Wednesday, April 28, 2010
I love the sound of breaking glass
OK so SAFFC lost 6-2 last night but the Warriors have done Singapore proud with their efforts in the Asian Champions League. With four points and a third place finish to show it may not look the most impressive of entries on a job application but that's where tables don't tell the whole story.
With an annual budget that wouldn't cover the laundry expenses at an English Premier League club, Richard Bok's men have made their first, slight, dent on the greater Asian football map. But as things stand they can proceed no further.
The Singapore FA announced some plan a few weeks back to carry football forward but as with many big plans it was like a political manifesto; high on grandiose aims, low on strategies of how to reach them.
If Singapore wants to give it's SLeague champions a chance of having a real go in Asia it needs to give them the tools to do that. And it needs to lift the rules that prevent them from having a decent pop.
Salary caps work well in pointless sports in pointless countries who face no overseas rivals. They don't work in football. It's time for the FA to chuck those useless shackles and allow the Warriors to get out there and compete. For sponsorship, for players, the whole bloody nine yards.
With an annual budget that wouldn't cover the laundry expenses at an English Premier League club, Richard Bok's men have made their first, slight, dent on the greater Asian football map. But as things stand they can proceed no further.
The Singapore FA announced some plan a few weeks back to carry football forward but as with many big plans it was like a political manifesto; high on grandiose aims, low on strategies of how to reach them.
If Singapore wants to give it's SLeague champions a chance of having a real go in Asia it needs to give them the tools to do that. And it needs to lift the rules that prevent them from having a decent pop.
Salary caps work well in pointless sports in pointless countries who face no overseas rivals. They don't work in football. It's time for the FA to chuck those useless shackles and allow the Warriors to get out there and compete. For sponsorship, for players, the whole bloody nine yards.
# posted by Me @ 1:43 PM 
