OPINION

@ Halal | July-August. 2025

BY SHAIRAZI AIMAN

Through decades of careful regulatory development, strategic branding, and international trust-building, Malaysia has become the reference point for over 1.9 billion Muslims in matters of halal compliance. The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia’ s halal stamp carries more weight in Lagos, Istanbul and Jakarta than many trade agreements do.

The Malaysia International Halal Showcase( Mihas) has become the world’ s largest halal expo. The Halal Development Corporation( HDC) is the global standard-setter. The Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry and the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation are not just regulators or promoters rs— they are nation-branding architects of Malaysia’ s halal industry.

Yet, despite this dominance, Malaysia has failed to project its halal leadership into culture and sport— areas where soft power is built and loyalty is won.

While nations like Saudi Arabia and Qatar buy influence through top-tier football, Malaysia has something these countries do not— credibility, trust and system-level leadership in halal economics.

The question is not whether Malaysia can globalise its football league. It is whether it can do so as a halal superpower.

Here’ s a 20-year strategic roadmap that links football, halal industries, national branding, trade diplomacy and sports broadcasting— turning Liga Malaysia from a struggling domestic product into a globally trusted, halal-certified football platform.

And this roadmap is not just for Malaysia but for the 57 Organisation of Islamic Cooperation( OIC) nations, emerging halal economies, non-Muslim countries that are increasingly investing in halal( such as Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan), and a football-hungry Muslim youth population looking for meaning beyond money.

TRADE AND TRUST

The global halal economy is a multi-trillion-dollar market that is expected to reach US $ 5 trillion by 2030. It encompasses food, finance, cosmetics, fashion, logistics, tourism and more.

Malaysia sits at its command

� Malaysia can become the first nation to integrate football with halal finance, ethical branding and Shariah-compliant investment tools.

� By leveraging Mihas, Visit Malaysia 2026, and existing diplomatic platforms, Liga Malaysia can evolve into a vehicle for halal lifestyle promotion, tourism, and regional influence.

� A structured 20-year plan with five-year cycles and clear KPIs is proposed to position Malaysia’ s domestic football league as a halal branding powerhouse by 2046.

centre. However, this economic strength remains oddly divorced from its domestic football ecosystem, which has suffered from financial shortfalls, mismanagement, and structural stagnation for decades.

Clubs playing in the domestic leagues today live hand-tomouth. State subsidies keep specific teams afloat. Commercial sponsorship is inconsistent. Foreign player recruitment— often the most visible link to global markets— is reactive rather than strategic.

But what if Liga Malaysia could reposition itself as the world’ s first halal-integrated football league? Not luxurious like the Saudi Pro League. Not cash-rich like the Qatari Stars League. But a trusted, ethical, globally recognised halal hub for football— both on and off the pitch.

HDC must think bigger: From certifying products to catalysing champions

The Halal Development Corporation( HDC) is Malaysia’ s primary platform for facilitating halal trade. It certifies, networks and promotes halal businesses across global value chains.

But in the modern economy, brands mean more than raw goods. They mean lifestyle. They mean identity. And that’ s where football lives.

HDC must now think like a cultural-industrial strategist. Clubs can be vehicles for halal SMEs. Matchdays can become platforms for halal bazaars. Corporate social responsibility investments can be aligned with zakat obligations.

Sukuk structures can finance stadiums. Foreign halal conglomerates— food producers from Turkey, logistics giants from the UAE, cosmetics brands from Indonesia— can all tap into the Liga Malaysia ecosystem to build trust with Southeast Asian consumers.

More than that, HDC must embrace a broader horizon of halal industries— one that includes digital services, e-Sports, sustainable energy, fintech and education.

Football clubs can act as content platforms and educational hubs within this halal paradigm. The scope must shift from merely certifying products to shaping narratives.

Malaysia’ s Islamic financial institutions must take the lead. Clubs can issue sukuk— Islamic bonds— to fund stadiums, academies and infrastructure. Beyond sukuk, the creation of innovative halal financial products tailored for football club sustainability can become a frontier in Islamic banking.

Takaful( Islamic insurance) schemes for players, Syariah-compliant investment funds for fan ownership, and ethical revenue-sharing models with grassroots academies can transform how clubs raise capital and build trust. This is no longer sports sponsorship. It is strategic halal diplomacy. And it is a future that few imagined.

The intersection of halal finance and football operations has never crossed the minds of even the most sophisticated players in either industry. That is Malaysia’ s advantage— an overlooked insight with transformative power.

USING MIHAS, VMY 2026

Malaysia is preparing for Visit Malaysia 2026— a major global showcase aimed at reviving tourism, rekindling trade, and projecting national pride. Football must be a core pillar of this narrative.

Mihas, already a global hub for halal trade, should launch a vertical platform centred on halal sports and lifestyle. Here, the Malaysia Football League( MFL) and Football Association of Malaysia( FAM) can pitch the Malaysia League as an investment target to OIC investors, halal venture capital firms and global sports business stakeholders.