COMMENT

By Tony Mariadass

We are Malaysians. Let’s drop the racial overtones. As Malaysians want to be united, as divided we will destroy Malaysia.

We will be celebrating our 63^rd independence this year and it is sad that we are still fighting to discard the racial turmoil which has plagued the nation even deeper in recent years.

It is even sadder that it is happening in sports, when sport is supposed to be unifying factor worldwide, as it is colour blind, does not discriminate gender, age or ethnicity.

It promotes universal values that transcend language and culture.

There are so many values which can be derived from sport:

*Sports can be used as unifying tools to help foster national integration among people of various races, religions and backgrounds, 

*Sport unites nations and creates peace and friendships 

 *It has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people in a way that little else does

Selangor and former national coach, B. Sathianathan, should be                    commended for having the guts to pour his heart out about racism on his player in social media at the Press Conference after the Super League match against Perak on Saturday.

It is nothing new and has been happening for some time but many coaches, officials and even State FAs have been sweeping it under the carpet because they were afraid to bring it out or just wanted to ignore it.

I know of officials who have taken coaches to task if they have one too many players of a race. Some even have paid the price of getting sacked in the end.

For Malaysian sport to progress, it should does not matter which race make the team or the composition in number of races because we are Malaysians and the best should be selected.

Just look at the Malaysian teams of the past and who had done well to qualify for the 1972 Munich and 1980 Moscow Olympics teams, the athletics, hockey and badminton teams.

The time has come to address the racism issue immediately, unless we want to see Malaysian sports dragged through mud and get a bad name in the world of sports arena and above all destroy sports in the country.

I have known Sathianathan from my reporting days in the late 70s when he played for Negri Sembilan before playing for the national team under English coach Frank Lord, and later embarked on his coaching career with the State and various national teams both junior and senior.

He is one who does not mince his words and calls a spade a spade as a player or coach.

We do not find many coaches with his guts and passion for the game.

He even got banned by the FAM executive committee for his infamous outburst “M-League is not football”.

Sathianathan reminds me of the late Chow Kwai Lam who was known as the ‘firebrand coach’ for his genuine comments on the game.

It is good to see that there is still people like Sathinathan who speak without fear or favour for the love of the game.

Let us pay heed to Sathianathan’s concern and address it, if we love sports and are Malaysians.

It was indeed sad that some members of the media at the Press Conference thought what Sathinathan said was laughing matter and made snide remarks.

These are the very people who should take the issue seriously and assist to address it, instead of laughing at it and skipping the issue.

That FA of Malaysia did not make an immediate stand on the issue on their website or issue a press statement, certainly is disappointing. Maybe they are taking their time to dwell and chew on the matter, but this is an utmost important issue which needs immediate reaction.

While FA of Malaysia may come down hard to wed out the people who use social media to spark racism, but everyone has a responsible to address the issue – from the State FAs, clubs, fans clubs, parents, teachers, friends and everyone who loves this country.

It is pointless carrying banners or coming up with songs to curb racism, as more drastic measures is need to address the issue.

Let us get to the root of the problem now and not sweep under the carpet, like we do most of the time.

When a coach has the guts to speak out

Selangor coach B. Satiananthan should be commended for having the guts to pour his heart out about the racist comments against a player (posted on a fan page) at a press conference after Selangor’s Super League match against Perak in Bukit Jalil on Saturday. - NSTP/MOHD KHAIRUL HELMY MOHD DIN

By Tony Mariadass - March 11, 2020 @ 8:01am

RACISM in football is a global problem and this malevolence continues to affect the world’s most popular game.

In Malaysia, the issue has come into focus again, and our football authorities have yet to come up with effective measures to battle it, except for some tepid campaigns.

We are Malaysians, and we will be celebrating our 63rd Merdeka Day this year, but sadly we are still struggling with racial issues.

It’s even sadder that this is happening in sports when it’s hoped to be an agent to unite people.

It goes against the spirit of unity when sports teams named themselves Manchester United, Newcastle United, Leeds United, and you have Selangor United, who played in the second tier of Malaysian football last season, the Premier League.

Sports are supposed to unite people, regardless of race, religion, gender, age or ethnicity.

Sports are a unifying tool that helps foster integration, promote peace and friendship. It has the power to inspire and unite people in a way that little else does. So many values that can be gained from sports.

Selangor coach B. Satiananthan should be commended for having the guts to pour his heart out about the racist comments against a player (posted on a fan page) at a press conference after Selangor’s Super League match against Perak in Bukit Jalil on Saturday.

Sadly, racism in the M-League is not something new. It has been happening for many years but coaches, officials and State Fas do not speak out against it.

I know of officials who have taken coaches to task for selecting too many players from one race. Some were even sacked for it.

For Malaysia to go far in sports, it should not matter who represents the country. Hockey, football and athletics used to do well in the 1970s and 1980s because only the best were chosen to represent the country.

I have known Satiananthan for more than 40 years. He played for Negri Sembilan and the national team before going into coaching, where he has worked with various youth and senior teams.

We do not find many committed coaches with such a strong passion for the game like Satiananthan. He was even banned by the FA of Malaysia for his outburst “M-League is not football” in 2009.

It is heartening to know that there are still straight from the shoulder people like Satiananthan who speak without fear.

It is a shame that some members of the media laughed it off during Satiananthan’s press conference and made snide remarks when they are the very people who should take the issue seriously and address it.

FAM, being the governing body of the sport, have so far failed to deal with the issue seriously. Their usual dismissive quote is “No report, no action,” and they would say just that when reporters called them for a reaction.

Everyone should take responsibility, the State FAs, clubs, fans, parents, teachers and friends.

It is pointless carrying banners or coming up with slogans to fight racism. We need to get to the root of the problem and take drastic measures.

STOP MAKING POPULAR DECISIONS

Comment

By Tony Mariadass

Shape up or ship out

The 2020 M-league begins this week – 36 years since Malaysian football had gone professional – and what should have emerged as high flying League, it is still learning to walk.

Football in the country has been played competitively since 1921, with a transition to semi-professionalism in 1989 before going professional in 1994.

In the wake of what another season is going to be riddled with more woes, the bright spark was Johor Darul Ta’zim continuous move forward in the game with the latest being owning their own world class stadium – The Sultan Ibrahim Stadium – which was officially opened on Saturday.

The RM200 million, 35,000 capacity state of art stadium which began construction in 2016, owned by JDT, only underlines what can be achieved if football clubs in Malaysia are managed professionally with heart and soul for the love of the game and not with personal agendas or gains.

JDT since its inception in 2013 besides becoming the lead team in Malaysia and making waves at the Asian club level, have shown what professional football is all about in this short period of seven years.

Teams in Malaysia who have a longer history are still trying to find their footing and riddled with problems from financial, management, forming a formidable team, running foul with income tax, employment provident fund, overdue salaries and the list goes on.

Many will be quick to say that JDT has royal backing who have the clout to garner funds and move things forward.

Question is how many who have the means in the various States or from the clubs, have done anything close to what the Johor Regent Tunku Mahkota Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim has done?

It is no secret that many football officials have used their office as their own platform to elevate themselves at the expense of football in their own state or their club suffering.

A majority of the teams are still depending on funds from the Malaysian Football League (MFL) to manage their team and cry foul when funds are reduced because funds sourced by MFL is affected because of current economic situations or other factors.

Teams have no sustaining power to manage their teams effectively over a long term period and have not done much improve their financial situation with a more business like running approach of their football teams.

Yes, the FA of Malaysia have tried many ways to uplift the game in the country which included the League managed privately by Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLPP) and now MFL, but things can definitely better if the teams themselves play a bigger role to manage their team better.

Mistakes too have also occurred by the appointment of MP & Silva, a leading international sports agency, by the FA of Malaysia (FAM) as their global adviser on media and commercial rights, with the goal of extending its broadcast reach and maximising the commercial potential of its properties for 15 years but went array.

The changes to the M-League format, the composition of teams and even the rules from time to time, also has not helped the profile of the League.

Now with the FA of Malaysia president Datuk Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin doubling up as to helm the MFL, all eyes will be on him how he can turn things around.

Hamidin is passionate of the game who wants the best for it and will definitely be trying his level best to leave behind a proud legacy to turn around the M-League.

But Hamidin, who replaced Tunku Ismail, who was the chairman since March 2018, alone or with newly appointed MFL chief executive officer Datuk Ghani Ab Hassan, cannot on their own turn things around.

Odds will be stacked against Hamidin as even Tunku Ismail tried his level best to elevate the status of the M-League, but decided to give up and concentrate JDT when his approach was not met with an earnest effort by the members. Members just cannot be waiting for hand-outs.

It is also about time for FA of Malaysia and MFL to stop making popular decisions to please their members and gain brownie points, but make hard decisions in the interest of the game in the country and to take it to a higher pedestal.

It is time to stop mollycoddling the affiliates and clubs and be stern and firm. Stop patronising some officials in FA of Malaysia or States and all officials alike. Stop granting favours in making decisions which benefit these members. Be fair to all.

Above all the time has come to be strict with teams wanting to compete in the M-League. 

The Super League must be for teams which meet the criteria of a professional side. Those who do not meet the criteria can continue to play in the Premier League as amateurs.

It is time for FA of Malaysia and MFL to be cruel to be kind, like it or not.

 If only eight teams meet all the requirements of a professional team, then so be it for the M-League to have eight teams.

And the teams who meet the criteria to be professional teams must have ambitions and long term plans and not just to make the number.

They have to start emulating JDT to become a powerhouse and put up a strong challenge in the League.

Otherwise, with only JDT being the top team, the League is going to be failure again as they will continue to stamp their authority as they have been doing so far – six-time Super League champions.

If teams do not buck up to raise their standard and match up to JDT, the overall standard in the League is not going to improve and certainly not going to help Malaysian football in general.

And for Malaysian football to rise, it is not only, managing their team well in the League and putting up a strong challenge.

All aspects of a professional team – training ground, stadium, administration block, medical facilities, team bus, development programmes, professional team, managing their funds effectively and the list goes, on has to be in place.

It is also time to see more local players groomed to make the national team and not take the short-cut process to naturalise players.

And the end of the day, execution of plans effectively will play a key role and stakeholders have to be sincere and work with one goal – to improve football in the country.

Ends.