COMMENT | If there were time (and money), someone would have produced a huge banner with the words “Selamat kembali ke tanah air wira-wira bola sepak Malaysia” (Welcome home the heroes of Malaysian football) to be put at the arrival hall of the KLIA on Friday night.

Judging by the reception the Malaysian team received on their return - applause, pats on the pack, breaking out into a song etc - gave the impression that some of our stars were returning from an assignment where they were victorious from hard-fought battles.

When zeroes are treated like heroes; when failures are celebrated; and when a single performance is used as a yardstick, everything will certainly end up as an illusion - to mask mediocrity...