Gloomy stars (07/11/1999 - Sunday Mail)

Publication : SUM
Date : 07/11/1999
Headline : Gloomy stars


IT is happening again. In the Malaysia Cup, the insufferable soccer stars
are letting their teams down. When you think they do not try hard enough
at international level, they are proving to be lazy at home too.
To the consternation of their employers, the supposed cream of Malaysian
soccer have gone sour in their performances as the states battle for
Malaysia Cup semifinal qualification with two matches left.
One can empathise with national coach Abdul Rahman Ibrahim for being
less inclined to choose stars while going for less skillful players who
have more passion for the Malaysian shirt.
In retrospect, during the preparation for September's Brunei SEA Games,
Mailsport had warned Rahman not to depend too much on the established
players for they have been known to be a let-down when it matters.
True enough, they dragged Malaysia's soccer reputation further down the
pits by getting humiliated 2-1 by Singapore and getting whacked 6-0 by
Indonesia.
The indifferent players would not feel the hurt but for Rahman, the
Brunei episode numbed him to the marrow and taught him never to trust
stars again.
But on familiar ground, on the M-League stage where they have been
strutting, a place where their employers thought they would save their
best for, the stars are turning out to be duds.
It is no coincidence that the teams with the stars are the ones having a
stormy time in the Malaysia Cup competition.
Pahang and Penang, the best two teams of the M-League in the past two
seasons, star-studded Negri Sembilan and 28-time Malaysia Cup champions
Selangor are not even among the frontrunners in the race to the
semifinals.
Look at their positions in the Malaysia Cup table. They are left uneasy
and squirming. A good team are just not measured by the number of stars on
their side but by consistency.
Everything points to the hotshots holding back in their performances and
far from being the professionals they claim to be.
Whether their performances have anything to do with their differences
with their State FAs over late payment of wages and bonuses is another
matter.
In any case, as professionals, they cannot allow these problems to
affect their performances.
If they have problems, they should go through the proper channels and
not take them nto the playing field and take paying fans for a ride.
So much so, Negri coach Irfan Bakti Abu Salim has come out in the open
to say that his key players have let him down. Selangor coach K. Rajagopal
and team manager Datuk Mokhtar Ahmad said their team can play like
champions one day and novices next day.
Penang's Moey Yok Ham is too much of a gentleman to take his players to
task but that is probably the very reason why the Panthers are facing
uncertainty in the Malaysia Cup semifinal battle. Pahang, also well armed
to the teeth, are in the same boat.
Coming back to the national team where as Rahman picks his Asian Cup
training squad, uppermost in his mind will be whether the boys will play
their hearts out for the nation.
Probably the best way is to invite M-Leaguers who think they have the
heart and passion for the Malaysian shirt to turn up at Wisma FAM where
Rahman can make his selection from there.
It is sad that we have to resort to ideas like this when players should
give their right arm to play for the country.
At this stage, Rahman is indeed right to say he gets better satisfaction
from a bunch of players with lesser talent but with the heart to perform
then spoilt stars.
Anyone out there with the heart and passion for the Malysian shirt?
Stand up and be counted.

Enough of half-baked schemes (29/09/1999 - The Malay Mail)

Publication : MM
Date : 29/09/1999
Headline : Enough of half-baked schemes


WE seem to be missing the essence of it. Malaysian soccer, trying to
regain lost flavour, is being treated like instant noodles.
While it is heartening that the powers-that-be are putting extra
emphasis on development by having long term plans, the attempt to "curry
it" with a quick fix is very much evident.
The fact that the Ministry of Education, together with FAM and State
FAs, have embarked on making soccer a more serious sport in schools with
year round programmes is indeed welcoming.
As Malaysian international soccer standards stew in bad taste, don't
talk about fast results when it comes to development. The very word
"development" in the dictionary means something that grows or changes over
a period of time into a better form.
But it is disturbing to hear of the annoucement that Malaysian soccer
fortunes will be determined in three to six months.
This came about with the challenge thrown to Briton Allan Harris, who is
expected to coach the national Under-21 team for the KL 2001 Sea Games.
Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, head of the FAM technical committee,
had said they wanted to see Harris bring instant results.
Harris has been offered a three-plus-six month contract during which the
committee are expected to evaluate his performance. While Harris comes
with impressive credentials, he surely cannot be expected to be a Midas.
If Harris had that kind of capabilities, he would certainly be the most
sought after coach in the soccer world.
Are FAM being impatient? Or is it that they have to "play along" with
the National Sports Council (NSC) and the Ministry of Sports who
apparently are results oriented?
Short term goals have happened once too many times in Malaysian soccer,
leading to a curtailing effect. What can be expected of Harris in six
months? It all boils down to the material that is available and how our
players can be moulded.
If Harris can really produce results in six months, it only means one
thing -that Malaysian soccer has talents that are already polished. And if
that is the case, why do we need a foreigner to work the levers to make a
formidable team out of them?
The sad truth is that Malaysian players have a poor foundation of the
game. And even at national level, coaches end up having to teach them the
basics, not to mention professional ethics.
Under the circumstances, for any coach to cook up a winning combination
overnight is impossible.
It was no different when Ronald Smith was appointed FAM Director of
Coaching a few months ago. He was offered a one-year contract with an
option for another year.
Do we expect results in one or two years when the work involves
development? Probably, a five-year contract with an option for another
five would have been justifiable.
Sure, FAM need to evaluate their employees first before any long-term
commitment. But is it fair to assess people on short terms when their very
tasks involve development which means a lengthy process?
When a coach is appointed, his credentials and past records will have
been scrutinised. From this exercise itself, FAM would have a good idea
of his calibre. Sure, the risk factor is always there but we have to live
with it.
When coaches are given short-term contracts and asked to produce
results, they would be inclined to go for proven players and inevitably
the same old players hog the limelight.
With short term contracts, coaches would be unwilling to spend time
working with players or experiment with ideas.
The big side-effect of this is that Malaysian soccer ended up having a
`rojak' coaching system as coaches come and go.
Can we all be a just little more patient? Be ready to go for that extra-
time goal if Malaysian soccer is to be a winner.

More bite, less bark (19/09/1999 - Sunday Mail)

Publication : SUM
Date : 19/09/1999
Headline : More bite, less bark



MALAYSIAN soccer players need to be kept on a short leash to stop the game
from going to the dogs.
Drastic measures are needed to arrest the rot and rehabilitate the
system that is littered with players without a clue to the meaning of
professionalism.
The rape of Malaysian soccer reputation has gone on for far too long -
leading to our degradation by seemingly impotent teams like the
Philippines, Laos and Singapore.
Something has to be done, starting with the attitude and behaviour of
the players who are making a mockery of the word `professionalism.' And
last week, several young players from Negri Sembilan were alleged to have
gang-raped a salesgirl.
The only thing our players equate professional soccer with is money,
never mind that their performances shortchange the fans. How they look is
more important than the waning texture of their game.
Going for the latest soccer boots, the coloured ones that match their
jerseys and doing up their hair as though they were going to a ball
instead of the field is more important than their game.
While they can afford to be flashy in their clothing, they couldn't get
themselves properly attired for training like wearing shin-pads - a
required protection in soccer.
They think they are mature enough to take care of themselves and abhor
being treated like kids if put under the supervision of officials. A
regimented camp life represses their freedom of expression and dulls their
skills. They clamour for `freedom' and be allowed to manage their own
lives.
When FAM granted "freedom" to the Olympic 2000 players and let them
reside in apartments instead of the Wisma FAM dormitory, they gave
themselves a bad name.
They gambled all night long at their apartments, sneaked out to discos
and had no proper rest for training. They even trashed the apartments just
before the team were disbanded.
And these were the very same players who were taught to live like
professionals by no-nonsense coach Hatem Souissi. The first thing they did
when free of Hatem's control, was to express themselves in all the wrong
ways.
Then, we had some players wearing slippers on a recent trip to
Bangladesh for a tournament and sneaking out of Wisma FAM for midnight
rendezvous.
No one is denying these youths the joy of growing up. There is always
room for fun and frolic but it should be tempered with moderation. Just
get the priorities right.
The only way to deal with the situation is for the authorities to act in
an authoritarian way - subject the players to a regimented lifestyle. That
seems the only way because no amount of advising or educating on the
requirements of professionalism seems to work.
The rot starts in schools where the attitude of players leaves much to
be desired with poor attendance for training sessions and sloppy dressing.
At M-League-level, players perpetrate a lot of nonsense - like partying
into the wee hours of the morning, getting drunk and skipping training,
getting into brawls, quarreling over women, getting booked for speeding
or drink driving. And there have been accidents with players getting
killed.
If such a drastic measure is not feasible, then probably, our soccer
should return to the amateur days where at least the players will be fully
occupied the whole day - having to work 9 to 5 and play soccer in the
evenings. This way, they might be too tired to think of having late
nights.
But it is better to put them on a leash before someone gets killed.

Time to make them amateurs again! (27/08/1999 - The Malay Mail)

Publication : MM
Date : 27/08/1999
Headline : Time to make them amateurs again!


IF they can't behave like professionals, they might as well be amateurs.
And that could be the best way for Malaysian soccer to improve.
Sadly, it has been a decade of discontent since the game went
professional - from Semi-Pro (1989 to 1995) to fully professional in 1996.
The cause? A lack of professionalism, from both the players and
officials.
While State FAs are still very much amateurish in their administration
and management of teams, the players themselves hardly have a clue about
plying their trade properly.
Until and when officials and players are "professionalism-compliant", it
is pointless to have a professional league.
The very fact that the State FAs are still heavily subsidised by FAM and
can't stand on their own reflects the state of the sport in this country.
The fat pay that the players are getting just does not commensurate with
their efforts on the field, which more often than not, do not measure up
to expectations.
Players, these days, just do not know the meaning of "sacrifice" and
"hardwork" as they overnight, earn more than a graduate's and in some
instances, more than a doctor's.
Take the example of Pahang's rising star, midfielder Mohammad Fadzli
Shaari. He turned down an offer not only to play soccer in Germany but
also an opportunity to further his studies, citing loneliness. What is
loneliness compared to a bright future ahead? It all boils down to making
sacrifices again.
Nowadays, players have the audacity to complain about being overworked
and tired from two competitive matches a week, and that too travelling by
planes.
At most, the so called professional player puts in only about 18 to 20
hours of work, including training, in a week. For that, they get anything
from RM2,000 to RM12,000 a month.
In comparison, a bank clerk has to put in a minimum of about 40 hours a
week to earn RM2,000. A sports journalist, with 20 years of service, only
earns RM3,000 a month.
But can we blame the players when basically, they are not educated on
professional ethics?
Ask Santokh Singh, Soh Chin Aun or current Selangor coach K. Rajagopal
what it was like playing soccer in their era and they would all say it was
just pure passion for the game and sacrifices.
They held 9 to 5 jobs and only played soccer after their working hours -
be it for club, State or nation. They did it because of their love for the
game, no money involved.
The difference between them and the present generation of players was
that Santokh and company learnt about time management, along with it, the
sacrifices and hunger.
When FAM decided that foreign players would not be allowed to compete in
the M-League this season, many described the decision as taking a few
steps backward.
But it seems the right thing to do - if the discovery of a veritable
number of talents this season is anything to go by. In the absence of
foreign stars, they got the break and shone.
All things considered, the idea of going back to the amateur era seems
feasible.
Talking about sacrifices and determination, look at Lim Teong Kim and
Fandi Ahmad. Teong Kim journeyed to Germany, all alone, didn't know about
the language, unused to the food and culture of the land. Yet, he returned
speaking German, having made a name for himself, both as a player and
coach, in Franz Beckenbauer's country.
Fandi, despite having blessed with great skills, continued to work hard
and make sacrifices. He was really disciplined and for his efforts all
these years, he is now a millionaire.
Nonetheless, the next generation of players have given us hope. But the
code of professionalism has to be instilled in them. And for Malaysian
soccer to go forward, our game must go "backward".

KL load up on talent (The Malay Mail)

KUALA LUMPUR will get a big infusion of talent for the Malaysia Cup
competition starting on Sept 21 with the return of six Olympic 2000
players.
 KL coach Mat Zan Mat Aris, while happy with the new players at his
disposal, is at a loss as to how he will fit them into the team.
 He will, in fact, have seven new players as defender Yuzaiman Zahari,
left out of the Olympic 2000 squad to undergo a nose operation, is now
available.
 The other six currently with Olympic 2000 in Japan are goalkeeper
Jamsari Sabian, defenders M. Karunakaran, S. Jayaprakash and M. Gopal and
midfielders Mohamad Shawal Mohamad Johadi and Rosle Derus.
 Karunakaran played for KL in the M-League this season before gettting a
late call-up to the Olympic side.
 "It is good that I will not have to look far to strengthen the team for
the Malaysia Cup competition," said Mat Zan.
 "But I will also have to decide on the players I need and how I am going
to fit them into the team.
 "We already have 21 players and there are only four places available to
make the maximum 25 allowed.
 "I have to be fair to the present players who have worked very hard to
put us in the Malaysia Cup competition and the FA Cup semifinals.
 "I cannot discard them."
 Mat Zan said the admission of the Olympic players will strengthen the
team and give depth to the squad.
 He is considering registering a few of them with the M-League side and
the rest with the Reserve League.
 "I will have to discuss the matter with the management committee before
making any decisions because of the extra expenditure involved.
 "KLFA are working on a tight budget and we have to be careful on our
spendings," sai Mat Zan.
 States get first pick on their Olympic players. Only if they cannot
accommodate them, will the players be released.
 But there is a possibility of the FA of Malaysia coming up with a
different plan for the Olympic players after the qualifiers.
 The other players with Olympic 2000 are: Abdul Rauf Ahmad and Jaafar
Mohamad Salleh (both Selangor), M. Elangoo and Chow Chee Weng (both Negri
Sembilan, Das Gregory Kolopis (Sabah), Gilbert Cassedy Gawing and Johnny
Joseph (both Sarawak), Akmal Rizal Ahmad Rakhli and Mohamad Rafdi Rashid
(both Kedah), Megat Amir Faizal Ibrahim (Penang), Mohamad Sany Muhammad
Fahmi (Johor), Muhammad Khalid Jamlus (Perak) and Tg Hazman Raja Hassan
(Kelantan).
                              (END)

It takes yen and zen (The Malay Mail)

MALAYSIAN officials can scour the whole world for a recipe for soccer
success but it just will not work without the right cooks in the FAM
kitchen.
 Following Wednesday's 4-0 loss to Japan which all but ended our Sydney
Olympic dreams, we embark on a `Look East' policy.
 Fifa's latest world rankings, which pushed Malaysia down to 118th, is
our worst ever and another bitter pill to swallow.
 The FAM study group to Japan might as well buy some chrysanthemum tea
leaves as a panacea for the ills of Malaysian soccer.
 We have seen FAM delegations going to England, Germany and to World Cups
in the USA and France and coming back with fantastic reports for a cure.
 Where has all that taken us? World No 118. The root of the matter is
that no matter what the group to Japan comes back with, the problem lies
in implementation of the programmes.
 The observers to Japan are FAM head of academies, Datuk Paduka Ahmad
Basri Akil, Director-General of Education Datuk Dr Shukor Abdullah, FAM
assistant secretary Yap Nyim Keong, head of reserarch and development
Winsdor John, director of coaching Ronald Smith, council member and former
international Dell Akbar Khan.
 And who are the ones going to implement the recommendations of the `Look
East' policy? Definitely not these people going on the study tour.
 In fact, ask any of group members what needs to be done to salvage
Malaysian soccer and they can come up with the answers without going to
Japan.
 It is certainly not that we do not know what is wrong with our game and
what needs to be done.
 It is a case of not having the right people to carry out the programmes.
Malaysian soccer's failure is because of impatient people.
 We all want instant results. And going to Japan, who give the world
instant noodles, is not going to help.
 Now with Japan making sushi out of our boys, we start talking of the RM6
million spent in building Olympics 2000.
 Do we honestly think that the course of Malaysian soccer can be changed
by RM6 million and four years of hothousing?
 To select a squad of 25 players, more than 3,500 players from all over
the country were assessed.
 When a nation cannot name a squad of 25 players around 17 or 18 years
old off-hand, the problem is obvious.
 Mike Brown, who was the Pahang coach in 1992, once asked me if I could
give 10 names of the top Under-12 players in the country.
 I couldn't.
 Brown's point was that Malaysia, while making preparations to host the
1997 World Youth Cup, should have assembled an Under-12 training squad
first. As it turned out, FAM only assembled a team two years before the
competition.
 By then, it was already too late to develop the skills of players around
16 to 17 years old because most of them are already set in their ways.
 No matter how much money is pumped in, turning uncut diamonds into fine
gems in two years is next to impossible in soccer.
 The same fate met the Barcelona and Atlanta squads. When are we going to
learn?
 What we need is a vision for players between eight and 10 years old with
a specific programme tailored to their age. We must wait patiently for
them to mature and that is not going to happen without sheer hard work.
 But when State FAs are busy with the M-League, who has the time for
kids?
Looking to Japan is fine. But one factor which we have to consider is the
different cultures of the two countries.
 Coming to mind is the Tidak Apa attitude and the procrastinating habit
of Malaysians who are just not hungry enough and unwilling to make
sacrifices.
 But the Japanese are a race full of pride and honour and their warriors
were known for committing seppuku for failures.
 So how can Malaysian players embrace the teachings of the sensei?
Besides, the Japansese certainly did not reach their current level
overnight. It took years of blood, sweat and tears to get there.
 The yen is only part of the ingredients for success but it is the zen
and the spirit of the Japanese soccer administrators that contributes to
their success.
 Getting the right people who are willing to go through the hardwork,
sacrifices, patience and long term planning.
 And success does not come overnight.
                               (END)

PD reaping dividends from development (The Malay Mail)

V

IF only more districts like Port Dickson put in concerted efforts in
soccer development, there would be budding talents in the country in time
to come.
 Port Dickson, although known as a seaside resort, has also produced a
fair share of players for the State of Negri Sembilan.
 Among the notable players from Port Dickson who have donned the Deers
jersey are defender Kamarulzaman Adam (1983-'96), midfielder Mutalib Adam
(1981-'85) and strikers C. Baskaran (1984-'88) and Adnan Din (1982-'90).
 There were several others who played for one or two seasons, including
defenders Shamsudin Yusop, Abdul Rahim Buyung and Abu Bakar Ahmad,
midfielders Kasim Samsul, Shukur Adam and M. Suresh and striker Rosli
Ibrahim.
 And there are now two budding talents from Port Dickson in Suffian Abdul
Rahman and Mohd Razly Abu Bakar playing in the Negri Sembilan Reserve
League team.
 But Port Dickson District Officer Hasan Nawawi Abd Rahman, who was
elected Port Dickson FA president last October, has bigger things in mind.
 He wants to see players come out of Port Dickson not by chance, but by
design.
 And he is talking about a long-term plan, which may bear fruit when he
may no longer be the D.O. of Port Dickson.
 The first thing when Hasan was approached to become the PDFA president
was to state his conditions of getting people who know and love the game
working for him.
 He insisted that people like Adnan, Baskaran and Abu Bakar be in the
committee.
 "I wanted action-oriented people in the setup who were willing to work,"
said Hasan, who was the former Assistant District Officer of Manjung in
Perak.
 "And I was not so concerned about having a glamorous league although it
was part and parcel of the organisational aspect of the association.
 "I was more interested in developing talent for the future.
 "It was then that I appointed Adnan, who is a teacher at the SMK Dato
Abdul Samad to be in charge of the youth development programme."
 Hasan rounded up about 30 Form One students, who were all 13 years of
age, in the district to attend his school.
 The programme was launched in February and the players trained under
Adnan, with Baskaran and Abu Bakar assisting.
 A hurdle Hasan faced when he took over the association was that they
were in the red and did not have ready cash for the youth development
programme.
 To overcome this, he organised fund-raising dinners, which brought in
much-needed cash for the PDFA's kitty.

Hasan - a man who is always on the move
PORT Dickson District Officer Hasan Nawawi Abd Rahman (left) is an action-
oriented man and it is not difficult to understand his hyperactive nature
because his motto is simply: "Put more spice in your life".
 He is not the normal bureaucratic officer who sits in the office all day
but is one who is always on the move.
 And his sporting background probably accounts for his gung-ho spirit.
 The 46-year-old father of four children does jungle hiking, mountain
climbing and cycling.
 He has climbed Mount Kinabalu three times and Gunung Tahan once.
 If one thinks that is a feat, he has a bigger ambition in the offing -
he wants to cycle around the world with his younger brother within a year.
 Plans to achieve that feat are already in motion.
 Hasan plans to pick the right occasion to take off on his tour and has
targeted to leave in January 2001, which may probably coincide with the
Tour De Langkawi.
 In preparation for the Tour, he has already cycled in India for 20 days
in 1994 and in February this year, he covered over 1,700km in 12 days from
Hanoi to Saigon.
 Come October, he intends to cycle to Tajikistan, formerly part of the
Soviet republic, to check on the weather conditions as he will be passing
through this region during the world tour.
                              (END)