Finally, I sense a refreshing breath of fresh air at Jalan Besar Stadium with the confirmation of Yazeen Buhari as the new “bola” boss.
Hats off to the bubbly Football Association of Singapore (FAS) general-secretary who takes on the hottest sporting seat in town of a national sport that’s, rather ironically, crying out for some decent respect.
He makes no bones that he has “returned to the FAS in this period of flux, and I acknowledge that it could not have been an easy time”.
Football, to be blunt, has been bounced down to its worst repute in recent months with fan-confidence at probably its lowest, poorest crowd attendances even at the newly-tinkered Singapore Professional League (formerly known as the S-League), the Lions from senior to age-group levels with winless regional results and off-the-field discipline, especially among the younger players, at gross rock-bottom.
Yes, and with hand sincerely at heart, it makes unsavoury media headlines and with a FIFA ranking of 169, you may just want to shake heads where Singapore football is headed in the coming months.
Some may say that Yazeen is wet behind the ears in handling the topsy-turvy mess since the resignation of Winston Lee but, in my view, after knowing him for more than a decade, in character, charisma and confidence, I believe the confirmation of Yazeen may well be the best call of the new FAS administration in order to redeem public confidence.
FAS president Lim Kia Tong said that Yazeen had “proved to be more than capable of fulfilling the duties and responsibilities” of a general secretary.
He adds: “Since Yazeen’s tenure as the acting general secretary, the executive committee and I have observed him and in addition to his exemplary leadership, he has also shown he is decisive, proactive and understands the complexity of the running the administration of a football association, especially during this period of transition.
“We are confident that he is well-positioned to continue his leadership in his confirmed role.”
QUALITY OF INTEGRITY
In my books, Yazeen, with a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Western Australia, who was also a FIFA referee (2011-2013), is the right man at the right place to lift a right sport to its good ole glorious days simply because he has the blessed quality of integrity.
And in football, where a lot of serious spadework has to be done, from behind-the-scenes administrative and financial neglect and on-the-field from grassroots development and playing confidence of the Lions to fire up the younger generation, integrity goes beyond playing by the rules of the game or respecting a referee’s ruling.
I believe true sporting integrity requires footballers and administrators to appreciate honest teamwork and to remain competitive without seeking methods of advancement that lack morals and ethics.
Former S-League Chief Executive Officer Colonel (Rtd) Lim Chin says: “Yazeen is dedicated and passionate in his work and I’m confident that he will give his best to continue to bring Singapore football forward. For football to move forward, everyone needs to be pulling in the same direction and in this regard, give the best support to Yazeen and the FAS.”
Kok Wai Leong, the former FAS Director of Competitions, adds: “I can’t think of any other person more suitable and better equipped for this hot seat. It is a huge challenge for Yazeen given the current situation but he has his heart in the right place for Singapore football and, with support from all stakeholders, I’m optimistic about the future.”
Former Tanjong Pagar Chairman Matthew Kang, who is also a Deacon at New Creation Church and a prominent grassroots leader in Ang Mo Kio-Hougang, hit the nail on the head in congratulating Yazeen.
‘EXTREMELY TOUGH TIME’
He says: “It’s an extremely tough time for Singapore football and Yazeen couldn’t have come in at a tougher time. However, he is young, tough and energetic and certainly is the right man for the job! I’m confident Yazeen will be able to help turn things around for Singapore football. As the going gets tough, the tough gets going and my heartfelt advice: Relax and stay calm, Singapore football is finally in a pair of good hands.”
Lawyer Alfred Dodwell, who follows the FAS tremors closely, says candidly that the “proof is in the pudding”. He adds: “So while I congratulate him on his confirmation I hope he comes up with new and innovative ideas and out-of-the-box ideas to arrest the landslide which has been FAS for decades. I trust he is someone who is interested in doing the job at home and not gleefully travelling around the world for football stuff and ignoring the stench in local football.”
The critical point of using FAS office to gain regional recognition and with it, free trips around the globe, has been reiterated by former Thailand coach Steve Darby, who In his four-year tenure as Home United boss, led them to a League and Cup ‘double’ in 2003 and also a semi-final spot in the 2004 AFC Cup. He also won the Singapore Cup in 2005.
Darby says: “I’ve not met Yazeen but I wish him good luck in an important role. I just hope he looks after Singapore first and not use the position to further his administrative career by getting on committees everywhere! The key issues to me he should be looking at a more multi-racial Lions team and, considering the population, getting more Chinese kids playing and getting the S -League back to the status and passion it had in early 2000s.”
Dato’ Alex Soosay, the former AFC General Secretary and currently Senior Adviser/Consultant of the UAE Football Association, praises: “Congratulations Yazeen, wishing you all success in this challenging role. Be firm, wise and courageous in taking decisive actions for the good of the association.”
Yazeen was previously the FAS Head of Development and Planning, before he joined the Asian Football Confederation’s Planning and Strategy Department. He also had stints with Sports Singapore as an Assistant Director and at Singapore Athletics (formerly Singapore AAA) as a general manager.
MAJOR POLICE PROBE
He returned to the FAS in August 2017 to take on the role of deputy general secretary after the worst sporting crisis in football history where a major police probe saw (ex-FAS general secretary) Winston Lee and three other individuals – Hougang United chairman Bill Ng and his wife Bonnie Wong, former FAS president Zainudin Nordin – arrested after a report lodged by Sport Singapore (SportSG) over the suspected misuse of funds at Tiong Bahru Football Club (TBFC), and an attempt by a senior club official to obstruct the completion of audits of the S-League’s sit-out clubs.
In an article I wrote on July 26 2017, I described Yazeen as a “bola” gentleman with honesty and integrity and he is renowned in sporting circles for his endless energy, patience and professionalism.
I know over the past 12 months, he has more than burned the proverbial midnight oil, slogging it out to advocate refreshing change at the FAS headquarters even at limiting time with psychologist-wife Shahiraa Sahul Hameed, and two daughters, who moved on to Kuala Lumpur, since he was with the AFC hierarchy last year.
Home United head coach Aidil Sharin, who is ranked as one of the best S-League coaches the past two seasons, hails Yazeen as a “workaholic”. He explains: “I wish him big congratulations because the past 12 months he has worked so hard, like a ‘Mission Impossible’ job to change Singapore football, especially from the competition view-point as the gap between the S-League and NFL (National Football League) is unimaginably wide now. Personally, I’ve known him as a 15-year-old playing street football and his strongest strength is his never-say-die belief.”
Much as Yazeen is critically viewed as a “young punk” even in the eyes of the newly-minted FAS council members, he continues to call a spade a spade, at least behind closed doors.
He seldom ever seeks media glamour and even in a SMS to me on Monday, he accepts the unenviable confirmed post as General Secretary as part of National Service (NS).
He wrote to me: “Sorry for the late reply…life a little extra busy these days. While we know we can do much better, I appeal for your continued support. This is a national project that cannot fail further and we shall journey on together.”
But I want to put on record that even with his confirmation as FAS No 1 staff, the former FIFA referee must crack the whip and come out openly with his longer-term plan to give the proverbial “kiss of life” to what used to be a rip-roaring sport that fired up 60,000 fans in the hey days of the “Kallang Roar” in the late 1970s and 80s, when Yazeen was in his little shorts, playing marbles.
16-MONTH WINLESS DROUGHT
Most importantly, global repute must also be salvaged as FAS, as Asia’s oldest affiliate among 46 countries, which celebrated 125 years last year, has always been ranked as a paragon for transparency, governance and democracy, a regional role-model of football sorts. Now looking at credentials, it’s going down the drain, rated as lowly as its FIFA ranking of 169 (out of 211 global affiliates) and even didn’t make the cut to last month’s Asian Games in Jakarta.
Rather unbelievably, the Lions ended 2017 without any wins, and had fans gasping in horror at the lowest-ever position of 173 in October. The 16-month winless drought was only snapped in March this year which saw caretaker coach V. Sundramoorthy getting the boot.
Former Holland football guru Robert Alberts, who was with S-League Tanjong Pagar and Home United for six years and now head coach of Indonesia’s No 1 club PSM Makassar, says “good leadership is essential for leading the association in the right direction”.
He adds: “The leader must surround himself with people that have the same positive attitude to work for the improvement of Singapore football. Good luck to Yazeen Buhari.”
Former Home United honorary general secretary Azni Muhammad says: “Study the current reality, get a deeper understanding of what caused it and then rise above everything that’s current to take Singapore football to the next level.
“Yazeen must make tough decisions to know what are the best steps to raise the local league, in tandem with the aspirations of fans who want to see a very strong national team. If we need help from foreign experts, just do it.”
A veteran S-League coach with 15 years experience, who asked not to be named, moaned about what he called the “sorry Singapore football predicament”. He says: “We urbanised, we segregated the clubs into divisions, we provided funds, we introduced new competitions, we even chose the mascots for the clubs, we introduced professionalism, we organised courses, we hailed the champions.
“But since then our children, rather shockingly, cannot even find fields to play the game. Today we are seriously ‘feeling’ the pinch and I hope SG Singapore can work an amicable field-sharing policy with the FAS.”
Former Lions assistant team manager K. Kandasamy, from the 1990s era, feels the “generation gap of hard-core, self-sacrificing players of ‘Kallang Roar’ fame is missing in today’s selection of over-pampered money-minded newcomers”.
He says: “It’s a pity that we’ve forever lost a super generation of the 1970s and 80s who had the fire in the belly, dedicated, disciplined, honest and punctual. Can we ever find another Awang Bakar, Rahim Omar, Ali Astar, Majid Ariff, Lee Wah Chin, Lee Teng Hee or Wilfred Skinner?
“After these heroes, who were paid monetary pittens, came rousingly talented icons like S. Rajagopal, the Quah brothers, Terry Pathmanathan, Sundramoorthy, Fandi Ahmad, Kadir Yahya and Malek Awab. They slogged it out, sacrificed their private lives for the sake of country. Today’s generation just don’t have the discipline, loyalty or sense of national belonging.
“We also don’t have coaches, managers and FAS staff who are serious and sincere to look after the team. Until Yazeen and his team change the overall FAS mind-sets and even get the players to sing ‘Majullah Singapura’ with pride, we will find it very tough to go up the FIFA ranking-ladder.”
PUBLIC EXPECTATIONS
For Yazeen, he’s pragmatic of the tall order he faces in rebuilding Singapore football. He says: “I have returned to the FAS in this period of flux, and I acknowledge that it could not have been an easy time for those in the football fraternity.
“I’m aware of the expectations that the public has of Singapore football, and rightfully so. Together with my team, and alongside the FAS Council, we will continue working tirelessly to re-establish strong foundations to lift Singapore football once more.”
If ever he has a secret formula, I’d say hand to heart, that his driving factor is in making work an absolute pleasure rather than an unnecessary pressure. In a recent interview, he said: “When the going gets too tough to handle, I always remember my wife’s words that the fruits of my labour will be all worth it in the end. I have come to realise that work is not work when you enjoy it.”
That’s the true-blue sportsman, Yazeen Buhari, who now has to deliver the goods or face the boot. He has to rise to the occasion and bring that long overdue breath of fresh air at the FAS Jalan Besar Stadium headquarters.
In the current unpredictable scenario, he’s undoubtedly the right man for the right job, if I may reiterate, with the thumbs-up coming from his former employer SportsSG, which now supervises the overall financial transaction of the FAS. – BY SURESH NAIR
- Suresh Nair is a Singapore-based journalist who believes in Yazeen Buhari’s exemplary quiet-styled leadership skills wherein he will be an awe-inspiring role model for the Lions.
