24 Jan System to blame

DON’T just blame us is the cry from several national players in the aftermath of the 5-0 thrashing by the United Arab Emirates in an Asian Cup qualifier on Wednesday. The system, said the players, is equally to blame as they are all products of a league that is simply not competitive enough to produce a strong national team. “We must first accept that the Malaysian Super League (MSL) is not as competitive as the Japan or Korean leagues,” said national skipper Shukor Adan yesterday. “We lost to UAE, who have played in the World Cup before. What have we qualified for? “UAE prepared intensively for the match, including going on a tour of Europe while we only had five days of training.” Shukor said the defeat had nothing to do with players not being committed to the national cause. “Despite losing in the Asean Championship, the players still want to play for the national team. This was not the case not too long ago.”

Shukor said the defeat only highlighted how severe the problems are. “Even the media knows this – that new players are not emerging. Every year, it is the same players who move from one team to another. “The best from the league are chosen to play for the national team but we can’t cut it on the international stage.” Midfielder Amirulhadi Zainal said the blame lies with all parties. “We are blamed for every defeat but there are things happening that we don’t speak out about. At the same time, sacking the coach isn’t the answer,” said Amirulhadi “I believe Malaysia has the highest turnover rate of national coaches. “Our problem doesn’t start in the national team. It is at the grassroots where it starts and as long as we don’t improve there, we can’t expect results.” Striker Indra Putra Mahyuddin said the defeat was the result of inadequate preparation. “We only trained for five days but with the kind of players we have, we need 10-15 days to prepare,” said Indra.