2003 Malaysia Premier League 1
| Season | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Perak FA |
| Relegated |
Johor FC Melaka TMFC Kelantan FA Malacca FA Selangor FA Terengganu FA |
| 2004 AFC Cup |
Perak FA (group stage) Negeri Sembilan FA (group stage) |
| Matches played | 156 |
| Goals scored | 454 (2.91 per match) |
| Top goalscorer |
23 goals Phillimon Chepita (Perlis FA) |
|
← 2002 2004 → | |
The Malaysia Premier League 1 was introduced in 1998. It replaced the M-League as the top-most tier for professional Malaysian football clubs.
The season kicked off on February 9, 2003. Perak FA again dominated the season and ended up winning the title. Perlis FA's Phillimon Chepita was the season's top goalscorer with 23 goals.
This season also the last season before the league was succeed by the formation of Malaysia Super League from 2004 season onwards as the Malaysia Premier League became the 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
A total of 13 teams will participate in the 2003 Malaysia Premier League 1 season. 
NS Chempaka FC pulled out of the league.
Perak FA (2002 Malaysia Premier League 1 champions)
Selangor FA
Sabah FA.svg.png)
Penang FA
Terengganu FA
Johor FC
Perlis FA
Sarawak FA
Pahang FA
Kelantan FA
Malacca FA
Kedah FA (Promoted as 2002 Malaysia Premier League 2 champions)- Melaka Telekom (Promoted as 2002 Malaysia Premier League 2 runner-up)
Note:
- NS Chempaka FC pulled out of the league.
League table
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perak FA |
24 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 38 | 22 | 47 |
| 2 | Kedah FA |
24 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 43 | 17 | 45 |
| 3 | Perlis FA |
24 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 40 | 23 | 45 |
| 4 | Sabah FA |
24 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 34 | 22 | 38 |
| 5 | Pahang FA |
24 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 38 | 33 | 36 |
| 6 | Penang FA |
24 | 11 | 3 | 10 | 29 | 28 | 36 |
| 7 | Johor FC |
24 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 42 | 32 | 34 |
| 8 | Sarawak FA |
24 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 47 | 42 | 34 |
| 9 | Melaka Telekom |
24 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 32 | 34 | 32 |
| 10 | Kelantan FA |
24 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 31 | 52 | 28 |
| 11 | Malacca FA |
24 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 24 | 53 | 20 |
| 12 | Selangor FA |
24 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 32 | 44 | 18 |
| 13 | Terengganu FA |
24 | 4 | 3 | 17 | 24 | 52 | 15 |
| Champion | |
| Relegated to Malaysia Premier League |
- Note
- Clubs places 1st to 6th will be entering Malaysia Super League automatically.
- Clubs places 7th to 10th will be entering Malaysia Super League playoffs.
- Clubs places 11th to 13th will be relegating to Malaysia Premier League.
Malaysia Super League 2004 Playoffs
A total of 8 teams will participate in the Malaysia Super League 2004 season playoffs.
- Johor FC (2003 Malaysia Premier League 1 7th place)
- Sarawak FA (2003 Malaysia Premier League 1 8th place)
- Melaka Telekom (2003 Malaysia Premier League 1 9th place)
- Kelantan FA (2003 Malaysia Premier League 1 10th place)
- Public Bank FC (2003 Malaysia Premier 2 League champions)
- Negeri Sembilan FA (2003 Malaysia Premier 2 League runners-up)
- Johor FA (2003 Malaysia Premier 2 League 3rd place)
- MPPJ FC (2003 Malaysia Premier 2 League 4th place)
Malaysia Super League 2004 Playoffs matches
First Round
First Legs
6 August 2003 20:45 |
| MPPJ FC |
4 – 1 | Negeri Sembilan FA |
|---|---|---|
Annuar Abu Bakar  22', 65'Bruno Martelotto 56'Azlan Meri 88' |
Efendi Abdul Malek 6' |
6 August 2003 20:45 |
| Public Bank FC |
3 – 1 | Johor FA |
|---|---|---|
| Zulkifli Chek Din 12' Shahrilnizam Khalil 64 own goal'Ivan Ziga 67' |
Suhaimi Jamil 70' |
6 August 2003 20:15 |
| Sarawak FA |
3 – 1 | Melaka Telekom |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Eshun 23' Sapian Abdul Wahed 65'Wong Sai Kong 74' |
Nazzab Hidzan 81 pen' |
State Stadium, Petra Jaya, Kuching |
Second Legs
9 August 2003 20:45 |
| Negeri Sembilan |
4 – 2 | MPPJ FC |
|---|---|---|
| Suharmin Yusof 58', 71' K. Sathian 62'K. Rajan 75' |
Mohd Haris Safwan Mohd Kamal 38' Annuar Abu Bakar 56' |
- MPPJ FC qualified 6-5 on aggregate.
9 August 2003 20:45 |
| 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
First Legs
13 August 2003 20:45 |
| MPPJ FC |
3 – 2 | Sarawak FA |
|---|---|---|
| Annuar Abu Bakar 57', 85' Kamarulzaman Yub Majid 68' |
Gilbert Cassidy Gawing 60' Ramles Sari 90' |
13 August 2003 20:45 |
| Public Bank FC |
1 – 2 | Johor FC |
|---|---|---|
| Ivan Ziga 54' |
Hairi Azly Mohamad 48' Jonathan Angelucci 89' |
Second Legs
16 August 2003 20:45 |
| Sarawak FA |
3 – 1 | MPPJ FC |
|---|---|---|
| Gilbert Cassidy Gawing 16', 44' Sapian Abdul Wahed 120' |
Bruno Martelotto 15' |
- Sarawak FA qualified 5-4 on aggregate.
- Public Bank FC qualified 3-3 on aggregate, 5-4 on penalties.
- Note
- Sarawak FA and Public Bank FC qualifies for Malaysia Super League 2004.
Top goalscorers
Source: FIFA: Malaysia Premier League 1 Scorers
| Rank | Scorer | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Phillimon Chepita |
Perlis FA |
23 |
Champions/Winners
| 2003 Malaysia Premier League 1 Winner |
|---|
|
Perak FA 2nd Title |