No direction from FAS - Goal commentators

Although Goal website flashed the header as a talk on match-fixing in ASEAN, it was much more as they also went into detail into about Singapore football.

Before all that, the talk on match-fixing with Duric asked about the chances of it happening in the S-league and Malaysia Super League (as our GRC president team is there) (MSL), he reply claiming he believed S-league is most likely the cleanest league in the region as it was pro-active against it.

For those who do not know, as such information have been revealed before, the players received a contract at the start of every season that informed them the Corruption Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) have a right to call them up if needed and they have to go through a lie-defector after matches.

After that, it was the turn of MSL with Neil Humphreys - ever the person who want a answer to such a question - quoting FIFA head of security which noted 60%-70% of MSL games may be fixed thus asking  Duric if it may be so.

Duric noted a few of the LIONXII games (although he gave no name, team or date as it is all only 'speculating' and they explain that) where he believed the Malaysian sides did not give their all - like the now-famous ex-Terengganu custodian done in his own game - and one of the other commentators had also burled out the Sabah game, may have a chance. 

With that part finished, it was onto the other part which I will be writing about and the header of this post.

They wanted to talk about the current state of Singapore football which was at a low after the Philippines result last week and they all generally agreed it was as a result of a lacked of direction from the top (in other words, our GRC man) at FAS at this moment.

Indeed, host Jason Dasey noted about GOAL 2010 and while it may have failed, it did give Singapore football direction and had prod FAS towards international football during that period.

He felt FAS should go back to that direction and make international football meaning the National Team as the mainstay of Singapore football.

As of now he does not feel it is so and Duric agreed as he noted

1. The National team are not training and playing together as much now 
2. They are facing the same team too many times and not enough of them are tough teams
3. The next generation cannot step up as they lacked the experience as there is not enough games (Want to say yesterday POV - How about aiming your gun at your boss, the culprit, for once, Raddy,  I noted our entire batch of youngsters from Under-17 until Under-23 have no aim at all and this period they should have been gaining all those experience Duric desire)

With that they moved to LIONXII as Jason commented this may be a result because FAS has focused too much on that project and asked Duric if it was so.

Duric admitted at the start, naively, he thought LIONXII will boast Singapore football as claimed by our GRC man but now he know it is not so as indeed too many focus is on that team and it is killing the rest of Singapore football. (I just to say to Duric, it was expected as I never trusted them)   

Thus the Tampines man believed next season FAS will have to make a decision for the good of the S-league as it is too late to save this season. (In other words, choose but lucky or not it will be a new man and having lived through such a PAP man, I am not sure I can trust another)

It is at this point the talk go into what FAS want and the header you see now.

They all generally agreed FAS has no direction as it seem to want everything but it has achieved nothing as it does not have the resources to achieve that

Neil noted FAS was still struck in the mindset of 60s to 70s like it was back in Scotland where beating England was all it matter and he quoted an example that after beating England in 67, Scotland asked for the World Cup as they have achieved world standard.

But it was not so as the Scots have never reached the knockout stage of a major competition.

He does not want Singapore to be like that anymore and Malaysia no longer matter in world football as nobody noticed them. (or even us as some want to believe)

That why he asked FAS to make a decision and it should be the national team.

I want to say something before going on because Neil will give an example later about taxi-drivers, who after a certain age, across both causeway that still watch Singapore and Malaysia football and for me, that is important as it is after a certain age and people should note the younger generation across both sides has indeed forgotten even the Malaysia Cup TNP loved so much.

Indeed, earlier this year even although SPH and MediaCorp worked so hard to promote LIONXII, it is not difficult to find out most who are following are after a certain age as noted by Neil and that is why just after Chinese New Year, only a month later after the good start, LIONXII attendances started falling.

Sooner or later, if FAS is only focused on LIONXII then England problem will surface as MSL will never have the same lure as international football.

Indeed so for the commentators agreed the standard is not there and that is why Malaysian Super League themselves faced a falling attendances from their own fans as the taxi-drivers example was quoted.



Thus that was why Duric was asked what was his answer to help S-league and the 42-year-old feel A-league was a good example to look at as before that the National Soccer League was facing the type S-league was facing but now it is much better under the new league structure.

Is this the solution?

I do not know but I know next year is pivot because after 4 years of leaderless leadership we may have a leader as leader as there is now totally no direction from FAS as noted by the Goal commentators and until there is, the standard will keep falling as they say.