COMMENTARY
Level
Field
Fans,
coaches and ex-national players alike are peeved about Malaysian football’s
double tragedy – failing to qualify for the Singapore Sea Games final and the
6-0 drubbing in our match against the war-torn Palestine.
Just when everyone thought the worst was over for
Malaysian football, we have plunged even lower.
How low Malaysian football will go is anyone’s
guess. But everyone is in agreement that the rot must stop now.
There have been many suggestions from various
quarters on how to lift Malaysian football from the doldrums. Many want
coaches Dollah Salleh and Ong Kim Swee to be relieved of their duties. Others
want the Harimau Muda teams to be disbanded so that the players can earn a place
in the League.
While the FA of Malaysia are accountable for the
selection of coaches and should make the appropriate action pending their
findings, they will also have to ask themselves if they made the right decision
when they parted ways with Datuk K. Rajagobal, who was charting Malaysian
football's fortunes starting with the national Under-19 squad and progressing
to take charge the national team and saw a good measure of success.
He was ousted by envy, political manoeuvrings, an
unfavourable media and a preference for other candidates.
Coming to the national players, many of them are
prima donnas from League teams where they are paid fat salaries. So they can
hardly be expected to display much fervour and play their hearts out when they
don the national colours. Passion, commitment and the value of sacrifice
must not mean much to them.
Besides, playing in insignificant leagues overseas
is not in the best interests of the national junior teams.
In the meantime, some local coaches who have a chat
room called “The Friendship Circle” have been busy giving their views and
recommendations after the national team’s recent debacle.
Spot-on is a suggestion by an ex-national player
from Penang, who urges the adoption of SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable,
Realistic and Time-bound.
Others suggest a new national team with 19 and
20-year-old players but they stress that these players must not be pampered
with ridiculously high salaries.
They say the players must be forced to earn their
keep and should only be paid attractive salaries when they produce results,
like qualifying for the Olympics or World Cup, or are ranked among the top four
in Asia.
They underlined the fact that the team must be
given ample time, possibly five years, to mature and achieve their
targets.
Yet another suggestion was that only officials who
know football should be involved in the management of the team and that young
officials with fresh ideas should be allowed to helm the team.
Above all, it is suggested that the capable and
dedicated coaches and legends of the game be given an opportunity to formulate
a new programme for Malaysian football. These are people who believe
nothing is impossible and that Malaysia can prove itself.
They are puzzled though why Malaysia, which has an
abundance of facilities and means, could not deliver like Palestine.
Malaysian football needs an urgent revamp that has
to be done in a professional manner and without fear and favour. Can we save it
from further humiliation?
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