Myanmar National League Betting Tips

About Myanmar National League

The Myanmar National League is the main league of Myanmar's national professional football. In 2009, the league replaced the Myanmar Premier League, which only consisted of 14 football clubs based in Yangon, with eight professional clubs representing various regions throughout the country.

In preparation for its first full season in 2010, the league launched its inaugural two-month tournament, the Myanmar National League Cup, on May 16, 2009. Due to a lack of adequate facilities elsewhere, the MNL Cup 2009 matches were played in Yangon's two main stadiums. Yadanabon FC defeated Yangon United FC in the MNL Cup final on 5 July 2009 to become the first MNL champion.

In 2010, three clubs joined the league, and one more joined for 2011, bringing the total to twelve. Two more clubs representing the states of Chin and Shan will participate in the MNL season starting in January 2012. Promotion and relegation will be added in the 2014 season because MNL will expand once again.

History

In the past, professional football competitions in Myanmar only existed in limited form. All the main league up to this point consist of a soccer club based in Yangon, most of them affiliated with the Ministry of Government. It was only after 1996, when the Premier League was launched again as the Myanmar Premier League where non-government clubs were invited to join the league.

However, the league is only based in Yangon, and never attracts the attention of Burmese soccer fans, who follow European football with close religious spirit. The Myanmar Football Federation asked for approval from the government to launch the National League in February 2008, and finally received permission to establish private clubs in December 2008.

Each club was allowed to sign at most five foreign players and one foreign coach. The government provides tax exceptions for each club for the first three years, while each club owner must provide a minimum initial investment of Ks.200 million (around $200,000). It is hoped that the annual operating costs for each club are around Ks.500 million ($500,000). The investment apparently includes costs such as salaries, transportation and equipment, but does not include club stadiums, all of which are nationalized.

Myanmar Derby

Yangon United and Yadanarbon meet in the Myanmar Derby or Classic Match of Myanmar. This matchup represents Myanmar football in the modern era. It was named after the hype and massive atmosphere surrounding the match between two teams.

They first met during the 2009 MNL Cup season. It was a matchup between Yangon United and Yadanarbon on 18 June 2009 at Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon. At the beginning of the match, Yadanarbon led the league after three matches, while Yangon followed in second place. In the first 45 minutes, Yadanarbon led 2–1, but Yangon fought back to draw 2–2.

There were many exciting and dramatic moments in the match. It was then considered one of the most classic matches in Myanmar League history. Since then, the Yangon United versus Yadanarbon matchup has been known as "Myanmar Derby".