Will FAM ever learn? (15/01/1996 - The Malay Mail)

Publication : MM
Date : 15/01/1996
Headline : Will FAM ever learn?


MALAYSIAN soccer's recent history of failures seems to have taught the FA
of Malaysia nothing.
They look set to repeat follies of the past by resorting to stop-gap
measures in picking the new national coach.
With Frenchman Claude Le Roy stepping down, FAM are thinking of asking
Tunisan Hateem Souissi to prepare the national team for the Pre-Asian Cup
at Shah Alam in March.
Hateem is currently in charge of the 1997 Youth World Cup squad.
Johor's Wan Jamak Wan Hassan is also on the minds of FAM and is expected
to take charge should Hateem decline. Wan Jamak could be Hateem's
assistant if he accepts.
Giving Hateem the job is a mistake as the youth team will be affected.
It was the case with Le Roy. He first came here to coach the Atlanta
Olympic squad but was later asked to handle the seniors too.
The national team will be reporting today for Pre-Asian Cup training
without a coach, at least for the next three days when FAM decide on their
man.
But naming Hateem, who did a reasonably good job with the national team
(again on a stop-gap measure) for the Merdeka tournament, would mean
divided attention for the youth team.
Besides, Hateem is not going to coach the national team on a long-term
basis and this is not going to serve any purpose.
It would be more appropriate to name Wan Jamak for the job as at least
he can give the team undivided attention. He is free from any ties with
Johor and can readily be part of FAM's long-term plans.
Wan Jamak, a former international who coached the national team for the
1994 Asian Games, has done well with Johor.
He is also looking for a permanent job with the national team and FAM
are seeking a man to take charge of the team after the Asean Cup in
Singapore in August and the 1997 pre-World Cup.
It is time FAM did away with short-term contracts because they put
coaches under pressure to deliver immediate results. The coaches often end
up naming experienced players and there are no results over the years.
A contract of four to five years will give coaches time to pick and
groom younger players.
Coaches must also be given a free hand in selecting players and in
managing the team.
With so many changes in the national squad there is no continuity,
consistency or results.
We need a more permanent squad and a more permanent coach.
We cannot afford to keep changing targets or make major changes as we go
along just because results are not rapidly forthcoming.
Too many projects have been abandoned at the halfway stage.
Just consider the number of national youth teams we have had, starting
with the Tigers as early as in 1982. They never realised their full
potential because players who shone were drafted into the senior team. The
Tigers and many other teams were disbanded.
Countries like South Korea and Japan, who in the 60s and early 70s were
second to Malaysia, planned their work and worked their plan on a long
term basis to be where they are now.
FAM have to be as disciplined as the players and the coach and not
abandon long-term goals for short-term gains.