Late last week, the National Security Council (NSC) announced that it had rejected the appeal of the Malaysian Football League (MFL) to complete the 2020 Malaysia Cup. The oldest competition in the Malaysian football calendar, yet another casualty of Covid-19.
What was quite surprising was, even though suggestions for alternative ways to complete the league were exclusively shared here on The Vibes, officials were not interested in welcoming new ideas in the new normal.
Once again, it’s sad to see those in ivory towers making decisions that affect the bread and butter issues for many. In this case, it is the professional footballers who ply their trade on the fields for fans.
Even though none other than the DG of Health, Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham exclusively indicated to The Vibes, “We gave the principle to MKN and I advise them it can be considered the green bubble concept. The problems teams from Sabah, Selangor, and Penang are at risk but need to be tested and quarantine first.”
Bernama pic
So, one must ask, how much empathy do those at the top have for the average man on the street? Granted that, many of these players are quite well to do on paper, but let’s look at the industry.
A football team has physios, trainers, fitness people as well. Included in the list of those who are part of each team will be those who fans never see. The unseen backroom staff who ensure that teams function as they do. None of these people have big-ticket salaries and fancy cars or houses. They work day in and day out and depend on a team's successes for bonuses and increments.
Other non-football staff would include cooks, bus drivers, kitmen, and such like. All of them live on allowances that the team gives them. So where do the funds come from?
More often than not, funds come from sponsors and team partnerships. The money comes when they participate and perform in tournaments like the Malaysia Cup and relevant leagues.
With Football Association Malaysia (FAM) requiring football associations to transform themselves into professionally run organisations ie football clubs, there is more need to ensure sponsors and partners are happy with the system.
Now let’s look at the team itself, which is made up of marquee signings, the manager, and coaches. Many of these are arguable with five-figure salaries. And then there is the rest of the team and the substitutes and junior players. All these players have ambitions of earning the big bucks, and whether they do or not, is left to be seen. But none of these are long term careers. Hence, we often hear of many of them destitute and having to resort to other less lucrative means to pay their bills.
Who takes care of the welfare of these players?
The Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia (PFAM) has been largely quiet in these discussions. If the only organisation that looks after the welfare of players ignores them, what voice does the ordinary player have?
In another exclusive on Friday, we revealed MFL to lose RM40 mil deal? and what this means, in a nutshell, is that teams, right from the boardroom to the dressing room, will be affected by a serious loss of income.
2020 has been a difficult year for all with Covid-19 wreaking havoc globally. However, we only have to look at other sports like Basketball, F1, Tennis, and see how they have managed to continue in the new normal. This is very important because even though this may seem like just Sport, it's far from it. Thousands, if not millions of livelihoods are dependent on it.
While the Honorable Minister may think he is saving lives by cancelling events, the government is actually increasing job losses and reducing both advertising and income important to so many who just barely make ends meet. Many of them, do not have the luxury of dipping into their EPF accounts to make ends meet.
At a time when innovative ideas and technology can help bridge the gap and ensure some semblance of normalcy for both employers and employees, it is key for those in power to be open to change.
So, the Sportsguru hopes...that those in ivory towers don’t only think of themselves but those whom they serve and encourage new solutions in the new norm. Our athletes need this.
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