| Dates | June – October 2023 | 
|---|---|
| Champions | UiTM United | 
| Promoted | UiTM United & YP Maintenance | 
| Matches played | 69 | 
| Goals scored | 232 (3.36 per match) | 
| Top goalscorer | Arisazri Juhari (11 goals) | 
| Biggest home win | 10 goals Jakim 10–0 NS Cyberfox (19 August 2023) | 
| Biggest away win | 6 goals NS Cyberfox 0–5 MP Port Dickson (26 August 2023) | 
| Highest scoring | 10 goals Jakim 10–0 NS Cyberfox (19 August 2023) | 
| ← 2019  2024–25 → All statistics correct as of 7 October 2023. | |
The 2023 Malaysia M4 League (Malay: Liga M4 Malaysia), also known as the al-Ikhsan Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the second season of the Malaysia M4 League, currently the third tier football league in the Malaysian football league system.[1] This is the first season where the league is held as a single division. The season started on the 3rd of June.
Format
The tournament is played as follows:
- League level: 15 teams are divided into three zones, namely Zone 1 (6 teams), Zone 2 (5 teams) and Zone 3 (4 teams), each drawn from the Central/South, East and Borneo regions.
- Round 1 Divided into three zones, each team will play at home and away to determine the position in the group. The top two teams in each zone, including third team in Zones 1 & 2, will advance to the knockout stage.
 
- Knockout stage: The knockout stage is the match to determine the winner. Finalists will be promoted to 2024–25 Malaysia M3 League.[2]
Clubs
Below are the list of clubs who will join the 2023 season, based on the status gained from Amateur Football League.
 Bunga Raya Bunga Raya
 CF Kuantan City CF Kuantan City
 Cyberfox Cyberfox
 JAKIM JAKIM
 Machan Machan
 MAHSA City MAHSA City
 Maqarize Maqarize
 MP Port Dickson MP Port Dickson
 Mukah Youth Team Mukah Youth Team
 Real Chukai Real Chukai
 Republic of Borneo Republic of Borneo
 STR STR
 UiTM United UiTM United
 Wan Tendong Stable Wan Tendong Stable
 YP Maintenance YP Maintenance
Season changes
Withdrawn from the 2023 Malaysia Super League
 UiTM FC was renamed to UiTM United FC. UiTM FC was renamed to UiTM United FC.
Relegated from the 2022 Malaysia M3 League
Promoted from the 2022 Malaysia M5 League
 Bunga Raya - Promoted by 2022 Nogori M5 League quarter-finalist Bunga Raya - Promoted by 2022 Nogori M5 League quarter-finalist
 CF Kuantan City - Promoted by 2022 Kuantan Amateur League runners-up CF Kuantan City - Promoted by 2022 Kuantan Amateur League runners-up
 Cyberfox - Promoted by 2022 Nogori M5 League 2 semi-finalist Cyberfox - Promoted by 2022 Nogori M5 League 2 semi-finalist
 JAKIM - Promoted by winning the 2022 Putrajaya League JAKIM - Promoted by winning the 2022 Putrajaya League
 MAHSA City - Promoted by the 2022 Mahsa-Kronos M5 League runners-up MAHSA City - Promoted by the 2022 Mahsa-Kronos M5 League runners-up
 MP Port Dickson - Promoted by winning the 2022 Nogori M5 League MP Port Dickson - Promoted by winning the 2022 Nogori M5 League
 Mukah Youth Team  - Promoted by the 2022 Ligue M5 Bintulu semi-finalist Mukah Youth Team  - Promoted by the 2022 Ligue M5 Bintulu semi-finalist
 Republic of Borneo - Promoted by winning the 2022 Mahsa-Kronos M5 League Republic of Borneo - Promoted by winning the 2022 Mahsa-Kronos M5 League
 YP Maintenance - Promoted by winning 2022 Kuantan Amateur League YP Maintenance - Promoted by winning 2022 Kuantan Amateur League
Invited team
 Machan Machan
 Maqarize Maqarize
 STR STR
 Wan Tendong Stable Wan Tendong Stable
Teams withdrawn
 AS United F.C. 1 AS United F.C. 1
 FC Langkawi 2 FC Langkawi 2
 Kijang Rangers 2 Kijang Rangers 2
 Langkawi City 2 Langkawi City 2
 Tok Janggut Warriors 2 Tok Janggut Warriors 2
 Tun Razak City 2 Tun Razak City 2
Notes:
- ^1 Promoted by the Winning 2022 S-Ligue M5 Sarawak.
- ^2 Originally relegated from the 2022 Malaysia M3 League, however the teams were not registered to the 2023 Malaysia M4 League due to unknown reasons.
Stadiums and locations
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | 
|---|---|---|---|
| Bunga Raya | Seremban | Arena IRC Negeri Sembilan, Bandar Sri Sendayan | 800 | 
| CF Kuantan City | Kuantan | Padang MPK | 700 | 
| NS Cyberfox | Nilai | Seriemas Sportsplex, Nilai | 500 | 
| JAKIM | Putrajaya | MMU Stadium, Cyberjaya | 1,500 | 
| Machan | Petra Jaya, Kuching | Padang D, Petra Jaya Sports Complex | 700 | 
| MAHSA City | Jenjarom | MAHSA University Mini Stadium | 1,000 | 
| Maqarize | Kota Samarahan | UNIMAS Stadium | 6,000 | 
| MP Port Dickson | Port Dickson | Padang Merdeka | 1,500 | 
| Mukah Youth Team | Mukah | Mukah Stadium | 1,500 | 
| Real Chukai | Chukai, Kemaman | Mak Chili Stadium | 2,000 | 
| Republic of Borneo | Sepang | UPM Stadium | 3,000 | 
| Susun Tenaga Resources | Sarikei | Bintangor Sports Complex | 1,000 | 
| UiTM United | Shah Alam | UiTM Stadium | 10,000 | 
| Wan Tendong Stable | Pasir Mas | Pasir Mas Mini Stadium | 6,000 | 
| YP Maintenance | Kuantan | UIA Mini Stadium, Kuantan | 2,500 | 
Draws
The draw ceremony was held on 25 May 2023, at 15:00 (MST).
| 
 | 
 | 
 | 
Personnel and sponsoring
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Sponsor | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bunga Raya |  Gunalan Padathan |  K. Ravindran | Kimicom | Sakti Sari Sdn Bhd | 
| CF Kuantan City |  Kamarulazlan Pati |  Firdaus Paris | Let's Play Performance | |
| Cyberfox |  Syah Juan |  Asmaie Alias | Forfeit | |
| JAKIM |  Mohd Nik |  Saiful Rahman | ||
| Machan |  Endrew Lawadin |  Paul Sambang | Keris Sakti | |
| MAHSA City |  Shaiful Abd Kadir |  Izham Alizan | Kronos | MAHSA University | 
| Maqarize |  Busrah Ahmad |  Hairol Mokhtar | Lotto | |
| MP Port Dickson |  Adnan Mohd Din |  Amirul Asyraf | Blackbox | |
| Mukah Youth |  Jamal Wasli |  Iqbal Latip | ||
| Real Chukai |  Che Ku Marzuki |  Haidhir Suhaini | Voltra | University College TATI | 
| Republic of Borneo |  Manchon Andangon |  Camilus David | Kimicom | Kimicom Network | 
| STR |  Raziman Ramblie |  Awang Jamali | Kovra | |
| UiTM United |  Yazli Yahaya |  Adam Afiz | Let's Play Performance | |
| WTS |  Che Saufi Ibrahim |  Hazeman Abd Karim | ||
| YPM |  Syed Fairul Hakim |  Syawal Norsham | Legasi 06 | YP Maintenance Sdn Bhd, Sinatra Barbershop, Legasi | 
Standings
Zone 1 (Central/South)
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or qualification | MPD | BUN | JAK | MAH | CYB | ROB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MP Port Dickson | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 8 | +18 | 22 | Advance to Knockout Stage | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 4–1 | ||
| 2 | Bunga Raya | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 32 | 9 | +23 | 21 | 3–3 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 8–1 | |||
| 3 | Jakim | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 29 | 8 | +21 | 20 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 10–0 | 4–0 | |||
| 4 | MAHSA City | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 14 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 3–2 | 5–0 | |||
| 5 | NS Cyberfox | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 41 | −34 | 3 | 0–6 | 0–7 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–2 | |||
| 6 | Republic of Borneo | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 10 | 38 | −28 | 4 | 1–1 | 0–5 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored.
Zone 2 (East Coast)
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or qualification | YPM | UIT | WTS | KUA | REA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | YP Maintenance | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 17 | Promotion to 2024–25 MBSB Bank Championship | 1–1 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | ||
| 2 | UiTM United | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 13 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 5–1 | 1–3 | |||
| 3 | Wan Tendong Stable | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 13 | Advance to Knockout Stage | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 4 | CF Kuantan City | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 14 | −7 | 8 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | |||
| 5 | Real Chukai | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 14 | −6 | 5 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored.
Zone 3 (Borneo)
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or qualification | MAC | MAQ | MYT | STR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Machan | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 4 | +10 | 14 | Advance to Knockout Stage | 0–0 | 2–0 | 5–1 | ||
| 2 | Maqarize | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 10 | 0–0 | 5–0 | 0–0 | |||
| 3 | Mukah Youth Team | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 12 | −1 | 6 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 4–1 | |||
| 4 | Susun Tenaga Resources FC | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 20 | −15 | 2 | 2–5 | 1–1 | 0–5 | 
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored.
Knockout stage
Bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||
| Machan | 1(6) | |||||||||||||
| WTS | 1(5) | |||||||||||||
| Machan | 0 | |||||||||||||
| UiTM United | 4 | |||||||||||||
| Bunga Raya | 1 | |||||||||||||
| UiTM United | 2 | |||||||||||||
| UiTM United | 2 | |||||||||||||
| YP Maintenance | 1 | |||||||||||||
| YP Maintenance | 1 | |||||||||||||
| JAKIM | 0 | |||||||||||||
| YP Maintenance | 2 | |||||||||||||
| MP Port Dickson | 1 | |||||||||||||
| MP Port Dickson | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Maqarize | 0 | |||||||||||||
Quarter-finals
| 9 September 2023 | Machan | 1−1 (a.e.t.) (6–5 p) | WTS | Kuching | 
| 20:15 UTC+8 | Hafiz Abu Bakar  15' | Report | Khairul Rizam  22' | Stadium: Sarawak State Stadium Attendance: 600 Referee: Ensali Sabang | 
| 9 September 2023 | YP Maintenance | 1−0 | JAKIM | Gambang | 
| 16:15 UTC+8 | Amir Eimran  81' | Report | Stadium: SSM Pahang Mini Stadium Attendance: 112 Referee: Ahmad Hafiz Muhamed | 
| 9 September 2023 | Bunga Raya | 1−2 | UiTM United | Bandar Sri Sendayan | 
| 16:15 UTC+8 | S. Thipanraj  52' | Report | Asyraaf Rifqi  58' Mirza Malik  80' | Stadium: Padang Arena IRC Attendance: 20 Referee: Shahmi Ismail | 
| 9 September 2023 | MP Port Dickson | 2−0 | Maqarize | Port Dickson | 
| 16:15 UTC+8 | Ibrahim Suhaib  45+1' Al Rifae  90+2' (pen.) | Report | Stadium: Padang Merdeka Attendance: 60 Referee: Sofi Romli | 
Semi-finals
| 22 September 2023 | Machan | 0−4 | UiTM United | Kuching | 
| 15:45 UTC+8 | Report | 
 | Stadium: Sarawak State Stadium Attendance: 600 Referee: Ensali Sabang a/k Timban | 
| 23 September 2023 | YP Maintenance | 2−1 | MP Port Dickson | Gambang | 
| 16:15 UTC+8 | 
 | Report | 
 | Stadium: SSM Pahang Mini Stadium Attendance: 217 Referee: Tuan Mohd Faizrullah | 
Final
| UiTM United | 2−1 (a.e.t.) | YP Maintenance | 
|---|---|---|
| Fakhrul Razi  74' (pen.), 107' (pen.) | Report | Mohamad Ilham  10' (own goal.) | 
Champion
| Champion | 
|---|
| UiTM United | 
| 1st Title | 
Season statistics
Top scorers
- As of 7 October 2023
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[3] | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Arisazri Juhari | JAKIM | 11 | 
| 2 |  Fakhrur Razi | UiTM United | 10 | 
|  K. Ravindran | Bunga Raya | ||
| 4 |  Rozaimi Rahman | Machan | 4 | 
|  Sufizal Ismail | Mukah YT | ||
|  Kalaiarasan Murugun | Bunga Raya | ||
| 7 |  Bukhairi Idris | MP Port Dickson | 6 | 
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
|  Izzan Syahmi | Real Chukai | UiTM United | 3-1 (A)[4] | 3 June 2023 | 
|  Fakhrur Razi | UiTM United | WTS | 3-1 (H)[5] | 24 June 2023 | 
|  Sufizal Ismail4 | Mukah YT | STR | 4-1 (H)[6] | 8 July 2023 | 
|  Arisazri Juhari | Jakim | Republic of Borneo | 4-1 (A)[7] | 9 July 2023 | 
|  K. Ravindran4 | Bunga Raya | Republic of Borneo | 8-1 (H)[8] | 16 July 2023 | 
|  Rozaimi Rahman | Machan | STR | 5-2 (A)[9] | 5 August 2023 | 
|  Arisazri Juhari4 | Jakim | Cyberfox | 10-0 (H)[10] | 19 August 2023 | 
|  Lokman Hakim Saifuddin | Jakim | Cyberfox | 10-0 (H)[11] | 19 August 2023 | 
- Notes
4 Player scored 4 goals
5 Player scored 5 goals
(H) – Home team
(A) – Away team
Clean sheets
- As of 7 October 2023
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Arif Haikal | JAKIM | 5 | 
| 2 |  Hafiezulhisyam Roslee | Maqarize | 4 | 
| 3 |  Ahmad Uzair | Machan | 3 | 
| 4 |  Amirul Aqasha | Mahsa City | 2 | 
|  Amirul Asyraf | MP Port Dickson | ||
|  Moganaram Balakrishnan | Bunga Raya | ||
|  Yuaiman Jusoh | WTS | ||
| 7 |  Amar Irfan | STR | 1 | 
|  Afiq Afandi | MP Port Dickson | ||
|  Fikri Amin | WTS | ||
|  Raja Amir Shah | Mahsa City | ||
|  Shaarveen Segaran | Bunga Raya | ||
|  Yusof Akma | YPM | ||
|  Zamir Zaini | Kuantan City | ||
|  Zulhilmi Rashid | Bunga Raya | ||
|  Zubir Zaihan | MP Port Dickson | ||
See also
References
- ↑ "14 State and Social League Organisers Sign Agreement to Join M5 League". Johor Southern Tigers. 24 March 2018. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- ↑ "16 pasukan berentap rebut Piala Al-Ikhsan". 25 May 2023.
- ↑ "FAM - CMS". cms.fam.org.my. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ↑ "FAM - CMS".
- ↑ "FAM - CMS".
- ↑ "FAM - CMS".
- ↑ "FAM - CMS".
- ↑ "FAM - CMS".
- ↑ "FAM - CMS".
- ↑ "FAM - CMS".
- ↑ "FAM - CMS".