In 2008, I was selected by Astro Supersports as one of the main TV anchors for the Beijing Olympic Games. All the content production was broadcasted from the Astro Headquarters at Bukit Jalil. I was also fortunate to cover the Olympic football final where Nigeria took on Argentina.
My pundit for the match was a very young and friendly Ong Kim Swee. When I first meet coach Ong, it was hard to believe that he is a national team coach. I say that because he is a super nice guy who is humble, polite and very respectful. Football coaches are often stereotyped as direct, sensitive, and bit “hot headed.”
Coach Ong is an exception as he is a very positive, calm and relaxed person. But when the game is on, he is a general who demands excellence from his troops who are battling it out on the football pitch.
Recently, coach Ong was appointed the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Technical Director. I caught up with my good friend and the following is what he shared regarding his new role:
APPOINTMENT AS FAM TECHNICAL DIRECTOR (TD)
Thank you Ben for reaching out to me. I have been thoroughly satisfied with my time over the years at FAM, and whilst I probably never considered the role of TD when I first began my coaching journey, I must say that so far I have enjoyed going out and communicating with the various clubs and associations throughout the country.
WHY DO SOME BELIEVE THAT A TD MUST BE AN EXPATRIATE?
I believe that a TD should be the best candidate for the job, be he be an expat or a local.
If what I say is true, then I am very proud of that. I also believe that I can make a valuable contribution to the game in this country. Perhaps one thing that many previous expat TDs found difficult was adapting to our language and culture, particularly in remote areas. This is one obstacle that a Malaysian will not have to contend with.
YOUR SHORT & LONG TERM GOALS
I definitely want to help the development of young players from the grass roots level up. My experience in the Harimau Muda program and other national teams levels have given me great insight in what it takes to compete at the highest level, and what we need to instill into developing players to get there. The longer term objective is to achieve our ambitions outlined in the F30 roadmap.
MENTAL TOUGHNESS – PLANS ON HOW TO MAKE OUR COACHES AND PLAYERS MORE AWARE ABOUT THIS ASPECT OF THE GAME
For me the key is education at an early age for the players, which also goes hand in hand with coaches education. The more we expose both our junior players and budding coaches to the highest levels of football (both locally and internationally), the closer we will get to achieving this."
THE BETTER THE TEACHER, THE BETTER THE STUDENT (COACH EDUCATION)
We are in a position now to deliver our own curriculum, and I plan to continue the roll out of the various coaching courses. Hopefully in the near future we will be able to arrange overseas attachments for both, players and coaches.
FOOTBALL IS NOT JUST ABOUT YOUNG CHILDREN, BUT ALSO THEIR PARENTS
Similar to training coaches, I feel it’s important to also help parents understand about the commitment that is required if their ambition is for their kids to become professional footballers. Further discussions with parents and community programs will be the first steps towards achieving this goal.
LET US ALWAYS SUPPORT COACH ONG AND HIS TEAM
We, the Malaysian sports fans, are always dreaming of bigger and better things for our national football teams. Remember everyone; it is always easy to criticise from the outside. So let’s always stay positive and get behind coach Ong and his team so that our football system has that continuity we so desire.
If we have continuity within our system, then we will achieve consistent success. In my personal opinion, that is the true meaning of “boleh.”
Ben Ibrahim is a TV Commentator, Sports Consultant, and Mental Toughness Trainer. In his career, he has worked for Foxsports, FIBA, FISU, The Ministry of Youth & Sports Malaysia, and the Malaysia Valke Rugby Club.
The following links are his social media platforms:
Instagram: @benibrahim_
Twitter: http://@benibrahim
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tvhostbenibrahim/
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