State FAs must change mindset (18/11/2005 - The Malay Mail)

Publication : MM
Date : 18/11/2005
Headline : State FAs must change mindset

MALAYSIAN soccer is not just about the M-League.
The sooner this sinks into the mindset of State FAs, the better the
chances Malaysian soccer has of rising to a respectable level.
Even FA of Malaysia (FAM) have made this admission, whereby they have
started to pay more emphasis to a more professional set-up in line with
the requirements of the world governing body, FIFA.
FAM deputy president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who is also the
Tengku Mahkota of Pahang, was the first to admit there should be more
focus on the development aspect, which can be achieved only with the
State FAs' support.
After last week's three-day FIFA.Com-Unity workshop, where experts in
their respective fields discussed relationship management, communication,
media and marketing, it was evident these areas were severely lacking in
Malaysian soccer.
This only prompted Tengku Abdullah into giving an undertaking that the
situation will change for the better.
For once, FAM have decided on a long-term goal instead of their normal
short-term targets, most of which have ended in disappointment.
The fact that Tengku Abdullah is dead-serious on establishing a road
map to lead the country to the World Cup by 2022 is a positive sign.
Acknowledging the massive task ahead, Tengku Abdullah has decided to
form a joint consultative committee to be chaired by the Deputy Prime
Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
However, neither FAM nor any committee alone can be responsible for the
resurrection of Malaysian soccer.
The game is not only dependent on the national body, but also State FAs
- the legs and arms of FAM.
For starters, it is about time State FA presidents, the majority of
them being Mentris Besar, Chief Ministers, governors or political
figures, should attend FAM Council meetings.
But most of the time, State FAs are represented by their
secretary-generals or nominated officials.
While some secretary-generals are hands-on in virtually running their
State FAs, many are just figure-heads with all decisions made by their
presidents.
And this is where the problem lies because State FA heads are not
involved in implementing the decisions and visions of the national body.
It is about time these presidents take a more serious view of the game
in their respective States, than just attending M-League matches from
time to time, giving help in securing financial aid and attending several
State FA Council meetings in a year.
If they cannot find the time because of their hectic schedules, then
they should vacate their seat for someone who has the time and interest
in the game.
At the last Council meeting, three State FAs did not send
representatives, and of the 11 State FAs in attendance, none had their
presidents present. In addition, several independently-appointed members
and Exco members were also absent.
Another startling observation was that Datuk Anifah Aman, the football
team manager for the Manila SEA Games, has not been spending much time
with the players
And indications are the Plantation Industries and Commodities Deputy
Minister will not be present in Bacolod City for Malaysia's opening match
on Monday as he has to attend to some urgent matters.
Soccer no longer holds amateurish or part-time status. Professionals
are required to run it at all levels in each association.
We need a chief executive, a financial director, marketing managers,
sponsorship managers, media manager and technical staff to head the
various departments of the game, while administration and a building they
can call their own to work from.
FIFA have clearly stated that an association these days cannot expect
to effectively meet the demands of modern football if their leading
positions are filled by volunteers.
Malaysia soccer is indeed blessed because the Asian Football
Confederation and one of FIFA's 12 Goal Development Offices are based in
Malaysia.
Other countries are also gaining much from the offices here and it is a
pity they are not being made full use of by local bodies in boosting the
game's standards
It's time all soccer administrators realise the national game needs an
urgent injection of professionalism. And if these individuals do not
accept this fact and change their ways for the better soon, the visions
of Tengku Abdullah in seeing Malaysia in the World Cup before 2022 may
just remain a dream!

Sponsorship: Over to you, FAM (The Sunday Mail)

EVERYONE can fly with AirAsia, but not everyone gets funding without the
proper marketing proposals.
This more or less summed up AirAsia Group Chief Executive Officer, Datuk
Tony Fernandes' response last Friday to questions as to why they have not
sponsored Malaysian soccer.
Fernandes said last Friday he has had only verbal queries about AirAsia
sponsoring Malaysian football.
He was attending the marketing aspect of the Fifa Com-Unity Workshop, a
three-day event organised by the FA of Malaysia (FAM) which ended last
Friday.
"Neither FAM nor any of the State FAs have formally forwarded a proposal
to us," said Fernandes.
"How can we sponsor anyone without any proposals?
"Of course, we are keen on associating ourselves with Malaysian soccer,
but we have to look at the proposals first."
Fernandes added funding these days is no longer a situation where the
sponsors just donate the money and do not get involved thereafter.
"Sponsorship these days is a business deal between parties, for the
mutual benefit of all concerned," he said.
Earlier this year, AirAsia signed a sponsorship deal with Manchester
United.
The Red Devils, arguably the best-known football club in the world and
The fact that the English Premier League club, arguably the most well-
known in the world, wanted to tie up with Air Asia speaks volumes of how
professionally the airline operate their business and, despite being a
low-cost carrier, have had achieved international recognition.
The deal allows AirAsia, among other things, to share the perimeter
board advertising at Old Trafford, United's home ground, besides giving
the airline the right to use the club's name for promotional, advertising
and merchandising activities.
The tie-up, is believed to cost AirAsia about RM14 million
At the marketing workshop, Clare Kenny, Fifa marketing instructor in her
presentation on marketing and sponsorship, had said that entering into a
sponsorship is a commitment on both parties to achieve professionalism,
transparent and trusting partnership, open communication and client
servicing.
"Sponsorship these days is a professional area and it has to be
approached in a formal manner," said Fernandes.
"We are open to proposals and will study all of them before making any
decisions."
It is little wonder many State FAs are complaining about not securing
sponsorship. This is because they have been going about it the wrong way
without any clues on how to approach the issue in a professional manner.
It was sad the "right people" did not attend the workshop because it
would have helped Malaysian soccer be managed more professionally.
While there were a few State FAs who had their secretary-generals or
executive secretaries attending the workshop, others sent their committee
members or administration staff while some even got their coaches to be
participants!
Those required at the seminar were policy- and decision-makers in their
respective associations so that they could return and make immediate
changes for the better of Malaysian soccer.
The other areas discussed at the workshop were relationship management,
communication and media.
FAM, through their deputy-president, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah,
have made a firm commitment at the end to place Malaysian soccer on a
better platform by taking a more professional route in all aspects of the
game.
But whether the arms and legs of the national body - the State FAs -
will also provide the same commitment and take the road is the million
ringgit question.
                              (END)

Global need for a strong foundation (11/11/2005 - The Malay Mail)

Publication : MM
Date : 11/11/2005
Headline : Global need for a strong foundation


THE lack of emphasis on physical education (PE) and sports in schools is
a global problem.
This was the shocking revelation at the International Conference on
"Sports and Education" in Bangkok last week, held in conjunction with
this year being declared by the United Nations as the International Year
of Sports and Physical Education.
Malaysian delegates to the Conference from the Ministries of Sports and
Education, Olympic Council of Malaysia, National Sports Council,
Malaysian Association for Physical Education, Sport Science and Fitness
and senior university lecturers were flabbergasted to learn it was a
global problem.
However, the problem prevalent in other countries should not be any
small comfort for Malaysians, as they must join forces to find a solution.
It is without doubt the Malaysian delegates could relate to the global
problems, such as lack of playing fields in schools, lack of equipment
and facilities, shortage of qualified/quality PE teachers and the limited
time allocation for PE in schools and lack of prominence given to sports
in general in schools.
In addition, there were other concerns like lack of parental
involvement, children not interested in some sports, the lack of
maintenance of facilities, time taken to repair or replace the wear and
tear of facilities and equipment.
Professor Ken Hardman (right), from University College Worcester,
England, said it is recognised worldwide there has been a decline in PE
provisions in the 1990s, which has exposed deficiencies at a time when
there are reported widespread increases in obesity and sedentary
lifestyle-related illnesses and associated rising healthcare costs.
Adolf Ogi, special adviser to the Secretary-General of the United
Nations on Sports for Development and Peace and the former President of
Switzerland, in his address at the conference, had said that "sports is
the best school of life".
As such, with sports playing such a vital role in shaping a nation, one
wonders why it is still not given the importance it is duly accorded.
The Malaysian Government, through the Ministries of Sports and
Education, have in-deed been placing importance on PE and sports.
But is enough being done, especially at schools level, which is the
grassroots and foundation of sports?
The Sports Ministry's involvement, however, only begins at a later
stage, although recently, there has been significant progress made with
the Sports Culture and Sports for All concepts.
It is obvious sports has not found a proper footing in schools, and the
Ministry of Education need to work hand in hand to ensure a two-prong
attack. Maybe the Health Ministry should also join in for a more serious
attempt at setting things right at the grassroots level.
Millions of ringgit can be spent on sports, but as long as the
foundation - PE and sports in schools - is weak, the end product is going
to be handicapped.
A Bangkok Agenda on Sports and Education was adopted at the end of the
three-day Conference and among the 12 points were:
* THE significance of physical education and sports be recognised;
* PHYSICAL education and sports should be recognised as integral parts
of quality education and should be made a national priority;
* IT should be mandatory for every school to provide students with at
least 120 minutes of curriculum education and sports time each week and,
in the longer term, 180 minutes.
* THE public, private and voluntary sectors should ensure their sports
facilities and human resources are accessible to the public;
* THE Conference invited all countries to establish a 10-year strategy,
starting next year, to enhance quality physical education and sports,
comprising two five-year medium term plans.
* THE process of identifying the national strategy and developing the
plans should include research, current knowledge, strategic planning with
clear outcomes, management and a monitoring evaluation system;
* THE national strategy should be implemented at the highest level in
the country; and
* PROFESSIONAL preparation of PE and sports teachers should be an
important topic of the national strategy.
The agenda is very relevant to Malaysia's hopes in seeing their
athletes soar to world-class level, and what better way than to start
from the grassroots.

With the right mix comes success (28/10/2005 - The Malay Mail)

Publication : MM
Date : 28/10/2005
Headline : With the right mix comes success

MULTI-RACIAL Malaysia should have reached the highest levels in sports by
now.
We are a unique nation because no where in the world can you find three
major races - Malays, Chinese and Indians - living harmoniously and
working to further develop the nation, which already made milestone
achievements in almost all fields.
We have also the ethnic groups from Sabah and Sarawak to further add
colour to the rich culture.
And with inter-marriages come off-springs with their own characters.
What I am driving at is with such a diversified culture, comes the
strong points of each race.
If only these qualities can be moulded to form a winning formula,
Malaysian sports will certainly be in much higher grounds.
The Chinese, Japanese, Indians or Koreans all have one race and the
qualities lie in each one of them.
But Malaysia has the best of so many worlds and if we can combine all
that, we can probably be world beaters!
Generally, the Malays are known for their artistry, the Chinese for
their analytical nature and the Indians for their industrious nature.
Combine the three characters in a team game and we will have the best
of three worlds.
And add the athletes from East Malaysians or the mixed parentage
athletes and we will have an "international" team.
This was been proven in the early years of Malaysian sports especially
in team sports which had a multi-racial composition.
Lately, however, the multi-racial characteristics in our sports has
been disappearing.
There are many reasons for this: the selection process is flawed, some
ethnic groups are putting less emphasis on sports and more on education
and other more rewarding pursuits, and not enough opportunities are given
to all the races.
I believe we should try and bring back the multi-racial spirit in our
sports teams.
With the different races living so harmoniously and understanding one
another's feelings and beliefs, I don't see why this spirit cannot be
transferred to our sports.
Observe the fans at any stadium where a Malaysian team is playing and
we'll see that no matter what ethnic background the players are from, the
fans of all races come together to cheer as Malaysians. Even when
Malaysia plays teams from their own ethnic background!
Just watch next week when Deepavali is celebrated when the Muslims are
still fasting, as Hari Raya is expected to fall two days later.
Open houses by the Hindu families have mostly been scheduled after the
break of fast. That, if you ask me, is tolerance and understanding.
Observe the young children of all races going to their friends' home to
celebrate the festivity and one wonders how this togetherness is diluted
when it comes to sports.
Perhaps, as we celebrate the festivals, we should all consider the
reasons why we are not there, yet, at the highest levels of sports. And
then join hands to give Malaysian sports an uplift and enjoy the "luxury"
we have in our multi-racial country.
On this note, I wish one and all in advance "DeepaRaya" greetings to
the sports fraternity of Malaysia.

Need for a strong set-up (21/10/2005 - The Malay Mail)

Publication : MM
Date : 21/10/2005
Headline : Need for a strong set-up


THE FA of Malaysia (FAM) may be open to proposals on improving the
quality of the game and strengthening the national team, but they must
draw up a policy that will point Malaysian soccer in the right direction.
Heeding proposals from the various quarters is good, but this has been
done in the past. And more often than not, like all seminars and
workshops held by various sports organisations, they bore little fruit.
FAM, as guardians of the game, should know better after all these years
- what it takes to get the game kicking to lift it to a decent level the
country can be proud of.
There have been numerous overseas study trips, with talks given by
experienced and foreign soccer administrators on how to raise the
standard of the game and, above all, to run it in a professional manner.
But again, all the notes and information seem to be stored away in FAM.
It does not take a rocket scientist to provide the answers for a
healthy soccer environment because like everything else, a well-planned
permanent infrastructure is all that is needed.
Sad to say that for the years of soccer behind most State FAs and the
game itself here having gone semi-pro in 1989 and professional since
1994, the set-up is still amateurish in many aspects.
Any football structure basically has six major components:
* THE policy makers/decision-makers - executives;
* ADMINISTRATIVE - daily functioning of the club and ensuring smooth
operations with professional staff;
* THE infrastructure - facilities (stadium, training grounds,
gymnasiumS, hydro-treatment facilities, medical room, recreation
facilities, administrative block, etc);
* TECHNICAL - the football/ game people/development;
* MEDICAL - doctors, physiotherapists; and
* ANCILLARY - support staff, vital necessities (often manual labour).
While most of the Malaysian organisations meet a number of components,
such as having a policy maker, administrative staff and ancillary, a
majority lacks the basic facility: the infrastructure.
Many State teams are known to train and play at the same venue.
Even the administrative staff of many State associations are
part-timers or personnel who do not have a good grasp of the game.
Almost all State associations do not have professional personnel to
manage the various aspects of administration - such as an accountant,
commercial/ marketing manager or a media director.
Then most of the teams hardly do any development work and the only work
they call "development" is managing the Under-18 (Youth Cup) and Under-20
(President's Cup) sides for a specific period.
Those countries, whose soccer is at world-class level, all have youth
teams of age groups from as young as under eight years old to Reserve
League Under-21 sides. And these teams train all-year round.
They also have full-time technical staff, specialised coaches, fitness
experts, equipment steward. scouts, full-time youth development officers
and managers.
But in Malaysia, these are non-existent as the State teams only seem to
be harping on the M-League.
Only when the foundation is laid for proper soccer development to take
place and a conducive environment for the game to grow can we expect not
only to see results, but also continuous growth as new talent will always
be unearthed.
This will ensure the competitiveness of the local league, as young
footballers would have been brought up in such a high-intensity
environment. And the situation will only improve as these footballers
make progress.
It is no secret the strength of national teams is drawn from how
established the domestic league and soccer structure in their respective
countries are.
And the sooner FAM take the bold move - that all State FAs have the
complete infrastructure to be involved in the game, failing which they
would not come under their jurisdiction - the faster Malaysian soccer can
improve.
Though there will be no overnight results, FAM can look forward to
something significant, say in eight to 10 years' time.
The truth always hurts and the longer we run away from it, the longer
Malaysian soccer is going to remain in the rut.
Cosmetic changes to Malaysian soccer are not going to help, and it is
time for FAM to take the first move of being cruel to be kind.

Why club sides failed in M-League (14/10/2005 - The Malay Malay)

Publication : MM
Date : 14/10/2005
Headline : Why club sides failed in M-League


IT is with a very heavy heart I have to admit that club-based soccer has
no place in the professional M-League.
Having managed the Kuala Lumpur Malay Mail FC (KLMMFC) - who were the
first club-based team from the Klang Valley to play in Premier Two - from
2000-2002, I was a firm believer that club-based soccer was an
alternative to State-based sides and at worse, thought clubs could
co-exist with State teams.
And my involvement with KLMMFC was not restricted to that short period,
but rather for 15 years - from the time the newspaper team made their
debut in the Kuala Lumpur FA Dunhill League in 1988.
As the team progressed from the local league to the national clubs
league - FAM Cup - and eventually emerge as FAM Cup runners-up in 1999 to
earn their place in the professional league in Premier Two, I honestly
believed there was a place for club sides who worked their way up to be
among the elite teams.
But as KLMMFC bowed out of Malaysian soccer at the end of 2003 after
playing in the FAM Cup - following their relegation to club soccer again
at the end of their third season in Premier Two - I was resigned to the
fact that club soccer was for the mega-ringgit teams only.
KLMMFC, who did not have the luxury of being financed by the newspaper,
had to source for funds from sponsors. This was not an easy task and even
when sponsors were secured, some did not fulfil their obligations.
KLMMFC did not harbour hopes of winning the Premier Two title, as their
goal was different: to be a club where fringe players who had failed to
land contracts with State teams and bigger clubs, had an opportunity to
still play in the "big league".
At the same time, they also wanted to give young budding players the
opportunity to play at a high level.
The newspaper team had many young players who left for better-paying
teams the following season, while some experienced ones used the team as
a "transit" before securing more lucrative contracts.
Some of the club's young players went on to don national colours - R.
Surendran (current) and Mohd Imran Ahmad (former). Several made it to the
national youth teams. This is an achievement which some State-based
teams may not be able to match.
Even coaches hired for the club were either those who did not have such
an opportunity earlier, or were pursuing their university studies or were
friends of the club who wanted to help out.
Although it was made clear to one and all from day one that the club
could not afford to pay hefty salaries and bonuses because they were not
rich, it still boiled down to ringgit and sen at the end of the day.
There were players and coaches who left the club with ill-feelings.
But for so long as KLMMFC existed solely for the passion for the game,
they played their role of a club - being part of the foundation of
soccer development in the country.
With Malacca Telekom, Negri Sembilan Cempaka and Johor FC among the
pioneer club sides to play in Premier Two in the late 90s, and who were
the "rich" teams, followed by sides such as Public Bank, MPPJ and MK
Land, I still felt there was hope for club-based soccer.
Cempaka were the first to opt out three years ago and now, two club
big-wigs - Public Bank and MK Land - have withdrawn after a couple of
years in the top flight.
This only underlines the fact that clubs do not have the financial
clout, which is one reason for their early withdrawal from the M-League.
Lack of fan support could be another reason why these clubs failed to
stay on in the M-League despite their efforts to boost crowd turnouts at
matches. Since Malaysian soccer is State-based traditionally, the income
from gate-collection was minimal.
The clubs' stint in the M-League also depended on who ran the clubs or
their financial backers.
More often than not, when there was a change of guard, so did the
clubs' policies.
Unlike State teams, it is rare to see club sides getting the support of
State Governments.
Clubs themselves have to take the blame because they go overboard with
their big budgets and at times, have been known to spend more than what
the State FAs do in a season.
Soon they could not sustain their big-spending ways and start
accumulating debts or cannot garner the same financial support for the
following season.
The FA of Malaysia too have to accept part of the blame for club-based
soccer failure, for imposing all sorts of conditions on the clubs. These
included a compulsory number of professionals (full working contract
players), minimum wages, and deposits for foreign players, which deprived
the clubs of much-needed management funds.
Lastly, State FAs from the start were against club-based soccer and
instead of assisting their club counterparts, they did everything
possible to "kill" them off.
But now it has been established that club soccer should only be
played at FAM Cup level, State FAs - instead of seeing this as a victory
over clubs - should take a hard look at themselves and realise they are
the sole saviors of Malaysian soccer and buck up to get their act
together to be truly professional in every sense of the word.

Reaping fruits of overseas stints (07/10/2005 - The Malay Mail)

Publication : MM
Date : 07/10/2005
Headline : Reaping fruits of overseas stints


THE country's top sportsmen and women need to leave their roost for
long-term overseas stints if they harbour hopes of excelling in their
respective sports.
For far too long, Malaysian athletes have been getting cosy and
comfortable at home, not prepared to venture out into the world where the
real competitions are for them to improve.
This has caused the athletes to remain contented with performances at
Asean or South-East Asian level, and it is no surprise that results are
not forthcoming when competing at Asian or world level.
However, those sports, whose athletes have been sent abroad to train
and compete, have more often than not become the creme de la creme in the
country.
Overseas stints not only expose the athletes to the latest training
methods under top and experienced coaches, but also open their minds to
different cultures and traditions. But more importantly, they get
top-level competitions almost week in and week out.
And with the Cabinet Committee on Sports Development this week agreeing
to convert the Tun Razak Research Centre in Herdfordshire, United
Kingdom, into a High Performance Sports Centre for Malaysian athletes
abroad, an opportunity has been created for more top sporting individuals
to train overseas.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had said he hoped to see
the centre operational by year-end, with the first batch of athletes sent
there to prepare for next year's Asian Games in Doha.
However, it is hoped that those selected to train there exploit the
golden opportunity to improve themselves, instead of complaining about
the cold weather, harsh training sessions and hectic schedules, or for
that matter, about the food.
In the past, we have had athletes, especially footballers, who have
overseas stints, but returned griping about the weather and food.
This has been one of the weaknesses of Malaysian athletes in general:
being too soft and pampered.
In contrast, athletes like hurdler Noraseela Mohd Khalid, squash
players Nicol David, Ong Beng Hee, Azlan Iskandar and Sharon Wee,
cyclists Josiah Ng, and Ng Yong Li, and snooker player Moh Keen Ho have
all stuck it out in countries such as Germany, Holland, the US, Spain and
England.
In addition, they are also improving by the day, with several of them
achieving commendable results.
Another two - squash player Tricia Chuah and cyclist Uracca Leow - will
soon head for Holland and Switzerland. And indications are there probably
will be more.
To these athletes who have left the comfort of home, family, and
familiarity to strive for excellence in foreign lands, they should be
applauded.
We need more such individuals who are prepared to make sacrifices and
possess the burning desire to achieve high standards and bring glory to
the nation.
However, the respective associations recommending their top athletes
for overseas stints must be thorough and judicious in their choices,
while the National Sports Council (NSC), who approve the names, must be
prudent.
Especially now that Malaysia will have a training centre in England,
they should not be sending athletes overseas just for the sake of doing
so.
At the same time, NSC must also look at deserving athletes who may have
been overlooked or neglected by their respective associations, and they
should be given the chance to achieve their goals.
One who springs to mind is walker Mohamed Shahrulhaizy Abdul Rahman, an
outstanding example of a dedicated, disciplined and diligent athlete, but
has not been given many opportunities to compete against the best.
The defending 20km SEA Games gold medallist had to virtually beg to
qualify for this year's Games in Manila.
As walk events are not very popular in the local athletics circle,
Shahrulhaizy did not have many opportunities to meet the Games qualifying
mark.
He finally did so at the Asian Track and Field Championships in
Incheon, South Korea, last month, where he finished sixth. And this only
materialised after he actually boarded the plane at the eleventh hour
following an appeal from his mentor and coach V. Subramaniam.
And the irony was if Shahrulhaizy had not gone to Incheon, he probably
would not have qualified for the SEA Games, because the national meet in
Penang last month did not have the 20 walk in its schedule!
Shahrulhaizy is one who deserves better for his dedication to the
sport, which includes training under Subramaniam even during Ramadhan,
where he is also fasting like other Muslims.
There may be many more like Shahrulhaizy who should be recognised and
duly rewarded. Otherwise, they may just fade away one day.