07 Jan WHAT DOES NSC KNOW ABOUT FOOTBALL

I must apologize for not being able to keep up with the latest updates. The Year started with promising job scopes and opportunities for my company to grow, and at the end of the day, blogging does not pay my bills, I would like to thank the many people who called and asked if I had stopped writing.

I am not an excellent writer compared to the many people out there, but given my limitations and time constraints I will however make every endeavour to address the biting issues. This morning I was on RTM breakfast show and we spoke about football and its progress. This is what I feel about the whole situation. Have a great year.

NSC Director General Datuk Zolkples Embong, being the obedient subordinate did a great job of by defending his boss’ decision of sending the national players to England for full time training. But the question is, does the NSC for all their claims, really know how to manage and cure Malaysian football of all its ailments?

Just what do they know about football management? Have these kataks ever stepped out from under their tempurung (coconut shell), and seen how football is managed in football-developed nations?

Their perception of astute football management is having an elite squad, waste RM 100 million on programmes, later shut down the department, and miraculously get away with murder and no accountability. The Malaysian Anti Corruption Agency that camped on the second floor of the NSC building quizzing certain officials could not provide any answers as well.

But even that aside, does anyone out there seriously believe that Zolkples can stand shoulder to shoulder with the nation’s football brains – FIFA and internationally- acclaimed at that too – like Datuk Seri Paul Mony Samuel, Datuk Peter Vellappan and Windsor Paul John?

When you are a dwarf, you should stand on the shoulders of giants so that you can have a better and clearer vision of what lies ahead. But to do that one has to first acknowledge one’s shortcomings. I seriously doubt Zolkples believes he is a dwarf in this field, for if he did I am quite sure he would have done the most sensible thing by seeking the assistance of these three world-acclaimed football administrators to fix our football problems.

For no one in their right frame of mind or knows anything of football would ever support such an inane move. I can even begin to understand why the Sports Minister would have conceived such an idea. He is after all a politician, and one who could be on transit in sports. But what excuse has a self-proclaimed expert on sports like Zolkples have to support a move that would only be more detrimental than instrumental in the rescue operations.

But really Mr Minister, you should have looked beyond the NSC to seek advice on this issue before coming up with a suggestion like that. I am just amazed why our very own football brains weren’t even consulted by us when the rest of Asia turns to them for help. Do they have to be Caucasians for us Malaysians to acknowledge their skills and knowledge?

Perhaps we should all just take a page out of Michael Jackson’s cosmetic book and have our skins bleached, for it seems, at least in this country, that it matters that we are black or white.
Maybe if the so-called experts in NSC had advised the Minister well, he would have sat with Europe failures like Fadzli Shaari who was in Germany playing division 4 with pot-bellied social footballers, Akmal Rizal who came running back, Juzaili Samion, and also Titus who decided to stay back.

Maybe the Minister and Zol should talk to former international call Lim Teong Kim, who is back for holidays from Germany, as the coach of the Under-19 Bayern Munich team, and get some input on life and standards in Europe.

Reality Check: There isn’t a single Malaysian who can get a playing contract in those football-developed nations even in the 2nd division. Let’s face it; we are still playing kampung football, and right now that’s all we are worth. The solutions are staring us in the faces, but we still persist on wasting taxpayers’ money and enriching the coffers of certain individuals.

I am also surprised that FAM hasn’t tapped into the huge reserves of Datuk Paul, Windsor, Datuk Peter Vellappan. What is it that’s standing in their way – ego?

Mr Minister, perhaps before you pay a visit to Old Trafford to seek assistance, you could do well by gaining some input from the football brains that are at our very own backyard.

For it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell you that Man United has no time for our boys, Brian Claire the Head of Youth will not give our players a chance to play even in the reserves. Did you ask the boys who are married to actresses and having a child, if they want to go. How much can you pay them? Our players can’t even play in the Vietnam League or Thailand League. Do you know why?

We are just not a competitive race. We are happy with being mediocre and get paid handsomely for it. When a mediocre player is earning up to RM 25,000 a month and lives comfortably without having to word hard, train in cold winters, and fight for places in the starting line-up week in week out, why in God’s name should they go and get killed in England.

Are our players, who have been so used to getting handouts and subsidies and not having to compete on level-playing fields most of the time, ready to compete in England? Please Mr Minister, who are you kidding? Please don’t insult Manchester United by even suggesting to them to train our very mediocre players, who thrive on mediocrity, laziness, roti canai and nasi lemak. I am very sure someone is making money as well here; no one is going to do this for free. So can the Minister tell us who is arranging this trip and what is it going to cost the tax payers?

Mind you the SEA Games gold medal was won after FAM spent RM 650 million in 15 years. That’s how much football cost, so let’s not celebrate as though we qualified for the World Cup. Yesterday Malaysia was beaten 1-0 by UAE in the Asian Cup. So there goes our campaign in the Asian Cup.

So what now Mr Minister?