IN THE SPOTLIGHT – By ERIC SAMUEL: Some people just never learn, do they? Or perhaps they just couldn’t be bothered to learn. One fine example of such a callous attitude has to be the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
Well, consider this. The new Malaysian Super League (MSL) season is just days away from kick-off but the perennial “old” problems still persist.
Tension is already escalating between the parent body and the affiliates over several issues – mainly on the signing of foreign players, uncertain venues, floodlights, poor condition of fields and the usual amendments to the fixtures.
In short, with the MSL kicking off on Tuesday, FAM are in “total chaos”.
So, what’s new?
I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why FAM continue to make a hash of the MSL year in, year out.
Frankly, the MSL should be corporatised and managed by professionals and all the FAM should do is focus on development programmes for the age-group and national teams.
After all, we have the resources to reinvent the MSL. It’s just that FAM have failed to rope in the right people for the job.
It’s about time we tap into the brains of our very own “wise men” in the business – from top administrators to technical experts.
Let’s get their inputs and do things the right way.
Unfortunately, many of these highly qualified Malaysians are hired by the FAs of other countries.
Recently, the MSL bigwigs were in Jakarta on a study mission. And guess what?
It wasn’t a local expert who briefed them on Indonesia’s plans to revive the game in the country. It was a Malaysian – E.R. Subramaniam, who also happens to be a former technical staff of FAM.
He isn’t the only Malaysian who is offering his services to the FAs of other countries and assisting them in revolutionising the game.
Former FAM assistant secretary Datuk Yap Nyim Keong is another. He is in China assisting in the country’s youth development programmes.
We also have own people with technical expertise in the MSL helping to reform football in Cambodia.
So, you see, we do have capable and qualified personnel to call on.
It’s now up to the powers-that-be in the FAM to come down from their pedestal and ask for help.
There is no shame in asking for help if you do not know how to do something.
With the MSL in “total chaos”, as usual, isn’t it time for FAM to seek help from the experts?
Newly-appointed Asian Football Confederation (AFC) secretary Datuk Alex Soosay has said he is willing to provide professional guidance to FAM.
Alex is a Negri-born and used to work with FAM. He has since moved up – all the way to the AFC House in Bukit Jalil.
Is it too much to ask for FAM to seek AFC’s help to run the domestic league the right way?
If I were FAM, I’d do it right now.
The way things are going, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a couple of teams withdrawing midway through the competition.
Good luck, FAM!
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