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Tag: FAS

  • Kadir Yahaya: Use Cash Incentives To Motivate National Footballers

    Kadir Yahaya: Use Cash Incentives To Motivate National Footballers

    Kadir Yahaya is deeply saddened.

    He believes he is from an era when playing with the Singapore flag on your chest actually meant something, that national pride mattered, something that Lions both young and old felt along with every other footballer who did not get the opportunity to don the shirt.

    The 47-year-old is perhaps one of the brightest football minds on Singapore touchlines now.

    Down the right flank of Singapore sides of old, no one needed to remind him to give 100 per cent for his country.

    He accepts that times have changed and his voice dropped to a sombre tone when he suggested that money is the only way he believes is possible to make the Singapore jersey mean something again.

    Kadir, who guided Saint Joseph’s Institution to their first title in 30 years after just four years at the helm, said: “We have to put perks in front of the national players.

    “If not, we are in danger of having to play the qualifiers to make it to the main Suzuki Cup tournament in the future, with teams like Brunei, East Timor and Laos.

    “The matter is serious. It seems like there’s no motivation, pressure or challenge for players to want to be in the national team. Part of the problem is pride – that’s missing – and I feel we must increase the stakes of being a national player.

    “I don’t know how else we can do this except pay the players who are in the national team.”

    Kadir suggested supplementing monthly income of national players on an decreasing quantum, based on their international experience, perhaps $4,000 for those with 70 caps and above, $2,000 for those with 50 and on a sliding scale for those with fewer.

    He said: “To have to use money is a little sad, but you need some sort of carrot and I don’t see any other ideas on this.

    “Maybe this is how we need to inspire this generation of players who seem to have lost the desire to play for the flag. But we must do something.”

    The Lions failed to survive the group stage of the 2014 Suzuki Cup despite being the defending champions. Many are predicting a similar failure in the Philippines, where they play their opening match against the hosts tomorrow.

    If Singapore fare the worst out of the eight teams in the tournament, they could face the ignominy of having to play through a qualifying competition to earn the right to play in the main draw.

    SLAP IN THE FACE

    This will be a slap in the face of a team who have won the Asean trophy four times, a record matched only by Thailand.

    The last time the Lions had to qualify for the main draw of an Asean tournament was in 1997, but they went on to win the 1998 Tiger Cup for the first time.

    “There has been a lot of talk about how we need to get our grassroots, National Football League and women’s football – our whole ecosystem – but all that is election talk,” he said, of the comments made by some in the football fraternity in the lead-up to the Football Association of Singapore election that is expected to take place in the next few months.

    “The national team have to be the main priority, because if they fail, who will support all those longer-term targets?

    “We’re paying the price in the national team now for things we did before (like player development), but the national team have to be the main priority in the short term,” he said.

    “We must do it and we must do it now, before we fall to the bottom of Asean and have to challenge against the likes of Brunei and East Timor.”

     

    Source: The New Paper

  • MOE And FAS Confirm Revamp Of Schools Competition

    MOE And FAS Confirm Revamp Of Schools Competition

    The Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) have confirmed that the national ‘B’ division schools football competition will be revamped next year, with the proposed new tournament format allowing each school to play more matches.

    Under the current competition set-up, schools are divided into four groups in each of the four zones (North, South, East and West). The top two teams from each group progress to their respective zonal knockout stages, and teams that reach the zonal semi-finals also qualify for the national championships.

    Schools who fail to make it past the initial group stage however, will be eliminated. This means that most of the school teams play only five games a year on average, while the finalists get to play 18 games.

    However, TODAY understands that under the proposed new format, teams will be segregated into three divisions after the group stage.

    The top two teams in each group will qualify for the School Premier League 1 (SPL 1), while the third and fourth-placed teams will advance to the SPL 2. The remaining teams will be grouped in the School Zonal League (SZL).

    The 16 teams in SPL 1 and SPL 2 will then be divided into four groups. They will play home-and-away round-robin matches, with the winner of each group moving onto the semi-finals.

    Similarly, in the SZL, likely to be contested by eight schools, the teams will be divided into two groups of four. The top two in each group will advance to the semi-finals.

    These changes will see each team playing at least eight games each year. The finalists for the SPL 1 and 2 get to play 16 games in total, while the finalists in the SZL will play 10 games.

    The MOE and FAS, who will jointly organise next year’s competition, met with the participating schools last week to brief them about the proposed changes and gather feedback.

    “MOE and FAS will be co-organising the ‘B’ Division National School Games (NSG) Football tournament from 2017 to enhance the competition experiences for our students,” an MOE spokesperson told TODAY.

    “This collaboration will allow more schools to play more matches as part of the NSG, in support of students’ development.

    “MOE is currently working with FAS on the details of the competition, including the changes in the competition format. MOE will brief the participating schools when the details have been finalised.”

    An FAS spokesman added: “One of the key objectives of the proposed changes is to give our youth footballers more balanced and competitive matches, which will contribute to their development.

    “We are in the final stage of discussions, and an announcement will be made in due course.”

    The revamp is part of the FAS’ development plan for youth football, which was conceptualised and unveiled by technical director Michel Sablon earlier this year.

    The 68-year-old, widely recognised as the man who transformed Belgium into a footballing powerhouse, had then highlighted the need for school players to have more match experience, which he believes will go a long way to developing them into better footballers in future.

    TODAY understands that most schools were pleased with the proposed changes, although there are concerns that the additional matches will lead to a packed schedule, leaving little time for coaches to organise training sessions.

    A school teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, praised the new initiatives. “This is a positive move by the MOE and FAS because a lot of our players crave to play more matches,” he said.

    “But friendly games are logistically hard to arrange, so once the team is out of the competition, there is nothing to draw the students back to committing their time to training.

    “A longer season will also mean more game time for the team, which is important for the students if they are to develop into better players.”

    A school football coach, who also did not want to be named, added: “I’m glad this is being put in place. The only way for players to improve is to have more match experience.

    “It is especially crucial during their developmental years. This is when they start to progress from learning the basics of football to understanding things like tactics, positioning and awareness. All these traits are best honed during a match-setting.”

    TODAY also understands that the MOE is studying a proposal by the FAS to change the Primary School football competition to 8v8 or 9v9 matches instead of the current 11-aside format, while also ensuring that every team will get to play more matches

     

    Source: TODAY Online

  • Even Lionel Messi Would Not Have Helped S-League, Says Jermaine Pennant

    Even Lionel Messi Would Not Have Helped S-League, Says Jermaine Pennant

    Tampines Rovers player Jermaine Pennant, who will leave Singapore next week after failing to agree to new terms, gave a withering assessment of the S-League.

    In an exclusive interview with The Straits Times, Pennant, 33, said that without proper investment, the current state of affairs – poor attendances, lack of public interest, limited sponsorships – will not change, even if Barcelona star Lionel Messi signed for an S-League club.

    Asked if he had done enough to revive the S-League, the former Arsenal and Liverpool winger said after training at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Thursday night (Oct 27): “All I can do is go out there and play my best and hopefully create a buzz. But it needs more than that, you can’t just expect me to come here and change everything.

    “No matter who you get, you could bring Messi here, yes, you’d attract fans but without money, and the government and the league helping out out like they do with other sports, or what they do in other countries, it’s not going to grow.”

    Pennant’s signing generated much interest in local football. A pre-match friendly with Hougang United attracted close to 2,000 fans, unheard of in local football.

    Local and foreign media tracked his transfer closely, and he was even featured in British newspaper The Times after settling in Singapore.

    But, while crowd figures went up after a third of the S-League season, the hype eventually dissipated. Plans to bring back the Marquee Player Scheme, which provides subsidies for clubs to sign high-profile players, were scrapped.

    Tampines also ran into cash-flow problems after a sponsor pulled out. Tampines chairman Krishna Ramachandra also decided to stop operating jackpot machines, calling it a “social ill”, and are undergoing cost-cutting measures to balance the books next season.

    However, Pennant refused to say his time here was a failure. The Stags, who finished second in the league, have so far not won any silverware. But that could change on Saturday (Oct 29), when they play Albirex Niigata in the RHB Singapore Cup final.

    He said: “I don’t think it’s a failure. I’ve enjoyed my time here. It’s a bit disappointing what’s happened to the club. When I signed everything looked good. But I definitely didn’t regret it.

    “If we’d won the league it’d probably be a bit better but hopefully we can end on good note and win on Saturday.”

     

    Source: The Straits Times

  • Balestier Khalsa Suspends Winger Zulkiffli Hassim For Allegedly Racially Abusing Referee

    Balestier Khalsa Suspends Winger Zulkiffli Hassim For Allegedly Racially Abusing Referee

    Balestier Khalsa winger Zulkiffli Hassim will not turn out for his club any more in the 2016 season.

    The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) Disciplinary Committee (DC) has found him guilty of making derogatory racial remarks.

    The incident occurred in Balestier’s 2-1 loss to Geylang International in a Great Eastern-Yeo’s S.League match on Aug 25, with the 30-year-old allegedly making remarks of a racial nature against assistant referee Y Sathyakumar in the 90th minute.

    This is not the first incident Zulkiffli has been mired in that saw racial undertones. He was hauled up for a similar incident four years ago.

    In April 2012, the DC threw the book at Zulkiffli, after he pleaded guilty to charges of making racial remarks against Woodlands Wellington’s Trinidadian defender Fabian Lewis.

    He was banned for five games and received a suspended fine of $1,000.

    This time around, he could see graver punishment.

    Balestier, of their own accord, have suspended him without pay from Sept 8, and will hold a hearing of their own tomorrow.

    Zulkiffli has not turned out for Balestier since Aug 25, missing one game – last week’s 1-1 draw with Warriors FC – and will play no part in the Tigers’ last four league games of the season.

    He will also sit out Balestier’s play-off for third place in the RHB Singapore Cup on Oct 29.

    “Racial abuse has no place in the S.League and in Singapore, and for a club this is an extremely serious issue that is not to be treated lightly,” said Balestier chairman S Thavaneson.

    “We don’t want to pre-judge him, but we decided to suspend him pending his DC hearing, and in that letter to him told him that the club reserve the right to take (further) disciplinary action against him.

    “The first time (Zulkiffli was found guilty for a similar offence) we were sympathetic but firm, and told him that the club would not tolerate any form of racial abuse, against a player, official or fan. He agreed and realised the seriousness of his undertaking.”

    Balestier stood by their man in 2012, pointing to the fact that this was the first instance of such an offence, and while it would not be tolerated, was an isolated incident that happened in the heat of the moment in a match.

    But, with the club hauling him up for a hearing of their own this time, the signs are not good for Zulkiffli.

    “We want to follow due process, but the message must be clear and it must go down not just to players of Balestier, but to everyone,” said Thavaneson.

    “Racial abuse can lead to uglier things, and there is no place for it here.”

    A contrite Zulkiffli told The New Paper that he has missed being involved with his team.

    “I regret what I did, it was in the heat of the moment, and I couldn’t control my anger then,” he said, revealing that he has been going for runs, and playing social football on weekends to stay in shape.

    “I have to apologise to the club and my team. We don’t have a very big squad, and with some of the players out injured, I really feel guilty that I cannot help them out on the pitch.”

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • FAS Elections Set For Further Delays

    FAS Elections Set For Further Delays

    The long-awaited Football Association of Singapore (FAS) elections is set for further delay, after the association opted not to put its revised constitution to the vote at Satuday morning’s (Sept 24) Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

    The new FAS constitution, which was approved by world football governing body Fifa last week, was initially expected to be raised at the AGM for the affiliates to vote to approve or reject the proposed changes.

    However, this failed to occur after the FAS decided on Friday night that it needed to spend more time consulting their stakeholders and members before drafting up possible revisions to the proposed constitution.

    This comes after they received overwhelming feedback from their members over the contents of the proposed constitution.

    Addressing the media following the conclusion of Satuday’s AGM, which lasted about one-and-a-half hours and was attended by 42 of the 46 affiliates, FAS vice-president Bernard Tan explained: “The decision not to put the new constitution to the vote today did not come easy. But a lot of members have requested for more time to take a comprehensive look at the proposed constitution.

    “There have also been a lot of amendments being put forward by several members. Given that this constitutional change that will lead to the elections is a significant one, we shouldn’t take it lightly and we can’t dismiss any suggestions as frivolous.

    “We have to take into account what all the members have said. This will also give us more time to explain to the members about the constitutional changes and hopefully at the end of this process, we will come out with a mutual understanding and agreement regarding the constitution.”

    FAS president Zainudin Nordin revealed association officials had expected the constitution to be resolved quickly, but admitted they underestimated the interest the issue had garnered.

    “Maybe it’s overconfidence or underestimation, but the interest could have been better measured,” said Zainudin. “But we have learnt from this episode and we will further engage our members.

    “At least we now have a baseline for everybody to discuss. We welcome all suggestions and proposals. We will go through every single one and if we can find a certain consensus, then we’ll make the amendments, send the constitution to Fifa for approval and get the next version.

    “We can then call for an Extraordinary General Meeting (EOGM) in future to pass the new constitution through.”

    The FAS however, were unable to give a timeframe for how long the whole process would take.

    In the interim, the current FAS executive committee (Exco), whose term is due to expire at the end of the month, will request for an extension of their appointment by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) to continue running the association until the constitution is passed and the elections are called.

    Tan assured that this would not see the FAS run afoul of Fifa’s statute 13.1(i), which does not allow interference from “third parties” such as governments.

    “For this period of time, the old constitution will continue,” said Tan. “That means the exco that’s been in charge will remain in charge and will discharge their duties with Singapore football’s best interests at heart.”

    Added Zainudin: The process now is for us to get an extension of appointment so that work can continue to be done. For whatever reason that an extension cannot be obtained, then Fifa will take over.”

    Following the AGM, Fifa’s representative at the meeting, Luca Nicola, met with the FAS affiliates and stakeholders for close to two hours to discuss the proposed constitutional changes.

    Nicola, the manager of member associations at Fifa, said he was encouraged by the discussion and believes it is possible for the new constitution to be passed by the end of the year.

    “There’s been really good progress with what’s been done so far, and the skeleton of the constitution is in place,” said Nicola, who was involved in the process since it began in November last year.

    “It’s more or less there, but the FAS will now have more discussions to see what other changes can be made, but the overall consensus is that nothing too drastic needs to be done, so I think it is possible to get it passed by the end of the year.

    “It can take up to four years for a constitution to be changed, so to do it within a year would be very good.”

    Nicola added that the eligibility criteria for the FAS presidential candidate is not “set in stone” and that it is defined by the individual member association.

    This was one of the contentious points that several members had brought up about the proposed constitution, which stated that those intending to run for the role of president had to serve as an active member of association football for two of the past five years.

    R Vengadasalam, who has announced he will assemble a team for the FAS elections and had submitted a set of proposed amendments to the constitution earlier this week, said it was encouraging that the FAS had decided to sit down and take on board the opinions of the members.

    “I think we’re almost there, but there still needs to be some discussions about several points of the constitution,” said Venga, the former manager of Woodlands Wellington. “The FAS is willing to look at our amendments and the Fifa representative has also asked us to consider several things before sitting down to discuss with (FAS vice-president) Lim Kia Tong.

    “There’s been no timeframe given, but we expect to have a couple of dialogues more before a new draft constitution is ready to be sent to Fifa.”

    Ben Teng, the chairman of S.League outfit Geylang international, added: “It’s good that there’s a postponement of the voting because it allows more time to review the constitution and to let FAS gather more feedback from the members.

    “It was good to have Fifa (representative) explain things to us, which provided a lot more clarity. As an S.League club, we do not expect this delay to affect us too much and we will continue to function as per normal.”

     

    Source: TODAY Online