Will the FAM ever listen — and change?

THE new season of the Malaysian Super League (MSL) kicked off last Saturday. So, what’s new FAM?

If you ask me, nothing actually.

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) are still beset by the same old problems. It makes one wonder if the FAM are for real and if they are really serious about the development of the game.

The farcical handling of Kelantan coach B. Sathianathan’s suspension, the inept hosting of the Charity Shield and the haphazard arrangement of the MSL fixtures are just some of the mind-boggling fiascos the national body have had to deal with since the beginning of the year.

Let’s look at Sathianathan’s ban.

What was his offence? Stating the obvious in response to a question by a reporter. That’s it.

And for that he was suspended for six months!

FAM said it was because he spoke on policy matters.

Recently, Manchester United and Arsenal supremos Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger defended Blackpool boss Ian Holloway, who was fined £25,000 for fielding a weakened side in their 2-3 loss to Aston Villa in a Premier League game in November.

Didn’t Ferguson and Wenger touch on the English FA’s policy matters? They sure did. Were they punished for it? Absolutely not.

Wake up FAM! To ban or reprimand coaches and managers for voicing their opinions is simply childish. The FAM should be more receptive to constructive criticisms.

The Charity Shield match between Selangor and Kelantan exposed another malaise of the FAM.

The organisers were more interested in protocol matters – busily sorting out the seating arrangement in the VIP box – rather than attending to footballing matters.

Not only was there a delay in providing the media with the teams’ starting lists, there were glaring mistakes as well. If only some of the officials deployed at the VIP box had been put to better use!

As for the chaotic competition fixtures, what else is new?

Changes to the fixtures are made haphazardly. Recently, a reporter arrived at a stadium for the Harimau Muda ‘A’ versus Pahang Super League match at 4pm. The game was slated to start at 4.45pm.

Unfortunately for him, the kick-off time was amended to 8.45pm and he was not aware of it, resulting in him waiting at the stadium for almost five hours!

This is a far cry from new MSL chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa’s vision for the new season.

Annuar, who is also FAM deputy president, had painted a rosy future for Malaysian football during his keynote address at the launch of the new MSL logo at the Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya recently.

He had made it clear that he wanted to take Malaysian football to a higher level, especially in the wake of the national team’s success in the Suzuki Cup Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championships last December.

But how are we to reach a whole new level when the same problems exist – ineffective affiliates and deadwood officials still clinging on to their posts.

With their dinosaur-age mind-set, they are hindering the FAM’s process of development.

Even the media is treated like dirt at most stadiums. The press boxes are in shambles, with the seats damaged, covered with bird droppings, rubbish and dust.

Perhaps Annuar, who said he wanted the media to play a bigger role in promoting the game, and his men should take a tour around the stadiums in the country first and see first hand the deplorable state of the press boxes.

The MSL are clamouring for changes to take Malaysian football higher but are the affiliates receptive to changes?

The media has, over the years, requested for the matches to be played earlier. Do the powers-that-be ever listen?

By playing the matches at 4.15pm (instead of the usual 8.45pm), they can cut costs (floodlights and hotel). The players can return home after the game and, more importanly, the media can provide better and more in-depth coverage.

Sometimes, it pays to listen. So, are you listening FAM and MSL?