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Malaysian football emerges as Asia’s problem child
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HOOLIGANISM, match-fixing and humiliation on the field — Malaysia has emerged as Asian football’s problem child with the popular sport rapidly becoming a national embarrassment.
Unruly fans piled on the disgrace on Tuesday, forcing the abandonment of a World Cup qualifying match with Saudi Arabia as smoke-spewing flares flew onto the pitch and around the stands.
Sparked by seething anger over a record 0-10 drubbing by UAE the previous week, the outburst crystallized the Malaysian game’s long-running slide into violence, corruption and chaos.
Football experts say the core of the problem is declining play blamed on years of wayward football administration and a failure to develop grass roots talent. But it was not always so.
Former colonial masters Britain bequeathed a passion for football, and Malaysia’s “Tigers” were once a source of pride. Stars of club and country were feted as heroes during a 1970s and 1980s “golden era” when Malaysia was able to compete with current Asian giants like Japan, South Korea and Australia, though it never won an Asian Cup or qualified for the World Cup.
“We stood in the forefront of football back then. But today we have become the laughing stock of the region,” said Peter Velappan, secretary-general of the Asian Football Confederation from 1978-2007. Malaysia has plummeted to 169 in FIFA’s world rankings, one spot higher than its all-time low hit in 2008, and behind tiny East Timor (163) and Bhutan (164).
The Football Association of Malaysia is now reaping decades of failure to build youth-development programs and the loss of playing fields to the bulldozers of development.
“We used to have a very good state leagues, which encouraged football among the youngsters. But diminishing fields have resulted in local leagues experiencing a slow death,” said veteran sports journalist Tony Mariadass.
According to Velappan, Malaysia’s political and economic wheels are greased by connections, patronage and outright cronyism. He says this has leeched into football, with politics trumping professionalism in administrative, leadership and player decisions.
Accountability is a sensitive issue.
FAM has been headed for 31 years by royal figures from the state of Pahang, one of nine states with ceremonial Islamic monarchs. Strict laws discourage criticizing the royals, but fans are making their feelings known.
A huge banner held at Tuesday’s match referred slyly to FAM’s royal bosses, saying: “FAM, sleeping for 31 years.”
The 0-10 UAE debacle followed an earlier 1-1 draw in qualifying at home to East Timor and a 0-6 rout by Palestine.
Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin had to apologize to Vietnam last December after Malaysian fans attacked Vietnamese supporters during a semifinal of the Southeast Asian championship.
FAM also was fined for unruly fan behavior during a friendly against the Philippines in March this year, and the domestic leagues have seen recent clashes between fans and tear gas-firing police. Match-fixing has repeatedly blackened the domestic leagues.
FAM now faces uncertainty, with FIFA having launched an investigation into this week’s chaos that could result in disciplinary action. Officials yesterday promised to restore Malaysia’s former glories by revamping grass roots development, enhancing local leagues and launching internal reforms. FAM Deputy President Abdul Mokhtar Ahmad appealed to fans to “give us a chance” to make things right.
“We listen and hear you that there must be changes,” he said.
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