What next for Malaysian football?
The small legion of faithful supporters tries earnestly to create an atmosphere in the stands. A couple of Malaysian flags drape over the rails in a show of support. The rain seems woefully symbolic. There are less than five hundred people watching the game between Malaysia and Nepal on a soggy pitch reduced to a mud patch. Malaysia has just scored their fourth goal and Nepal look like a team who do not have the motivation to continue. The disjointed passing from both teams sums up the night. The stadium is more than three quarters empty and tells the whole story.
For years, Malaysians have abandoned what used to be a popular pastime – watching the national team. Only the hardcore fans continue turning up. And signs are that even they might be getting fed up of the mediocrity. Despite beating Nepal 4-0, there is a very obvious sense of dissatisfaction among the fans. The rain certainly did not do much to lift their spirits. All the positives cannot hide the fact that there is something very wrong with Malaysian football at the moment.
Gone are the days when Malaysia routinely beat South Korea and Japan. Once a formidable force, feared all over the continent, they were a true giant of Asian football. Nowadays, the stories of yesteryear crop up all too often. There is a sense that Malaysians are living in the past, not taking sufficient measures to improve for the future.
Questions have been posed over and over and the answers are all the same. There is a distinct possibility, almost a certainty that something much deeper is at the heart of the problem. Is this only a phase or can the rot be stopped now?
Politicians within the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) establishment have always been looked at suspiciously by the fans. Their presence within FAM has always been a topic of debate among fans. Some think that they are merely there to add another accolade to their CV. Some feel that they only use their position to put themselves in the spotlight. However, the general consensus is that they do not need to be on the board.
“FAM is not a political association. The only thing is there are people who are involved with the football and it so happens that they are politicians,” says Datuk Soh Chin Aun, current Malaysian team manager and former captain.
However he does concede that there may be politicians with agendas of their own. “Whether they are really for the development of football or not for the development of football, I don’t know,” he admitted. The pauses in between his answers suggest there is a lot more that he knows than what he is willing to divulge.
He quickly changes the topic and comments, “There needs to be better coaching available.”
“I think coaches must have had playing experience at a certain level so they can pass on their experience and knowledge to the younger generation. The input is currently lacking.”
He blames the current state associations for not developing better players for the national team to utilise. “There are a lot of people talking about how FAM (Football Association of Malaysia) is not doing their job which I think is wrong,” he grumbles. “The state associations and the clubs are the ones who have to produce good players, and then we can bring them to the national team.”
“If you give us A, we will have A in the national team. If you give B, then we will have category B in the national team, as simple as that. Say I am cooking and you give me the wrong recipe, so what? I can’t do anything.”
To him, people in the country now are blaming the officials even though they have nothing to do with the problem. His exasperated reply epitomises his views on the matter. He also puts the blame on foreign coaches and expensive foreign players.
“You see all those years we were thinking of using ‘mat salleh’ coaches and I think they were a letdown. Just because they can talk. If only I can talk like them, I can be a greater coach,” claims Soh, clearly wound up merely talking about the issue.
“They all come here to bullshit and when the players fart, they say it’s very nice. But we were footballers before. We know what is happening. We know what is good and bad.”
The recent decision to ban all foreign players from the Malaysian league was a move that perplexed many. Pundits rubbished the decision and the media continually poured scorn on the head of FAM. The simple truth behind this was that Malaysian football was not getting their money’s worth from mediocre talent. According to Soh, over RM30 million was spent last season alone on foreign imports, most of them admittedly poor. He believes the FAM made the correct decision and that it also helps clubs from promising to pay players more than they can afford.
“We just don’t want them anymore. They were a key reason for many teams being in debt,” reasons Soh. “We need to have good foreigners here, so they can help our local players. But to me, not many of the foreign players are good. Why should we spend this kind of money on them?”
He claims that some of the local players are better than the foreigners, a view not necessarily shared by the fans.
“Despite officials claiming the foreigners are average, they are still better than the majority of our players,” says Eddie Gnaniah, who has been watching the national team for the past forty years.
“The top three goalscorers in the Malaysian league this year were all foreigners! Explain that to me. I don’t understand how they can say that the foreigners don’t add anything to the league because I believe they do.”
He acknowledges the lack of funding but believes this is merely due to mismanaged funds. “Why would you agree to pay someone what you don’t have? That’s the only reason why clubs are in debt,” argues Gnaniah.
The lack of quality opposition and exposure is another factor for Malaysia’s decline in Gnaniah opinion. Malaysia has only scheduled five matches this year, excluding the ongoing Merdeka Tournament, of which only two are not regional rivals – India and Pakistan.
“Playing against such mediocre opposition is not going to help us improve. In fact it will only help our opposition improve as we are technically better than most of them,” he laments.
“This ongoing Merdeka Tournament is another example of how low the standard has dropped. We used to have the best in Asia playing here as well as teams from Europe. The best team in the competition this time is Mozambique and they didn’t even bring their first choice squad!”
The lack of quality competition is something Datuk Soh has come to accept and puts the blame on the international schedule today. “Most of the countries cannot accommodate this tournament as they have their own agenda. Secondly, today, teams like Korea and Japan are a different class compared to Malaysia. Even if you invite them, they won’t come. There is nothing for them to gain,” he argues.
“So many people are asking why we didn’t invite better teams. It’s not that we want to win but we can only take what is available.”
He believes it is not all doom and gloom for Malaysian football and that there have been improvements made in the last two years. A combination of a well educated coach as well as hungry young players has resulted in improvements in various areas, according to Soh. He is certainly well-placed to judge being the current national team manager.
“Before when we used to play, even before we played we knew we were going to lose already. Since I am with the team, somewhere or other I know there are improvements,” claims Soh.
Gnaniah shares Soh’s optimism but believes there are still sensitive hurdles to be cleared, prejudice and racism included. Today’s Malaysian team is predominantly made up of Malays with one or two Indians and Chinese in the squad. In their heyday, the national team was a multi racial set-up with members of all races featuring prominently in the squad.
“There are Chinese and Indian boys who can play very well today. The Malay players are undoubtedly good but there are definitely Chinese and Indians that can be in the national squad,” he says.
“Obviously this is never covered in the media nor can it be proven but I feel it’s definitely a factor. It’s a sensitive topic, but we must confront the issue sooner rather than later.”
Former Selangor youth player, Chris Mun agrees. “I believe Malaysia does have many good players, but that they were not selected because of certain biases. I know this because I've been through the selection sessions before,” he says with a slight hint of regret.
“Often it's for show only as the manager or selection committees already have the players they wanted in their mind.”
In contrast to Soh, he also suggests that the blame does not lie with mediocre foreign coaches, but the managers that select the team to play matches.
“Even when we have some very good coaches from overseas coming to coach our national team, we still can't perform,” he grumbles.
“This is because the manager of the national team interferes with the selection of the team when they are not the one training the team. Most of the times they tend to choose players who may not be suitable but are their favorites.”
Whereas Soh is reluctant to acknowledge the effect politicians have on the local game, Mun openly discusses the subject with no qualms. He believes the non-existent knowledge of politicians only serve to cause confusion and harm to FAM, not least when it comes to choosing players.
He claims that, “Most of them don't play or know anything about football, but all want to have a say about how to run FAM.”
“Their decisions are not for the good and advancement of FAM. The coach trains the players, but it is usually the manager, who knows nothing about football, that does the choosing.”
In his opinion, Malaysian football needs to have a complete overhaul of their current system in order to improve. He is adamant that politicians must be removed from the hierarchy and that coaches and managers be left to handle team affairs without interference. He also urges the FAM to have an open mind when it comes to trials.
“Only the best should be selected. If they are good, pick them to represent the country. Don't go by color, preference and quota,” he advises.
“Most of our players are spoilt with too many benefits. They need to be pushed outside their comfort zone.”
His final words seem almost symbolic as the players trudge off the pitch looking very satisfied with their night’s work - a 4-0 victory against a Nepal side offering little resistance. Even the muddy bogged down pitch could not disguise how easily Malaysia dominated the game – well within their comfort zone. FAM are likely to not heed Mun’s words or Soh’s suggestions anytime soon. They could do worse than try.
For now Malaysian football remains in the doldrums, the shadow of politics and poor performances looming like a dark cloud over its shoulder. It is widely known that improvements and changes need to be made. The question that has yet to be answered is when?
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