The writer finds out why Malaysian football is no longer appealing. -NST
Sun, Jul 13, 2008
The New Straits Times
By SONIA RAMACHANDRAN
So Malaysian football rankings improved by three rungs. No big deal as Malaysian fans continue to worship the Ronaldos, Terrys, Torreses and Gerrards. SONIA RAMACHANDRAN, who is no football fan, finds out why Malaysian football is no longer appealing
MUHAMAD Muammar Gadaffi Omar was 6 years old when he first saw football legend Mokhtar Dahari in action. It got him hooked on football and until today, he has remained a fan.
Not of the national team but of the teams playing in the English, Spanish, German, Italian and even South American leagues. And it's all there on satellite television.
Now 33, the government servant remembers the time when Mokhtar's skills on the field had him and thousands of Malaysians enthralled.
"I remember reading about how he scored that fantastic goal from the middle of the pitch in the 1-1 draw against England B at Merdeka Stadium in 1978," said Muhammad Muammar.
"One of the English coaches (Bobby Robson) commented that the only player in the English team who could score like that was the famous Kevin Keegan.
"This showed that Mokhtar's skills were of international standard."
And Malaysian football was well respected then.
Not any more.
Today, Muhammad Muammar dismisses the national team's performance as embarrassing and irritating, which is one reason why he prefers to watch foreign matches.
"If we had players like Mokhtar, Soh Chin Aun, Shukor Salleh and R. Arumugam today, I would definitely watch Malaysian football."
What is the difference between the players of Mokhtar's calibre and the players of today?
"Attitude. Today's players are professionals but their attitude is contrary to that," he said
"Mokhtar was passionate about the game and to him, it was a great honour to represent Malaysia.
"I read that he would not venture out of his room the day before a match just to prepare himself physically and mentally.
"But now, players have been seen at social haunts the night before a match."
Muhammad Muammar said Mokhtar held a 9-to-5 office job and played football after that.
"The national players of today only play football and yet they are an embarrassment."
He suggests that it may be time for Malaysia to adopt the South American style of play to regain our international standing simply because of the players' physique.
"We play the English and European style but the size of our players do not match that of the Europeans.
"The South American players compete against the Europeans with skills, not strength. That's what we should emulate."
According to workshop owner Chai Khong Ngan, the problem with Malaysian football is the officials are not out to improve the quality of the game.
"They are in it for self-gain," said Chai, 59, of Kuala Lumpur.
"There are many good players out there who are not chosen to represent the state or the country.
"Look at Korea. They were of the same standard as Malaysia in the 1970s. But now they have improved tremendously."
What does he think should be done?
"It is very simple. If good and honest officials are appointed, then the standard of the game would improve.
"This would result in more people turning out to watch the matches, which would mean an increase in revenue and better pay for players."
Amir Hussin Awang, a diehard fan, said the problem afflicting Malaysian football was that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) was run by those who had agendas that did not concern the sport.
He said there were programmes for schoolchildren right up to the national level but the snag was its implementation.
"The implementation is half-baked. The funds are there but the people who run it are not doing it wholeheartedly for the game," said Amir, a company director from Petaling Jaya.
He said the government should spend money on the development of players at school level and clubs should take over after that.
"Sports can be run like a business in the country. The club should be run like a professional outfit which is independent of politics.
"It should be run purely like a business so that it is for their interest that they develop the players properly and market them favourably."
Former top footballer James Wong, who scored the winning goal in the memorable 2-1 win over South Korea which earned Malaysia a place in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, said a Fifa ranking below 100 would be something to celebrate, not an improvement that still sees us at 166th.
"Football is all about hard work, dedication and commitment," said Wong.
"This is where we need to step up the leg work, literally. It's no use talking about rankings, potentials, plans or even past achievements.
"Focus should be on the field because that is where the game is played, not in boardrooms or meetings or coffeeshops.
"When I was a player, we impressed coaches with our work rate both on and off the field.
"Based on what I see on television, our players have a long way to go before matching other Asian teams that have improved by leaps and bounds."
Former national coach Datuk M. Kuppan said to compare the present and past standards of Malaysian football, the attitude of the present and past officials and players had to be studied.
"In those days, passion for football was the order of the day with full commitment, and players were proud to represent the country and were motivated to maintain a high level of fitness.
"Centralised training before a major tournament was for a period of 10 days. The players worked on their own weaknesses before coming in for centralised training and were willing to spend extra time to sharpen their ball skills.
"From my observation, this is a rare commodity now."
However, Kuppan said the FAM should not be solely held responsible for the present standard of the national team.
FAM may have a lot of plans but it doesn't have that many players coming through the assembly line, he said.
"The states must take it upon themselves to plan and organise competitive leagues in all towns and districts that will ensure a rich source of talented players."
Sun, Jul 13, 2008
The New Straits Times
By SONIA RAMACHANDRAN
So Malaysian football rankings improved by three rungs. No big deal as Malaysian fans continue to worship the Ronaldos, Terrys, Torreses and Gerrards. SONIA RAMACHANDRAN, who is no football fan, finds out why Malaysian football is no longer appealing
MUHAMAD Muammar Gadaffi Omar was 6 years old when he first saw football legend Mokhtar Dahari in action. It got him hooked on football and until today, he has remained a fan.
Not of the national team but of the teams playing in the English, Spanish, German, Italian and even South American leagues. And it's all there on satellite television.
Now 33, the government servant remembers the time when Mokhtar's skills on the field had him and thousands of Malaysians enthralled.
"I remember reading about how he scored that fantastic goal from the middle of the pitch in the 1-1 draw against England B at Merdeka Stadium in 1978," said Muhammad Muammar.
"One of the English coaches (Bobby Robson) commented that the only player in the English team who could score like that was the famous Kevin Keegan.
"This showed that Mokhtar's skills were of international standard."
And Malaysian football was well respected then.
Not any more.
Today, Muhammad Muammar dismisses the national team's performance as embarrassing and irritating, which is one reason why he prefers to watch foreign matches.
"If we had players like Mokhtar, Soh Chin Aun, Shukor Salleh and R. Arumugam today, I would definitely watch Malaysian football."
What is the difference between the players of Mokhtar's calibre and the players of today?
"Attitude. Today's players are professionals but their attitude is contrary to that," he said
"Mokhtar was passionate about the game and to him, it was a great honour to represent Malaysia.
"I read that he would not venture out of his room the day before a match just to prepare himself physically and mentally.
"But now, players have been seen at social haunts the night before a match."
Muhammad Muammar said Mokhtar held a 9-to-5 office job and played football after that.
"The national players of today only play football and yet they are an embarrassment."
He suggests that it may be time for Malaysia to adopt the South American style of play to regain our international standing simply because of the players' physique.
"We play the English and European style but the size of our players do not match that of the Europeans.
"The South American players compete against the Europeans with skills, not strength. That's what we should emulate."
According to workshop owner Chai Khong Ngan, the problem with Malaysian football is the officials are not out to improve the quality of the game.
"They are in it for self-gain," said Chai, 59, of Kuala Lumpur.
"There are many good players out there who are not chosen to represent the state or the country.
"Look at Korea. They were of the same standard as Malaysia in the 1970s. But now they have improved tremendously."
What does he think should be done?
"It is very simple. If good and honest officials are appointed, then the standard of the game would improve.
"This would result in more people turning out to watch the matches, which would mean an increase in revenue and better pay for players."
Amir Hussin Awang, a diehard fan, said the problem afflicting Malaysian football was that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) was run by those who had agendas that did not concern the sport.
He said there were programmes for schoolchildren right up to the national level but the snag was its implementation.
"The implementation is half-baked. The funds are there but the people who run it are not doing it wholeheartedly for the game," said Amir, a company director from Petaling Jaya.
He said the government should spend money on the development of players at school level and clubs should take over after that.
"Sports can be run like a business in the country. The club should be run like a professional outfit which is independent of politics.
"It should be run purely like a business so that it is for their interest that they develop the players properly and market them favourably."
Former top footballer James Wong, who scored the winning goal in the memorable 2-1 win over South Korea which earned Malaysia a place in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, said a Fifa ranking below 100 would be something to celebrate, not an improvement that still sees us at 166th.
"Football is all about hard work, dedication and commitment," said Wong.
"This is where we need to step up the leg work, literally. It's no use talking about rankings, potentials, plans or even past achievements.
"Focus should be on the field because that is where the game is played, not in boardrooms or meetings or coffeeshops.
"When I was a player, we impressed coaches with our work rate both on and off the field.
"Based on what I see on television, our players have a long way to go before matching other Asian teams that have improved by leaps and bounds."
Former national coach Datuk M. Kuppan said to compare the present and past standards of Malaysian football, the attitude of the present and past officials and players had to be studied.
"In those days, passion for football was the order of the day with full commitment, and players were proud to represent the country and were motivated to maintain a high level of fitness.
"Centralised training before a major tournament was for a period of 10 days. The players worked on their own weaknesses before coming in for centralised training and were willing to spend extra time to sharpen their ball skills.
"From my observation, this is a rare commodity now."
However, Kuppan said the FAM should not be solely held responsible for the present standard of the national team.
FAM may have a lot of plans but it doesn't have that many players coming through the assembly line, he said.
"The states must take it upon themselves to plan and organise competitive leagues in all towns and districts that will ensure a rich source of talented players."
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