I REFER to the article Why? It's only football! by Francis Paul published in Rentakini on July 23
Salute the Sultan for not willing to quit when the going gets tough? He has been at the helm since 1984. Should he have had anything to contribute to Malaysian soccer, he would have done it by now and we would be reaping the fruits of his efforts today. He has had 23 years to nurture young football talent - long enough to create a team of Malaysian Rooneys and Ronaldos.
He has nothing more to add to the Malaysian soccer scene. During a recent press conference, the only real achievement he spoke about was the millions brought into the FAM coffers. However, this does not translate into real success in soccer worth celebrating. In fact, considering the FAM's inability to produce results and their lack of transparency, I wonder whether the funds really went into the development of football?
The sultan also blamed the poor state of the FAM when he first took on the post of president for its lack of success, but it was this same FAM that managed to take Malaysia into the Olympics in 1972 and again in 1980. Back then, just before he was appointed, they had a football team I was proud to watch, a team which won the Merdeka Tournament several times even against tough opponents such as South Korea. It is only since he joined that Malaysian football standard has degenerated.
Despite criticizing those who lambasted the FAM without themselves coming up with solutions ("None... offered any solution to the problem apart from demanding for heads in the FAM to roll"), Francis only "hoped" that the issue of the Sarawak team's lack of funds would be resolved.
Changing the management of the FAM, as suggested by numerous newspapers, is a viable option. Perhaps by introducing fresh faces with new ideas, the FAM will be able to achieve desirable results. There is no magical solution for this problem, and both myself and newspaper editors can only offer conceptual solutions.
My suggestions to the FAM are simple:
1 Everyone involved in the FAM should resign en bloc, including, but not limited to, the president Sultan Ahmad Shah, deputy presidents Tengku Mahkota and Redzuan Sheikh Ahmad, veeps Raja Ahmad, Anifah Aman and Jamal Nasir as well as the secretary, Dr Ibrahim Saad. Everyone else should be replaced - the committee members, directors, disciplinary board, and other equivalent bodies.
Until we clean up the FAM, Malaysian football will continue its downward spiral.
2 There is a need to start afresh. The FAM should be deregistered, with a new organisation created in its place. In its current state, the FAM is a 'black hole'; talent, intelligence and common sense disappear when they come into contact with the body.
3 A new management team with professional qualifications should take over, perhaps including those with experience as players. We must search for new talents, offering good pay and perks but with targets to be met!
4 The Super League should be abandoned. Instead, let's limit local football to the youth, with the under-21s given the best coaches money can buy. Beyond this age group, if the players are still interested in a professional football career, they should be sent overseas to play in the competitive arena of well-established foreign leagues.
In other words, no more Malaysia Cup please.
We lack the spirit and innocence of the old days, the days before money became our top priority. SuperMokh and his generation played with full enthusiasm, as if their lives depended on it. Why do our footballers today lack that motivation?
They are paid too handsomely for their mediocre skills in this country.
Footballers in Malaysia are paid handsomely for their achievements within the nation, despite the fact that these achievements pale in comparison to international standards. Just one victory at a national level provides them with enough bonuses and extra perks to last them several years. In fact, in the 80's footballers such as Azizul and Azman Adnan were paid exorbitant salaries of up to RM20,000 a month.
The riches offered to them locally are limiting their experience and ambition. After all, what's the point in broadening one's horizons if there is more to be earned back in Malaysia?
My suggestions for unearthing young talent:
1 Football fields. maintained by the local authorities, should be made available in every housing estate to be used free of charge by all school children.
2 If there is no space for football fields, houses or golf courses should be converted. Expensive, you say? Not at all, compared to what we're spending on Brickendonbury.
3 All schools should have qualified soccer coaches, not just untrained PE teachers who send the kids to play without teaching them about basic tactics and skills. The FAM should bear the cost of educating these teachers.
I must stress that these ideas are purely conceptual. Actual implementation is much more difficult to achieve, and I understand that. Some of these ideas may sound ridiculous, but what we need now is brainstorming and imaginative ideas. We should not be limited within the current framework.
Unless we think outside the box, we will not succeed in changing things.
RAHMAN HARIRI is a football fan who lives and plays the game in Cheras.
