COLUMN
By Tony Mariadass
Get to the root of
the ill
It is surprising that the Football
Association of Malaysia (FAM) while opting for ‘fast express’ method to revive
the fortunes of Malaysian football by deciding
to recruit proven players from other countries under a bold naturalisation
programme, have conveniently left out talent scouts in their master plan.
FAM also had announced
the ‘Malaysian way’ to success by unveiling the Malaysian Football DNA
programme – wanting kampong to cities, schools to national level to play a
similar Malaysia style – but nobody spoke of talent scouts.
Both the
naturalisation programme and Malaysia DNA programme are no guarantee to see
success.
As for the
naturalisation programme, our neighbours Singapore have tried it from as early
as 2002 under the Foreign Sports Talent (FST) scheme and their
current FIFA standing is 162.
While
some quality players like Daniel Bennett (England), Shi Jiayi (China), Fahrudin
Mustafic (Serbia) and Qiu served the Lions well, there were some misses as
well.
The
first two men under the scheme, strikers Mirko Grabovac and Egmar Goncalves,
were unable to reproduce their club form, where they were prolific strikers.
Goncalves returned to Brazil in 2006 while Grabovac returned his Singapore
passport in 2008 before returning last year to coach his old club Warriors FC.
Singapore’s FST policy had been dormant for eight years but it now
back online for the Football Association of Singapore (FAS).
But
the new scheme is a long-term development where they are looking at foreign
players start playing in the Singapore Premier League at a young age, so that they
can integrate into the local culture and they have about 10 years to give to
the national team.
FAS
vice-president S. Thavaneson had said when they announced the programme last
year: "If the players are really young, it will be easier for them to
assimilate. And by the time they are 23, they can start playing for Singapore
(if they fulfil the five-year residency period required by Fifa for
naturalisation)."
While
Singapore having tried out older naturalised players and not achieved the
desired end results and are trying another method, Malaysia is going on tried
methods which have not produced results.
History plays an important as it is a
lesson to cultivate the good and not to repeat the bad.
Those who
cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Those who do not remember
their past are condemned to repeat their mistakes. Those who do not read history are
doomed to repeat it. And those who fail to learn from the mistakes of their
predecessors are destined to repeat them.
It was for
these reasoning that I cannot bring myself to accept the FA of Malaysia’s (FAM)
decision to recruit players from other countries under a bold naturalisation
programme.
Two players –
Brazilian Guiherme de Paula, 33, who plays for Kuala Lumpur and Kosovo Albanian
Liridon Krasniqi, 27, – have submitted the required documents to the Home
Ministry to apply for Malaysian citizenship and after it has been granted, FAM
will hand in their application to FIFA for approval.
Besides,
Singapore resorted to naturalised players because they are a small nation just
like countries like Qatar and United Arab Emirates (UAE) whom FAM are citing
for their reason to go the same way.
Malaysia has a
population 32.4 of which 9 million are youth (15-30 age group bracket), while
Singapore total population is only 5.8 million, while Qatar has 2.7 million and
UAE 9.6 million.
As
for the DNA programme, it is nothing new because it has been advocated in the
past by several national coaches from the late Karl Weigang, Trevor Hartely,
Alan Harris and now currently Tan Cheng Hoe who believes in Malaysian born
players and playing to their strength, which is the Malaysian way.
But
whether Malaysian DNA can be implemented throughout the Malaysian football
system is a big challenge.
Would
foreign coaches hired to coach State teams or clubs want to follow the
‘Malaysian style’ and what guarantee is that the system will filter all the way
to grassroots.
Football
although always talked about system of play, basically in modern day football,
it is just about total football and playing to one’s strength.
In
modern day football it is just attacking in numbers and defending in numbers as
a whole team. Bottom line is whatever system used, the team is built around the
strength of the players.
There
is also plans that foreign-born youngsters be absorbed into the National
Football Development Programme (NFDP).
The
problem is contracts cannot be signed with minors (below 16 years old), thus
bringing up the question what guarantee is that these young foreign players
will stay on to play for Malaysia.
Above
all, what kind of message are we sending to the young Malaysian players who had
hopes of making football a career?
Would
it not be better to have talent scouts to comb the length and breadth of
Malaysia to scout for budding talents?
Much
is said about the late Mokhtar Dahari and that no player like him has come
through since.
But
are the very people who talk about ‘Super Mokh’ know that he was not discovered
by design but chance – because of a club coach who thought Mokhtar had the talent
and recommended him.
M. J.
Vincent, the Selangor team manager of the Burnley Cup (now Razak Cup) team,
said that Mokhtar was introduced by a coach of a club team by the name of Wan.
“Wan
told me that there was this player whom he thought was an excellent player. I
told him to bringing him for trials and the rest is history,” said the 83-year-old
Vincent who has served as an official for FA of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur FA
and also a referee.
“Without
doubt, if not for this coach, Mokhtar would have been discovered later or
never. This coach who acted as a talent scout indeed played a key role,” added
Vincent.
Mokhtar
after leaving school in 1971, was successfully courted by the coach of
Selangor’s Darul Afiah Football Club, Hussein Hashim. At that time, the club
was in Selangor’s Division Two league.
Thus,
coaches at club and grassroots level and talent scouts, are an integral part of
football, which has been given low or no priority these days.
The
next Mokhtar is not going to walk to the corridors of FAM or any State FA. He
needs to be sought, found and natured.
Now
another programme master plan for Malaysia football has been launched by
Malaysia Football League (MFL) – 50-year Strategic Blueprint – 2021-2070) after
FAM’s F:30 roadmap and Malaysia’s Football DNA.
All
these plans are good, but we need to have one master plan and not a series
which could end up in confusion. Above all implementation is the key word in
any plans launched.
Many
a plan has been launched in the past, but sooner or later it ends up in the
filing cabinet gathering dust.
Let
us hope the same fate does not happen to the current ambitious plans!
