25% rise in allocation to Youth and Sports agencies

KUALA LUMPUR: The RM1 billion from Budget 2019 for the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) will result in a 25 per cent increase in allocation to agencies like the National Sports Council (MSN), National Sports Institute (NSI) and the State Youth and Sports Department.

Its Deputy Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong, who confirmed that the ministry has been allotted a budget of around RM1 billion, said that the allocation would be channelled towards youths, national athletes and communities.

“This Budget is focused, prudent and in line with our policies. For example, there is an 11 per cent reduction in expenditure to manage the KBS headquarters. That is quite a hefty drop. It means the ministry must be disciplined in terms of financial governance and not spend frivolously.

“But the allocation for NSC and NSI has risen, as has the provision for youth and sports and communities. This is good news for sports fans and communities… not forgetting the development of eSports.

“When the government shrank its own budget and expanded it for the people, I found it to be a very positive development. It’s good news for the people,” he told Bernama when met at the Parliament lobby after the tabling of Budget 2019 here yesterday.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, while tabling the Budget at the Dewan Rakyat, also announced an allocation of RM100 million for the preparation of athletes to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the hope that they will return with the country’s first Olympic gold medal.

Guan Eng said that an additional RM10 million has been set aside to promote and develop eSports as an activity and industry as it has attracted the younger generation to be involved in software engineering and digital game development.

Steven said that it was also interesting to note that the Budget managed to narrow the ratio gap of KBS’s operating and development expenditures from 70:30 in 2018 to 64:36 in 2019.

“Now we are giving more money for development,” he said.

“As for the youngsters, there will be a budget of RM70 million in the future for a leadership school. That will be a new budget. We also have an increased budget to empower the National Youth Skills Institute.”

For the record, RM1 billion was allocated to KBS in Budget 2018, RM1.2 billion in 2017 and RM930 million in 2016. - Bernama

M-League: 12 weeks for teams to register players, officials for next season

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Football League (MFL) has set a 12-week time frame - from Nov 29, 2018 to Feb 20, 2019 - for the First Registration Period (First Transfer Window) of players and officials for next season’s Malaysia League (MLeague).

The MFL announced that it was compulsory for each team to register a minimum of 20 players, including three goalkeepers, on or before Jan 10, 2019.

“This is to allow each team to be sufficiently prepared for their first Super League and Premier League matches, which are expected to start in the first week on February next year,” said the MFL in their Facebook posting. - Bernama