KUALA LUMPUR – When will the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) ever learn?
This is the sentiment of former FAM Youth department head E.R. Subramaniam when the national body decided to appoint Scott O’Donell as their technical director (TD).
Speaking to The Vibes, Subra said that there is no need for a foreign TD, adding that foreigners in the past such as Richard Bates, Ron Smith, Robert Alberts, Karl Weigang, Fritz Schmidt and Peter De Roo have all failed to put Malaysian football on the world map.
“As foreign TD’s have never succeeded (in the past), why would FAM think that O’Donnell would make a difference?
“We are building a house from the top. O’Donell said we need a foreign national coach because he wants to bring in his friends as coaches. Are we that blind? Aren’t there any locals who can be the TD?
“How much does O'Donell know about our footballing culture and the stakeholders, such as the Education Ministry, Youth and Sports Ministry, parents and their sentiments?
“It will take him at least one to two years to acclimatise, then the contract would be up for renewal and whether or not FAM renews (the contract) − that will be another story for another day − (as) I don’t think hiring a foreigner for such a post comes cheap,” Subra said.
At the same time, Subra expressed his dissatisfaction of how the newly appointed O’Donell would have made local coaches feel when he suggested that FAM should hire a foreign coach as the move would benefit Malaysian football in the long run.
“The TD had disrespected local coaches by saying Malaysia needs a foreign national coach before even settling into his job. What was his assessment based on? We have qualified local coaches to manage the national team.”
The national squad have performed well in the past under local coaches. Malaysia even won trophies and medals under local coaches when Datuk K. Rajagobal won the 2009 SEA Games gold medal and the 2010 AFF Cup by defeating Vietnam and Indonesia respectively.
In 2011, Datuk Ong Kim Swee helped the national team defend their SEA Games gold medal in Indonesia.
“I think O’Donell started his new job on the wrong foot.”
“O’Donell needs to know that there a few things that should be sorted out in Malaysian football before he suggests that the FAM hire a foreign coach − we should put our house in order first.
Subra said that the following issues need to be addressed before the right person can be appointed as national football coach:
1. Proper grassroots programmes and youth-supported structures established for all clubs
2. Healthy competition required at all levels, beginning with schools
3. Coach education structure needs to be revamped
4. Corporate governance needs to be heightened
5. Football industry needs to be managed from a business perspective
6. National football league (MFL) needs to be improved
Subra added that as technical director, O’Donell should first look into all these underlying issues before hiring a foreign coach because even the world’s best coaches would not be able to elevate Malaysian football if these issues remain unresolved.
“Our league is not up to par and it is evident from the recent survey by FIFA,” said Subra, who worked with FAM for 14 years before resigning in 2009.
The recent survey conducted by the international football body revealed that Malaysian footballers were not playing enough competitive matches at the domestic level.
“If you want to save Malaysian football that little bit of dignity that still lingers on, the (current) FAM leadership has to be shipped out to make way for younger leaders within our football fraternity.
“So, the question is, are we going to make the changes fast or wait until it (Malaysian football) is totally annihilated?
Meanwhile, Malaysian football legend and national assistant coach Bakri Ibni echoed Subra’s sentiment and added that although Malaysia has great local talent capable of turning things around, nobody seems to be looking their way.
“There is no need to have a foreign technical director or a foreign coach right now. We have had great coaches such as Datuk M. Kuppan, M. Karathu, Abdul Rahim Ibrahim, Datuk M. Chandran, Chow Kwai Lam, C. Arasaratnam, Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Minhat and Datuk Peter Velappan.
“We can still produce good coaches like them. All FAM needs now is a good coaching instructor, who knows football and knows how to bring the best out of people,” Bakri told The Vibes. – The Vibes, January 11, 2022
