, five famous players were paid maximum transfer fees and a monthly salary of Kyat. 5 million and 1 million respectively, today’s issue of state-run 'New Light of Myanmar' reported.

"Yes, all these players received the full amount mentioned in the agreement. All the players in these football clubs were paid their salaries too. We are working mainly to uplift their life. Some of them are paid under Kyat. 300,000 as monthly salary," 'Myanmar Federation of Football' Chairman Zaw Zaw said.

These football clubs are allowed to hire a foreign coach and a maximum of 5 foreign players for each club.

"Our signing standard is world class. We are using the signing format recognized by the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) and Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the contracts and certificates are of world standard too," Zaw Zaw said.

Burmese business tycoons announced the establishment of private football clubs in a press conference held on March 4, at Sedona Hotel in Rangoon.

Most of these club owners are cronies of the military junta and they are blacklisted under the US economic sanction imposed on Burma.

Tay Za of Htoo Co. owns Rangoon United, Kanbawza Bank banker Aung Ko Win owns Kanbawza Club, Alpine Drinking Water owner Dr. Sai Sem Tun owns Yadanabon Club, Asian World Co. owner Tun Myint Naing owns Magwe Club, Htay Myint from Yuzana Co. owns Southern Burmese United, ITBC Liquor Co. owner Aung Moe Kyaw owns Oktha United Club, Aden Co. Chit Khaing owns Delta United and Shwe Nagar Co. owner Win Myint owns Zeya Shwe Myay Club, totaling 8 private football clubs.

The Burmese Football Federation has said that the aims of establishing these private football clubs are to ensure a better future and prospects for Burmese football and to create awareness and interest in soccer, among the people in Burma.

However, the business community in Burma said that the implementation of this project is in accordance with the principle of 'Do as they say, will be rewarded in return later', the basic principle of cronyism in the Burmese business world, of collaborating with the junta.

"However the future and prospects of Burmese football is bright and rosy. But, we have to work zealously for some time in great unity, to achieve success in this work," Myanmar Football Federation Chairman Zaw Zaw said.

"This is one of the changes that we have to ensure in soccer. We have to do a lot more. It will take a lot of time to make these football clubs measure up to the professional standard," he added.