By Wattana
Much has been said over the past several weeks on the state of the Malaysian national football team.
From the media to the pundits and from the so called experts who had never kicked a ball to those commentators whose analytical abilities are better confined to choosing which ties go with which suit.
Personally, I believe that the only question which should be asked is did Malaysia ever showed up in Yangon (for the AFF Suzuki Cup)? Or were Malaysia ever there in the last several years?
The problem with the Malaysian national football team is never the players. Why bother talking about quality of players, technical or tactical abilities when the heart of the players are not there?
It is not fair to blame the players. They are professionals, what more at a time when they are being paid a lot of money to sweat for their clubs.
So naturally their commitment is with their clubs.
For most of the players, they would like to play for Malaysia. They are as every bit as patriotic as any other hot-blooded Malaysian.
But the problem lies with the FA of Malaysia (FAM) and also the quality of the coach at the helm and their inability to inspire the talents that we have.
For much too long, the FAM feel that playing for the national team is a responsibility of the players.
Since they earn money from the clubs, they should play for Malaysia regardless of how shabby they are treated each time they report for national duty.
The question which FAM should be asked is, how special is it to play for Malaysia?
Now the players may be accommodated at hotels each time they report for training but I remember a time when they were staying at the atrocious FAM Hostel which was lacking in everything – a place better suited as a halfway house for overstayed immigrants.
And there was a time too that track suits have to be given back to the FAM after each assignment. And taking home the players own jersey back then would have required a royal decree.
So, how special is it to play for Malaysia??
In Japan and Korea – which really set the standard in these parts – the national team has a reserved field which is always kept at its optimum. No other team can play there and that is without exception.
Not even the national age groups or the national Under-23 side will get to play on it until they get the call up for the full senior side.
Everything related to the national team is elevated at the highest possible level with the national body.
They have their own National Team Department which looks into national call-ups, travelling arrangements and more importantly, marketing.
And all of these are not lost on the FAM as they were briefed when they made a Study Trip to Japan and South Korea in 2004.
The national team should be held as an exclusive club and where players should be treated with more than just respect, but with adoration.
If the basic needs of the players could not be taken care of, how about questions to when players get injured during national duty?
Recuperation is one thing but what more often than not, the FAM failed to see through players’ rehabilitation which led to some of them being disillusioned.
For quite some time, it can be said that the FAM have failed to take care of the national players when the national team should be their top priority and not how much profit they can reap from the league.
As one player said recently: “it is never about the money. It has never been about the money. As national players, what we want is respect. And to be treated with respect.
“For too long, the FAM take everything for granted. So for a lot of the players who have gone through the mill, and who have seen the hands underneath the puppet, we will still play for Malaysia but never at 100%.”
So how special it is to play for Malaysia.
A prominent European coach once commented, “there’s really not much difference between players from Asia and those from Europe as otherwise, there will not be Japanese and Koreans playing in European leagues.
“Their technical abilities are almost at the same level but what made the difference is the state of mind. In life, that is the most important thing. The question of belief.
“A good coach can win some games, but a great coach can inspire champions.”
