Singapore football: Look at the big picture

Mr Yeo Hock Yew misses the big picture ("All's not well with S'pore football"; Forum Online, last Wednesday).

Like him, I was terribly disappointed with the Lions' performances in their defeats to China and Hong Kong ("Toothless Lions crash to third straight loss"; last Wednesday).

However, I do see positives in the two matches as several youngsters, including Anumanthan Mohan Kumar and Shahfiq Ghani, were tested during the games and will certainly be strengthened by the experience.

As fans of local football, we should be proud that the likes of LionsXII coach V. Sundramoorthy and national players Baihakki Khaizan and Hariss Harun are being sought after by Malaysian teams.

After all, didn't our footballing heroes in the 1980s and 1990s, such as Malek Awab, Hasnim Haron and Fandi Ahmad, also turn out for teams across the Causeway?

Shouldn't we feel proud that the performances of our home-grown stars have attracted the interest of foreign clubs?

Likewise, the fact that our young players such as Adam Swandi and Irfan Fandi are playing overseas signifies the success of our youth development system and is a testament of the good work done by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS).

I fail to understand why Mr Yeo describes these developments in local football as signs of problems, and I urge him to see the bigger picture.

Mr Yeo seems to suggest that the FAS should consider Fandi for a coaching position since he is now available. I beg to differ, and urge the FAS to continue making appointments based on merit, and only if there are suitable posts.

Instead of making a popular and convenient decision, we should look at decisions that will benefit Singapore football. In this regard, I urge the FAS to consider a coaching position for former national coach Raddy Avramovic. With his wealth of experience, I am certain that Raddy will add much value and help us scale greater heights.

Melvin Tan, Reader

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