FAM deputy president Khairy Jamaluddin announced the new ruling after the association's council meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, revealing that it had received unanimous support from the FAM's 16 affiliates.

"This decree is indefinite and it will be enforced in the new season in January 2009," he said.

"It may be seen as a backtrack measure but we have to bear in mind that this is the only way to raise our football standard."

It is the second time in a decade that foreign players have been banned from the Malaysian league. The first ban, introduced in 1999 as a result of the Asian financial crisis, was revoked three years.

However, Khairy felt that the return of import players has not led to an improvement in the quality of the league.

"After years of allowing import players to play in our leagues, they did not improve our football standard at all," he said.

"Furthermore, some of them did not have any quality."

In addition to the ban on foreign players, all 28 clubs in the two leagues will be required to field an under-20 player in their starting line-up next season.