(Sports Editor NST)
SO, was the Junior World Cup a success story for Malaysia?
Some believe it was as the national juniors finished 12th, a position
which didn't seem possible as recent as eight months ago.
Coach K. Rajan inherited a mediocre squad and there was genuine fear
that Malaysia would struggle in the Junior World Cup against even the
minnows.
They didn't but in finishing 12th, the team were successful in only
proving outright that they are the products of a system that has failed.
Sure, the rest of the Asian representation didn't do well either but it
is Malaysia that we should be concerned about and after two weeks of a
world class tournament, we know for sure now that we can't deny any
longer that the game here is seriously ill.
The players in Johor Baru are mostly products of the Bukit Jalil and
Bandar Penawar Sports Schools - therefore the best in their age group -
and 12th was all Malaysia could manage.
If this doesn't set off the alarm bells, I don't know what will.
For sure, Malaysian Hockey Federation president Tengku Abdullah Sultan
Ahmad Shah now knows what a challenge it is going to be for him.
The honeymoon period that he has enjoyed since taking over the
presidency last November is over and he has to start making the right
decisions if he wants to make a mark on Malaysian hockey.
The structure - be it at the national or grassroots levels - needs a
total revamp and Tengku Abdullah has to get the Education, especially,
and Sports ministries involved.
Getting their support shouldn't be a problem for Tengku Abdullah but it
is the other aspect - the affiliates - who will be his problem.
It has become the norm for state associations to resist changes, even
if for the better, and the latest show of power came from an association
that was once very close to Tengku Abdullah's heart - the FA of Malaysia.
When he was a deputy president, Tengku Abdullah would often say that it
was unfair to blame only the national body for the ills of Malaysian
football.
The states too had to share the blame and Sunday's annual congress -
where they rejected a proposal to only allow those holding positions in
district FAs or clubs to contest for positions - shows how resistant they
can be.
It is with this in mind that I have to say the proposed restructuring
of the M-League - as directed by Sultan Ahmad Shah - won't happen.
It has been pointed out time and again that FAM should adopt a
structure where only the fittest are allowed to play in the top-tier of
Malaysian football but this, no doubt due to the power of the affiliates,
has never even been considered.
Sultan Ahmad Shah, in his address, mentioned it and I, along with those
who still follow Malaysian football, will be pleasantly surprised if this
is realised.
It is the same with hockey for the power to change lies with the states
and can Tengku Abdullah get them to toe the line?
If he can't, the juniors will start following the footsteps of their
seniors and miss out on major tournaments.
