Saturday, April 02, 2011
SLeague's Tangled Priorities
The SLeague are at it again. So often they make decisions to appease the court of public opinion rather than for the good of the game.
Last year, after a brawl between players from Young Lions and Beijing Guoan, the FAS slapped heavy fines and lengthy bans on players from both sides in response to a media outcry. But in their quest to keep a critical media less critical they denied national team coach Raddy Avramovic the opportunity of selecting players like Madhu and Khairul Nizam for the ASEAN Football Federation Cup at the end of the year.
And we know what happened there, don't we?
Last night Tampines Rovers played Home United in the SLeague. The two remaining unbeaten teams this season and both with strong title ambitions. The match of the season so far without a doubt.
You wouldn't think so to look at the press releases. Instead, everything is about some game today between an SLeague select and an Albirex Niigata team raising funds for victims of the Japanese disasters. Thanks to the advance publicity the game has sold out even though ticket prices are much higher than normal SLeague games and despite it being a Saturday when, the perceived wisdom has it, no SLeague games are played because of fears fans will stay home to watch English football.
So, let's get this straight. The match of the season was all but ignored and attracted about 1,800 including the freeloaders, media and security guys. The SLeague and both teams did nowt about promoting it and they got nowt back.
But for a pointless friendly with more expensive tickets there is a constant stream of press releases and voila, a sell out on a difficult day!
I wonder if the stuffed suits will see the connection.
The job of the FA is to develop Singapore football. Not act as a fundraiser to grab cheap headlines and publicity.
I wonder how the players felt last night playing in front of a spartan crowd while all the while the governing body was concentrating on non football matters?
# posted by Me @ 5:35 AM 
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interesting insights.. true to the very last sentence. well there is no wrong in helping out those in need ( i have no problems with that), i agree with the fact that the s-league and fas too should be as equally focussed, if not more focus about their MAIN JOB AT HAND... developing, promoting their own league first and foremost. if they can do it for fundraisers, then they certainly can do it for the s-league..
going on to the bans, i certainly felt that the brawling incident was taken way out of proportion. these are young footballers. it is true they needed to be punished for what they have done. but what good can be taken out of if the ban was that long?
alas, it is all to please the eye of the public like what u said..
punishment is a must, but punishment can only be good if it is done at the right amount and weighing the circumstances.
latw (lionsdiehrd)
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going on to the bans, i certainly felt that the brawling incident was taken way out of proportion. these are young footballers. it is true they needed to be punished for what they have done. but what good can be taken out of if the ban was that long?
alas, it is all to please the eye of the public like what u said..
punishment is a must, but punishment can only be good if it is done at the right amount and weighing the circumstances.
latw (lionsdiehrd)
# posted by 
: 10:39 AM
: 10:39 AM << Home
