A matter of execution
Sathia: Good plan but there are not enough fields to start the programmes
KUALA LUMPUR: The Football Association of Malaysia ( FAM) have launched their grand F30 road-map but former national coach B. Sathianathan (pic) says the success will depend on combination of many factors.
Sathianathan wants the national body to be on their guard as he believes the journey will be wrought with ‘potholes’ in the initial stages.
“If you want to follow the road map seriously, there will be many potholes along the road in the initial stages. But if we can overcome the obstacles, than it will be like a smooth-sailing highway,” said Sathianathan.
“We must understand the road map and then accept and embrace it. And then, we have to work very hard to achieve it.”
He said the key was getting it right at the grassroots.
“We must start the grassroots programme at the age of five. Begin with fun football before they can start playing the game seriously at the age of 10,” he added.
“When I was in Japan with the Yokohama Marinos (10 years ago), there were 10,000 children playing at the grassroots level. We must have at least 20,000 kids under our grassroots training programme in Petaling Jaya alone.
“And each player must train for 10,000 hours before he can become a professional player.
“It is scientifically proven that you must train 10,000 hours to be a professional. The players must also have talent.”
And to make the programme work, Sathianathan said the facilities must be sufficient.
“My question is – where are the football fields to start the grassroots development? The problem in Malaysia is that there are not many fields for the children to train.
“My second question is how about the junior development coaches? Many parents have come to me asking me to train their children. I don’t coach children. “So, we also need to have many coaches for the grassroots levels as well.
“If we really follow strictly by the book, we’ll able to reach the top 100 in the national men’s team world ranking by 2030. We’ll also be able to qualify for all the World Cup agegroup competitions,” said Sathianathan.
Meanwhile, national Under-23 coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee said it was a good initiative by FAM president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin, who has been involved in football for 30 years.
“His idea of the road map will bring positive results. I believe in 12 years time, there will be a change in the landscape of Malaysian football,” said Kim Swee.
“To have a better quality national football players in the future, the grassroots development is vital. It is important for us to implement it with proper guidance and training.
“We need to focus on the youth team, especially those in their teens now, so they can be turned into quality players in 12 years time,” he added.