Time for a rethink, FAM (The Malay Mail)

OLYMPIC 2000 coach Hatem Souissi's job may be under scrunity but taking
any drastic measures against him now will only mean going a few steps
backwards instead of forward.
 Souissi's review comes about after the team's 9-0 thrashing by the
Thailand national team preparing for the Asian Games during the recent
playing tour of Bangkok, which also saw the Olympic 2000 side losing 5-1
and 4-2 to club sides.
 FA of Malaysia deputy president Tengku Abdullah, who is the Tengku
Mahkota of Pahang, said yesterday Hatem's position would be reviewed based
on the team's next outing at the Bristol Independence Cup in Sri Lanka
from Nov 15-21.
 Apart from Malaysia, the other teams competing are hosts Sri Lanka,
Maldives, and India. The top two teams qualify for the final, which offers
US$10,000 (RM38,000) for the champions and US$5,000 (RM19,000) for the
runners-up.
 If the Olympic 2000 team fail to reach the final, will it mean Hatem
will be sacked?
 Tengku Abdullah would not commit himself.
 "We will assess the situation and make a decision then," said Tengku
Abdullah.
 Should FA of Malaysia sack Hatem, it is no guarantee the team will do
well in the Olympic qualifiers, with the likes of Japan in their group, to
be played in the next six months.
 The bottomline is everything has to be studied in detail and whatever
decision made must be technical in nature and not done through emotions or
because one does not like the person.
 FA of Malaysia are wrong in harbouring any hopes of Olympic 2000 making
the Sydney Olympics. With all due respect to FAM, sometimes we have to
face reality and accept it.
 Expecting a team assembled three years ago (and spending millions of
ringgit) to become overnight champions is certainly a far-fetched thought
- and not a formula for success.
 The present team should have about at least six to eights years'
training behind them - which means they should have started off at the age
of 10 or the latest 12.
 But when one has to recruit 25 out of 3,000 players 16 years of age and
above, the timing is definitely out with the team heading for disaster.
 What more, these players are still raw and need to be taught the basics
of the game.
 The problem with Malaysian soccer is it has always been lacking in
patience and expecting short-term results. There is no continuity and the
coaches, instead of the system, are blamed for it.
 In any case, FAM appointed Souissi based on his credentials and
capabilities. By getting rid of him, they will only be admitting their
mistake in hiring him three years ago and it took them so long to realise
it.
 For all we know, Souissi may just throw in the towel and leave before
FAM decide to sack him. He may do it not because he has given up or does
not believe in himself but merely because he is a true professional who
has put in a great deal of honest work, which does not seem to be
appreciated.
 At the end of the day, one must realise race horses cannot be made out
of ponies.
                                (END)