Image courtesy of Copilot
by Lim Chee Wei
Recently Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced a RM15 million allocation to strengthen the Harimau Malaya squad with hopes of transforming it into an Asian football giant in time to come.
For the record, Harimau Malaya’s FIFA ranking is currently at 134, with the highest position ever achieved under the management of its former coach, Kim Pan Gon of South Korea, at 130 in 2023. The highest ranking in history for Harimau Malaya was at 75th in 1993 – at a time when the price of nasi lemak was only 30 sen a packet.
Football is one of the most popular sports in the world and is celebrated globally. In Argentina, for example, even high-ranking government officials can be dismissed for not respecting national footballers.
Julio Garro, Argentina’s Deputy Minister of Sports, is a case in point. He was dismissed after having urged Argentine football icon Lionel Messi to apologise following a controversy related to the French national anthem.
A few hours after Garro’s demand that Messi apologised, Argentine President Javier Milei announced that Garro had been sacked. This shows that even big-time politicians are more than willing to sacrifice their colleagues to avoid being criticised by legions of football fans.
This is the significant reality and impact of the game where a football is chased and kicked around by 22 players on the field. In this context, it is not surprising that our government is willing to spend millions to raise the level of quality of the sport in the country because football unites people and can elevate its reputation on the global stage.
But my question is: where will this special allocation take the development of the national football team in the near, mid and long term? What needs to be done, really.
Incidentally, if you were to search the Internet for keywords like “football salary arrears,” you will experience the harsh reality of Malaysian football. Despite the pride of having a professional football league, this seems insignificant when many players, despite being professionals, have to endure the embarrassment of struggling with their salaries not being paid on time, and some even having their back pay stretched to as long as six months!
If a random survey were to be conducted among professional football players in the country playing for a team that frequently defaults on salaries and EPF contributions or serving a team that can enhance their skills, performance and provide for their welfare and wellbeing, I am pretty sure what their choice would be.
No matter how great slogans can be, only on-field performance really counts. And factors like organisational management, human resource management, facilities and training systems are key to a team’s success. These can only come from team owners who have sufficient resources to ensure that they can withstand the arduous journey of long-term football development in Malaysia.
Therefore, there is merit if the new idea of restructuring or privatising Harimau Malaya is discussed from all angles and analysed thoroughly among experts. There’s no shortcut to success. And it’s pertinent that we learn from what great footballing nations did and are currently doing to stay on top.
Local football fans ought not to be lulled by the notion that a special multi-million shot in the arm, so to speak, can catapult Harimau Malaya’s fortunes dramatically within a short time frame. This major overhaul will certainly take time.
But I reckon that FAM has the funds and does not even have to go begging for money for this noble purpose.
But will the association ensure that it can spend wisely to lift Harimau Malaya’s standing so that we don’t continue crouching in the shadows among other minnows in the sport?
WE