NATURALISATION IS NOT THE ANSWER TO MALAYSIAN FOOTBALL WOES
The issue of naturalised players – either Malaysians with mixed parentage – or foreign players given citizenship – to don Malaysian colours in Malaysian football has been ongoing for close to two decades.
While it has been going back and forth and more recently has become a reality with several players with mixed parentage (offspring of either Malaysian father or mother who has married a foreign) already have donned national colours.
Now there is another effort to look for totally foreign football players to be given Malaysian citizenship to enable them to don national colours and even more alarming to bring young foreign players and offer them citizenship to become our future national players.
Bringing foreign players to Malaysia at a young age with hope they will change Malaysia football fortunes in the near future with their talent could well backfire because no sooner they have they arrived in Malaysia, they could well embrace to be more Malaysians than Malaysians themselves!
And with FA of Malaysia President, Dato' Haji Hamidin Haji Mohd Amin’s statement today to say that he is happy that the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s support to the national team to use naturalised players, it further adds to the strong possibility that naturalisation is what the national team is heading towards.
On contrary, young Sports Minister, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who had earlier stated it would be better to go with Malaysian players rather that naturalisation, now is saying maybe a balance with Malaysian players and naturalised players will be the way to go.
Seriously, my personal stand on the matter for more than a decade when first talks of naturalisation players for the national players, is NO GO!
I am even against foreign players in the Malaysian League.
I have written numerous articles on the matter and stating my reasons and I don’t want to repeat it. Just read the articles listed below:
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2017/07/malaysian-football-looking-for-winning.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2016/01/m-league-or-f-league.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2017/01/from-bad-to-worse.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2015/09/admit-ills-and-lets-get-cure.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2015/04/so-whats-new.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2014/12/lets-look-at-big-picture.html
http://www.fourfourtwo.com/my/features/one-too-many-foreigners
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2013/04/increase-of-foreign-players-dearth-of.html
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3768522212510989220#editor/target=post;postID=2430942780797650449
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2013/08/millions-of-ringgit-down-drain.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2010/04/foreign-players-will-improve-malaysia.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2010/05/foreigns-players-issue-iin-air-again.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2012/09/time-to-crack-whip-fam-malay-mail.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2012/01/foreign-problems-coupled-with-bribery.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2011/09/malaysian-soccer-in-dreamland.html
FA of Malaysia and the Sports Ministry should seriously consider working hard to get their development programme act right, there has to be fair selection process of players, improvement facilities at grassroots level, expanding the number of not only coaches but quality coaches at the base, correcting the ills at school’s level, upgrading school fields, increasing the number qualified football coaches in schools, increasing the number Physical Education periods in schools, State FAs giving importance to organising local leagues for clubs and placing talent scouts in schools, districts, villages and remote areas are are among the few agendas which should be top priority instead of spending millions and even billions of ringgit on foreign players.
In any case, a majority of foreign players who grace Malaysian soil are mediocre or not even better than our local talent. Let us not be the dumping ground of half-baked foreign players who cannot a hold a candle to their top players in their respective countries.
To say that Malaysia does not have talent is a mere excuse and plain lazy!
The problem is we are not prepared to work hard with a long term programme. Success does not come overnight. It has to be over at least two Olympic cycles.
Talks about naturalisation is a short gap measure, does not hold water at all.
A move like that is only going to further disillusion local players as they will not have a chance to represent the nation and may just opt to play other sports.
IS THIS WHAT WE WANT OUR NATIONAL TEAM TO LOOK LIKE? THE POSSIBLE LOOK OF THE NATIONAL TEAM WITH NATURALISED PLAYERS AS PROTRAYED IN THIS PICTURE IN METRO REPORT RECENTLY
Already in the M-League more than 90 local players have been denied the opportunity to play in the competition because of these places taken up by foreigners.
And is it not a surprise that national coaches each time cry that they do not have strikers and midfielders.
Maybe it is about time to ban foreign players completely or at worst just allow a maximum of two foreign players – one of which must be an Asian – and not allow mid-season window to change players.
Malaysia went Semi-Pro in 1989 and fully professional in 1994 – that’s almost three decades ago. If Malaysian football has not progressed – in fact declined at an alarming rate – then we need to look at ourselves in the mirror and determine what we have been doing wrong. Is it the influx of foreign players? Is it the unprofessionalism of teams and their management, is it the neglect of development by State FAs and clubs, is it the system of the League or attitude?
We now even have the M-League managed by a professional entity - Malaysia Football League (MFL), formerly the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP). And we still plagued by woes of poor management and the national team suffering the brunt of it.
Whatever said, going foreign or naturalised players is NOT the way for Malaysian football.
THE PRESS STATEMENT FROM FA OF MALAYSIA
KENYATAAN MEDIA: FAM SAMBUT BAIK SOKONGAN PERDANA MENTERI UNTUK AMBIL PEMAIN NATURALISASI SERTAI HARIMAU MALAYA
Saya terlebih dahulu ingin merakamkan jutaan terima kasih kepada Yang Amat Berhormat Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad yang telah memberikan lampu hijau kepada pasukan Harimau Malaya menggunakan pemain berstatus naturalisasi, seperti dinyatakan kepada media, hari ini.
Di sini saya sekali lagi ingin melahirkan rasa terharu kepada Tun Dr Mahathir yang mana beliau sentiasa mengambil berat serta memantau perkembangan pasukan bola sepak kebangsaan dan sumbangan daripada pihak kerajaan jelas akan memainkan peranan positif dalam memajukan bola sepak tempatan.
Kami di Persatuan Bolasepak Malaysia (FAM) pada Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Eksekutif FAM di Melaka pada Sabtu lalu sebenarnya telah bersetuju melantik Timbalan Presiden FAM, Datuk Wira Mohd Yusoff Mahadi untuk menjadi Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Khas untuk persediaan merealisasikan pengambilan pemain naturalisasi ini.
Mengambil respon positif daripada kenyataan Tun Dr Mahathir hari ini, FAM akan terus mula menggerakkan jawatankuasa khas tersebut untuk bertindak memperhalusi lagi hal berkaitan pengambilan pemain bertaraf naturalisasi ini bagi langkah-langkah seterusnya.
Bagaimanapun, FAM tetap akan terus berusaha memperkasakan program akar umbi seperti disarankan Menteri Belia dan Sukan, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman sebelum ini sebagai program jangka masa panjang melahirkan pemain Harimau Malaya pada masa depan biarpun sedang berusaha ke arah naturalisasi pemain dalam masa terdekat ini.
Dato' Haji Hamidin Haji Mohd Amin
The issue of naturalised players – either Malaysians with mixed parentage – or foreign players given citizenship – to don Malaysian colours in Malaysian football has been ongoing for close to two decades.
While it has been going back and forth and more recently has become a reality with several players with mixed parentage (offspring of either Malaysian father or mother who has married a foreign) already have donned national colours.
Now there is another effort to look for totally foreign football players to be given Malaysian citizenship to enable them to don national colours and even more alarming to bring young foreign players and offer them citizenship to become our future national players.
Bringing foreign players to Malaysia at a young age with hope they will change Malaysia football fortunes in the near future with their talent could well backfire because no sooner they have they arrived in Malaysia, they could well embrace to be more Malaysians than Malaysians themselves!
And with FA of Malaysia President, Dato' Haji Hamidin Haji Mohd Amin’s statement today to say that he is happy that the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s support to the national team to use naturalised players, it further adds to the strong possibility that naturalisation is what the national team is heading towards.
On contrary, young Sports Minister, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who had earlier stated it would be better to go with Malaysian players rather that naturalisation, now is saying maybe a balance with Malaysian players and naturalised players will be the way to go.
Seriously, my personal stand on the matter for more than a decade when first talks of naturalisation players for the national players, is NO GO!
I am even against foreign players in the Malaysian League.
I have written numerous articles on the matter and stating my reasons and I don’t want to repeat it. Just read the articles listed below:
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2017/07/malaysian-football-looking-for-winning.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2016/01/m-league-or-f-league.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2017/01/from-bad-to-worse.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2015/09/admit-ills-and-lets-get-cure.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2015/04/so-whats-new.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2014/12/lets-look-at-big-picture.html
http://www.fourfourtwo.com/my/features/one-too-many-foreigners
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2013/04/increase-of-foreign-players-dearth-of.html
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3768522212510989220#editor/target=post;postID=2430942780797650449
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2013/08/millions-of-ringgit-down-drain.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2010/04/foreign-players-will-improve-malaysia.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2010/05/foreigns-players-issue-iin-air-again.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2012/09/time-to-crack-whip-fam-malay-mail.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2012/01/foreign-problems-coupled-with-bribery.html
http://level-field.blogspot.com/2011/09/malaysian-soccer-in-dreamland.html
FA of Malaysia and the Sports Ministry should seriously consider working hard to get their development programme act right, there has to be fair selection process of players, improvement facilities at grassroots level, expanding the number of not only coaches but quality coaches at the base, correcting the ills at school’s level, upgrading school fields, increasing the number qualified football coaches in schools, increasing the number Physical Education periods in schools, State FAs giving importance to organising local leagues for clubs and placing talent scouts in schools, districts, villages and remote areas are are among the few agendas which should be top priority instead of spending millions and even billions of ringgit on foreign players.
In any case, a majority of foreign players who grace Malaysian soil are mediocre or not even better than our local talent. Let us not be the dumping ground of half-baked foreign players who cannot a hold a candle to their top players in their respective countries.
To say that Malaysia does not have talent is a mere excuse and plain lazy!
The problem is we are not prepared to work hard with a long term programme. Success does not come overnight. It has to be over at least two Olympic cycles.
Talks about naturalisation is a short gap measure, does not hold water at all.
A move like that is only going to further disillusion local players as they will not have a chance to represent the nation and may just opt to play other sports.
IS THIS WHAT WE WANT OUR NATIONAL TEAM TO LOOK LIKE? THE POSSIBLE LOOK OF THE NATIONAL TEAM WITH NATURALISED PLAYERS AS PROTRAYED IN THIS PICTURE IN METRO REPORT RECENTLY
Already in the M-League more than 90 local players have been denied the opportunity to play in the competition because of these places taken up by foreigners.
And is it not a surprise that national coaches each time cry that they do not have strikers and midfielders.
Maybe it is about time to ban foreign players completely or at worst just allow a maximum of two foreign players – one of which must be an Asian – and not allow mid-season window to change players.
Malaysia went Semi-Pro in 1989 and fully professional in 1994 – that’s almost three decades ago. If Malaysian football has not progressed – in fact declined at an alarming rate – then we need to look at ourselves in the mirror and determine what we have been doing wrong. Is it the influx of foreign players? Is it the unprofessionalism of teams and their management, is it the neglect of development by State FAs and clubs, is it the system of the League or attitude?
We now even have the M-League managed by a professional entity - Malaysia Football League (MFL), formerly the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP). And we still plagued by woes of poor management and the national team suffering the brunt of it.
Whatever said, going foreign or naturalised players is NOT the way for Malaysian football.
THE PRESS STATEMENT FROM FA OF MALAYSIA
KENYATAAN MEDIA: FAM SAMBUT BAIK SOKONGAN PERDANA MENTERI UNTUK AMBIL PEMAIN NATURALISASI SERTAI HARIMAU MALAYA
Saya terlebih dahulu ingin merakamkan jutaan terima kasih kepada Yang Amat Berhormat Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad yang telah memberikan lampu hijau kepada pasukan Harimau Malaya menggunakan pemain berstatus naturalisasi, seperti dinyatakan kepada media, hari ini.
Di sini saya sekali lagi ingin melahirkan rasa terharu kepada Tun Dr Mahathir yang mana beliau sentiasa mengambil berat serta memantau perkembangan pasukan bola sepak kebangsaan dan sumbangan daripada pihak kerajaan jelas akan memainkan peranan positif dalam memajukan bola sepak tempatan.
Kami di Persatuan Bolasepak Malaysia (FAM) pada Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Eksekutif FAM di Melaka pada Sabtu lalu sebenarnya telah bersetuju melantik Timbalan Presiden FAM, Datuk Wira Mohd Yusoff Mahadi untuk menjadi Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Khas untuk persediaan merealisasikan pengambilan pemain naturalisasi ini.
Mengambil respon positif daripada kenyataan Tun Dr Mahathir hari ini, FAM akan terus mula menggerakkan jawatankuasa khas tersebut untuk bertindak memperhalusi lagi hal berkaitan pengambilan pemain bertaraf naturalisasi ini bagi langkah-langkah seterusnya.
Bagaimanapun, FAM tetap akan terus berusaha memperkasakan program akar umbi seperti disarankan Menteri Belia dan Sukan, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman sebelum ini sebagai program jangka masa panjang melahirkan pemain Harimau Malaya pada masa depan biarpun sedang berusaha ke arah naturalisasi pemain dalam masa terdekat ini.
Dato' Haji Hamidin Haji Mohd Amin
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