Even FAM curbs freedom of speech
As reported in one of the major press today, it seems the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is still suffering from the poor and deteriorating performance of its national team and it is now embroil in yet another problem where it even became a public outrage.
The Article 88 of the FAM constitution states that only the FAM president or the secretary-general are entitle to comment on the performance of the national team to the media or press. The situation sounds like it curbs freedom of speech within its organization and group of affiliates in a manner that no one in the FAM are allow to speak up publicly. Apart from that, the Article 88 sanction also applies to all the office-bearers and committee members of the state level football associations who are affiliated to the federal-based FAM.
What is wrong of giving some constructive criticism or comments when the entire national team is not performing as the required standard and expectation? We all know that the local football teams has been performing so well for the various clubs when it comes to the state-to-state competitions or cash-based matches around the country, but when it comes to representing the country in Asian or other international-based competition, the national team not only demonstrates its unbecoming negative attitude but also a failure which is now jeopardizing the name and the image of our country in the eyes of the international football stage.
What actually went wrong? It can be anything, politics, or royal interference, refusing any opinions or public scrutiny on the performance of the national team as well as the FAM national committee. To be frank, if a national team keeps on losing one match after another in the international arena, the entire FAM national committee, which includes its president and duputies (Ampun Tuanku, if we have to say this) will have to resign to take full responsibilities over the continuous failure of our country's national team.
We are also observing that the FAM frequently receives a lots of sponsors in form cash and materials in support of the any football tournament which are organized and ran by FAM. A college-like Football Academy has also been established in order to train more people to be professional and skilled footballers. The FAM even have a prestige center situated in London and our national team was reported to have been send over there for some sort of "extensive" or "intensive" training. In the end of the day, where are the results?
The current national football coach Datuk K.Rajagopal has been hauled up by the FAM disciplinary committee over his recent post-match public comment reasoning that his words has been construed by the FAM as a criticism against the national league. Prior to Rajagopal's there are also a number of football association officials being hauled up and punished with suspensions and fines over their comments on the performance and the standards of our country's football.
In this case, what is FAM trying to do over here? Refuse to accept any constructive criticism or any public scrutiny, the old guards or conservatives in the FAM national committee refused to leave to make way for the younger or newer generation to take over, the FAM president (Ampun Tuanku again) is in fact a life-president as seen, our national team is not motivated and performing below expectation all the time. Has the FAM leadership done anything to come up with some improvement plans? We didn't hear anything at all.
Just look at the performance of our national team during the period of 60s to the 70s, that was the glorious years of the Malaysian football where the team really played for the country with their heart and full concentration on it. It is because the FAM leadership during that time are open to criticisms and constructive feedbacks and that was the reason behind the success during that period.
What we knew is, this kind of draconian provision (Article 88) was never being imposed during that time. This kind of rule should be abolished as quickly as possible. Any kinds of sports in the world improves with criticisms and ideas but this FAM is turning a deaf ear over public scrutiny.
In our countries, some sports association even have their wholly-owned think tank institutes to seek public feedbacks via forums, to organize programs and professional training in order to upgrade the kind of sports they are focusing on, but what FAM has done over here?
The FAM leaders are only interested in vying for this and that positions in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA), Southeast Asia Games Federation (SEA Games), Asian Games Federation and the Commonwealth Games Federation in order to create some names for themselves. What is the point if an FAM leader is the president of AFC, FIFA or whatever you name it, but the home country's team is so useless?
If the FAM is going to be too sensitive and conservative by refusing any public scrutiny or any constructive comments, the football team here will never improve and shall forever maintain the "jaguh kampung" status.
"Ampun Tuanku, Pohon Patik Harap Jangan Dianggap Derhaka".
The Article 88 of the FAM constitution states that only the FAM president or the secretary-general are entitle to comment on the performance of the national team to the media or press. The situation sounds like it curbs freedom of speech within its organization and group of affiliates in a manner that no one in the FAM are allow to speak up publicly. Apart from that, the Article 88 sanction also applies to all the office-bearers and committee members of the state level football associations who are affiliated to the federal-based FAM.
What is wrong of giving some constructive criticism or comments when the entire national team is not performing as the required standard and expectation? We all know that the local football teams has been performing so well for the various clubs when it comes to the state-to-state competitions or cash-based matches around the country, but when it comes to representing the country in Asian or other international-based competition, the national team not only demonstrates its unbecoming negative attitude but also a failure which is now jeopardizing the name and the image of our country in the eyes of the international football stage.
What actually went wrong? It can be anything, politics, or royal interference, refusing any opinions or public scrutiny on the performance of the national team as well as the FAM national committee. To be frank, if a national team keeps on losing one match after another in the international arena, the entire FAM national committee, which includes its president and duputies (Ampun Tuanku, if we have to say this) will have to resign to take full responsibilities over the continuous failure of our country's national team.
We are also observing that the FAM frequently receives a lots of sponsors in form cash and materials in support of the any football tournament which are organized and ran by FAM. A college-like Football Academy has also been established in order to train more people to be professional and skilled footballers. The FAM even have a prestige center situated in London and our national team was reported to have been send over there for some sort of "extensive" or "intensive" training. In the end of the day, where are the results?
The current national football coach Datuk K.Rajagopal has been hauled up by the FAM disciplinary committee over his recent post-match public comment reasoning that his words has been construed by the FAM as a criticism against the national league. Prior to Rajagopal's there are also a number of football association officials being hauled up and punished with suspensions and fines over their comments on the performance and the standards of our country's football.
In this case, what is FAM trying to do over here? Refuse to accept any constructive criticism or any public scrutiny, the old guards or conservatives in the FAM national committee refused to leave to make way for the younger or newer generation to take over, the FAM president (Ampun Tuanku again) is in fact a life-president as seen, our national team is not motivated and performing below expectation all the time. Has the FAM leadership done anything to come up with some improvement plans? We didn't hear anything at all.
Just look at the performance of our national team during the period of 60s to the 70s, that was the glorious years of the Malaysian football where the team really played for the country with their heart and full concentration on it. It is because the FAM leadership during that time are open to criticisms and constructive feedbacks and that was the reason behind the success during that period.
What we knew is, this kind of draconian provision (Article 88) was never being imposed during that time. This kind of rule should be abolished as quickly as possible. Any kinds of sports in the world improves with criticisms and ideas but this FAM is turning a deaf ear over public scrutiny.
In our countries, some sports association even have their wholly-owned think tank institutes to seek public feedbacks via forums, to organize programs and professional training in order to upgrade the kind of sports they are focusing on, but what FAM has done over here?
The FAM leaders are only interested in vying for this and that positions in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA), Southeast Asia Games Federation (SEA Games), Asian Games Federation and the Commonwealth Games Federation in order to create some names for themselves. What is the point if an FAM leader is the president of AFC, FIFA or whatever you name it, but the home country's team is so useless?
If the FAM is going to be too sensitive and conservative by refusing any public scrutiny or any constructive comments, the football team here will never improve and shall forever maintain the "jaguh kampung" status.
"Ampun Tuanku, Pohon Patik Harap Jangan Dianggap Derhaka".
