31 Jan Accept home truths and move forward, FAM

TOMORROW’S FA of Malaysia (FAM) exco meeting should, based on president Sultan Ahmad Shah’s promise last week, result in some drastic decisions. The unfit national team’s 5-0 loss to the United Arab Emirates in an Asian Cup qualifier two weeks was the last straw for Sultan Ahmad Shah and fed-up of being taken advantage of, he promised that he would speak his mind from now on.

Such is the anger with local football that many have even called for Sultan Ahmad Shah, at the helm for 25 years now, to step down. While that may satisfy some, Sultan Ahmad Shah’s departure – if there is to be one – won’t save Malaysian football. The rot is not limited to FAM as it has spread to all levels with most state FAs terminally ill. So if there is to be a change, it should be at all levels and we know that won’t happen, not when football is such a precious tool for so many reasons. But the revival has to start somewhere and Sultan Ahmad Shah has to lead the way by making some important decisions tomorrow.

Word is the future of B. Sathianathan will be discussed and that many within FAM believe he should be sacked, not so much for the 5-0 defeat but for his criticism of the M-League. The grapevine has it that K. Rajagopal will be the caretaker coach before FAM appoints a permanent replacement, who may well be a foreigner. But if FAM does choose to go down that path, perhaps it should try a different approach before hiring what will surely be an expensive foreigner.

What FAM should do is, using its connections, get an array of internationally renowned coaches and ask them to give a honest assessment of the M-League and the national team. FAM has its technical committee and technical study groups but as one official told me, Sultan Ahmad Shah mostly gets diluted reports of the true scenario. I may not hold coaching certificates but allow me to relate an incident during the Asean Championship in Phuket in December.

The players were involved in a drill where they were required to cross the ball from defence to midfield. One player, in 10 attempts, only managed to find his target once prompting a frustrated team manager Datuk Soh Chin Aun to show him how it was done. Chin Aun sent all 10 crosses into the target area, leaving the players speechless and prompting the former national skipper to say: “Our players are not intelligent.” So before FAM embarks on yet another episode that will probably end in failure, I would like to humbly offer some suggestions which could help save Malaysian football.

* Revive the game at the grassroots to what it used to be. District, state and national level tournaments are held over a short period and this is not enough if we hope to produce quality players.

* Privatise the M-League with FAM only focusing on the various national teams. A privatised league will ensure that only teams who can meet the financial demands are allowed in. This will also ensure teams follow all rules, including the one where players are supposed to pass a fitness test.

* A properly structured coaching and education programme to ensure coaches are always up to date with the latest in the game.

* No more bailouts of state affiliates as this has contributed greatly to the decline of Malaysian football. FAM may well choose to do it differently but having tried the soft approach without much success, the only hope football has is to go about it the hard way and it should start with the exco meeting tomorrow.