Main Cause of Hockey & Soccer Downfall

Malaysia's football and hockey teams were a major force to be reckoned with in the 1970s and 1980s (in Asia). Malaysia could beat teams coming from South Korea, Japan or the Middle East nations. Come to the 1990s, we have seen slight deterioration in their performances.

Today, the teams that we trash in those yesteryears are right at the top of the game and beating us every now and then.

Where was Vietnam in the 1970s? They were just recovering from their war against the USA and today, their football team is the champion of South East Asia.

In Malaysia's match against the United Arab Emirates for the 2011 Asian Cup qualifying stage, only three pathetic players were declared fit for the match. The rest? What were they doing? What sort of training did they go through? How are you going to play three against eleven? We lost 5-0!

Our deplorable football team is ranked 161st in the FIFA ranking (as at today). Really sad! I have even heard a comment stating that too much of televised English Premier League matches in our TV channels actually stopped many Malaysians from having interests in supporting local Malaysian teams. What an excuse!!!! Instead of coming up with better ideas to improve it, excellent excuses were thought of.

The upper echelon of the national football team management has to be responsible for the dismay but the national football coach has been blamed by the management instead. The players that the coach could select were from state teams that are not managed well enough. How do you expect the coach to have a strong team then? Even the former national players blame the Football Association of Malaysia for the state of the national football team.

Not only football, even our national hockey is in the same predicament. What's happening here? The hockey team is preparing for the upcoming Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in April 2009 and went through a fitness test. Unfortunately, only nine passed the fitness test conducted by the National Sports Institute. So much for the millions poured into the sports ............ or was it poured elsewhere that we didn't know about it? Otherwise, how could such things happen.

The Pakistan and India teams feared the Malaysian hockey team in those years ....... now? They could be heard asking "Who's Malaysia?".

I don't think I'm allowed to question the upper echelon who's in charge of the respective national football and hockey teams as I could be charged for treason or sedition under weird Malaysian laws.

We are not asking Malaysia to win the World Cup in both sports as even though there are no mutu, show me some gaya at least (of which I can't see it also).
Tags: Malaysia, National Sports Institute, Football, Hockey, FIFA Ranking, Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, 2011 Asian Cup, Football Association of Malaysia