The 2003 Liga Perdana 1 season is the sixth and final season of Liga Perdana 1. A total of 13 teams participated in the season out of 14 as NS Chempaka FC withdrew from the league.[1]
| Season | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 9 February – 6 July 2003 |
| Champions | Perak 2nd Premier League One title 2nd Liga M title |
| Relegated | Johor FC TM F.C. Kelantan Malacca Selangor Terengganu |
| 2004 AFC Cup | Perak (group stage) Negeri Sembilan (group stage) |
| Matches played | 156 |
| Goals scored | 454 (2.91 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | 23 goals Phillimon Chepita (Perlis) |
← 2002 2004 → | |
The Liga Perdana 1 was introduced in 1998. It replaced the Liga Perdana (1994–97) as the top-tier football league in Malaysia.
The season kicked off on 9 February 2003. Perak again dominated the season and ended up winning the title. Perlis's Phillimon Chepita was the season's top goalscorer with 23 goals.
This season also the last season before the league was succeeded by the formation of Liga Super from 2004 season onwards while Liga Premier was formed to become the new second-tier league in Malaysian football league system. The teams from 2003 season undergoes a qualifying stage to be promoted into inaugural 2004 Malaysia Super League.
Teams edit
A total of 13 teams will participate in the 2003 Liga Perdana 1 season. 
NS Chempaka FC pulled out of the league.
Perak FA (2002 Liga Perdana 1 champions)
Selangor FA
Sabah FA
Penang FA
Terengganu FA
Johor FC
Perlis FA
Sarawak FA
Pahang FA
Kelantan FA
Malacca FA
Kedah FA (Promoted as 2002 Liga Perdana 2 champions)- Melaka Telekom (Promoted as 2002 Liga Perdana 2 runner-up)
Note:
NS Chempaka FC pulled out of the league.
League table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Perak FA (C)
|
24 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 38 | 22 | +16 | 47 | Champion |
| 2 |  Kedah FA
|
24 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 43 | 17 | +26 | 45 | |
| 3 |  Perlis FA
|
24 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 40 | 23 | +17 | 45 | |
| 4 |  Sabah FA
|
24 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 34 | 22 | +12 | 38 | |
| 5 |  Pahang FA
|
24 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 38 | 33 | +5 | 36 | |
| 6 |  Penang FA
|
24 | 11 | 3 | 10 | 29 | 28 | +1 | 36 | |
| 7 |  Johor FC (R)
|
24 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 42 | 32 | +10 | 34 | Relegated to Liga Premier |
| 8 |  Sarawak FA
|
24 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 47 | 42 | +5 | 34 | |
| 9 |  Melaka Telekom (R)
|
24 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 32 | 34 | −2 | 32 | Relegated to Liga Premier |
| 10 |  Kelantan FA (R)
|
24 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 31 | 52 | −21 | 28 | |
| 11 | Malacca FA (R)
|
24 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 24 | 53 | −29 | 20 | |
| 12 |  Selangor FA (R)
|
24 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 32 | 44 | −12 | 18 | |
| 13 |  Terengganu FA (R)
|
24 | 4 | 3 | 17 | 24 | 52 | −28 | 15 |
- Note
- Clubs places 1st to 6th will be entering Liga Super automatically.
- Clubs places 7th to 10th will be entering Liga Super playoffs.
- Clubs places 11th to 13th will be relegating to Liga Premier.
2004 Malaysia Super League playoffs edit
A total of 8 teams will participate in the 2004 Malaysia Super League season playoffs.
- Johor FC (2003 Liga Perdana 1 7th place)
- Sarawak FA (2003 Liga Perdana 1 8th place)
- Melaka Telekom (2003 Liga Perdana 1 9th place)
- Kelantan FA (2003 Liga Perdana 1 10th place)
- Public Bank FC (2003 Liga Perdana 2 champions)
- Negeri Sembilan FA (2003 Liga Perdana 2 runners-up)
- Johor FA (2003 Liga Perdana 2 3rd place)
- MPPJ (2003 Liga Perdana 2 4th place)
Results edit
First round edit
First Legs edit
| MPPJ | 4 – 1 | Negeri Sembilan FA |
|---|---|---|
Annuar Abu Bakar  22', 65'Bruno Martelotto 56'Azlan Meri 88' |
Efendi Abdul Malek 6' |
| Public Bank FC | 3 – 1 | Johor FA |
|---|---|---|
| Zulkifli Chek Din 12' Shahrilnizam Khalil 64 own goal'Ivan Ziga 67' |
Suhaimi Jamil 70' |
| Sarawak FA | 3 – 1 | Melaka Telekom |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Eshun 23' Sapian Abdul Wahed 65'Wong Sai Kong 74' |
Nazzab Hidzan 81 pen' |
Second Legs edit
| Negeri Sembilan | 4 – 2 | MPPJ |
|---|---|---|
| Suharmin Yusof 58', 71' K. Sathian 62'K. Rajan 75' |
Mohd Haris Safwan Mohd Kamal 38' Annuar Abu Bakar 56' |
- MPPJ qualified 6-5 on aggregate.
| Johor FA | 3 – 3 | Public Bank FC |
|---|---|---|
| P. Gunasekaran 56' Mohd Farid Ideris 73'Ante Jurić 90' |
Milan Strelec 36 pen', 50' Ivan Ziga 42' |
- Public Bank FC qualified 6-4 on aggregate.
- Sarawak FA qualified 4-1 on aggregate.
- Johor FC qualified 1-1 on aggregate, 4-2 on penalties.
Final Round edit
First Legs edit
| MPPJ | 3 – 2 | Sarawak FA |
|---|---|---|
| Annuar Abu Bakar 57', 85' Kamarulzaman Yub Majid 68' |
Gilbert Cassidy Gawing 60' Ramles Sari 90' |
| Public Bank FC | 1 – 2 | Johor FC |
|---|---|---|
| Ivan Ziga 54' |
Hairi Azly Mohamad 48' Jonathan Angelucci 89' |
Second Legs edit
| Sarawak FA | 3 – 1 | MPPJ |
|---|---|---|
| Gilbert Cassidy Gawing 16', 44' Sapian Abdul Wahed 120' |
Bruno Martelotto 15' |
- Sarawak FA qualified 5-4 on aggregate.
| Johor FC | 1 – 2 | Public Bank FC |
|---|---|---|
| Zami Mohd Noor 87' |
Ivan Ziga 64', 79' |
- Public Bank FC qualified 3-3 on aggregate, 5-4 on penalties.
- Note
- Sarawak FA and Public Bank FC qualifies for 2004 Malaysia Super League.
Season statistics edit
Top goalscorers edit
Source: FIFA: Liga Perdana 1 Scorers
| Rank | Scorer | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Phillimon Chepita
|
Perlis FA
|
23 |
Champions edit
| 2003 Liga Perdana 1 winner |
|---|
 Perak 2nd title |