The Entire FAM Should be Booted Out
Every time you think it cannot get any worse for our national soccer team, they are able to lower the bar further beyond imagination.
Jason Chin
The recent 6-0 mauling of Malaysian soccer team at the hands of Palestine in our own backward is as insulting as it can get. Every time you think it cannot get any worse for our national soccer team, they are able to lower the bar further beyond imagination. It is not the nature of that defeat which is the problem; instead getting a trashing from Palestine is the problem.
Palestine is undergoing turmoil like no other country in the world. Mass destruction and genocide are becoming a norm in Palestine. When the people of Palestine go to bed at night, they do not even know if they will ever wake up the next morning. When a child leaves the house, parents can only pray that he or she returns later. While we in Malaysia are concern about nutrition in food, the Palestinians are thankful just to get something edible. Food is sent to Palestine via an underground tunnel. Some have not got a dime of salary in over a year working in Palestine. Doctors provide service for the sake of humanity as there is no avenue for a proper income. It pierces my heart when I read about the fate of Palestinians. With such horrid conditions, their soccer team can come into our country and give us a beating of our lives.
Who else to blame but FAM? Millions if not billions are spent on soccer in this country. Some of the players earn annual salaries that are farfetched even for a professional. Do they even deserve ten percent of the salary they are getting?
On becoming the Youth and Sports Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin questioned and criticised FAM on numerous occasions. Whenever Khairy speaks against FAM, he gets ridiculed. He has been labelled “biadap” for questioning FAM that is ruled by the royal family of Pahang. Sensitive Malaysians are irked when the royal family is questioned but getting trashed from Palestine is acceptable.
On a more positive note, Malaysia’s under 13s defeated Spain’s under 15 selection 6-3 less than 24 hours after the senior team got humiliated. It is not a one-off result. For those who do not know, our young boys are on a sizzling form, winning 8 games on the trot, being victorious against various teams from Germany. It is interesting to note that the U13 squad is being coached by former Malaysian national and Bayern Munich assistant, Lim Teong Kim who previously could not land a coaching job with FAM. It was Khairy who recognised Lim’s talent and provided him an opportunity with the junior squad.
Over the years, everyone has changed in Malaysian soccer from players to managers to coaches to physio. Despite all changes so far, the outcome is still the same and sometimes worse. So where is the problem then? The only ones remain unchanged are the people in FAM. It is obvious where the hitch is.
In order for Malaysian soccer to grow, I personally feel the royal family should stay out of it. This in fact is true for any sport. Otherwise, sports in Malaysia would continue to decay. The rot in Malaysian sports is imminent even in presence of the dynamic Khairy Jamaluddin unless radical changes occur. Every country is progressing in sports with time except Malaysian sports that is undergoing self-destruction.
