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The third consecutive Singapore exit of the AFF Suzuki Cup has not been a surprise to many football watchers here (Lions without match for Thailand Nov. 26).
Although commendable, Singapore's victories against Indonesia and Timor-Leste in the group stages of this tournament are pale compared to the offensive football displayed by Thailand, the defending champion.
Several deep problems justify deep introspection.
Profligacy continues to haunt Singapore football.
Very often, Lions are shy and lack guardian, exasperating supporters aware that the team that does not convert chances into goals will ultimately pay the price of defeat.
Singaporean football has long faced a scoreless scoreline to score goals since Golden Boys Fandi Ahmad and V. Sundram Moorthy left the national team in the 1990s.
And that's why Singapore has struggled to win victories – even against minnows in international friendlies – in recent years.
This situation contrasts sharply with the 80s and 90s, when nearly half of the Singapore football team possessed the character to assume the role of playmaker. Players like K. Kannan, D. Devaraj, Abdullah Noor, Malek Awab, Steven Tan and Terry Pathmanathan had the ability to convince opposing teams of their skillful touches, dribbling, dribbling and brilliance, even against stronger teams like Kuwait, China, Korea and Japan.
This brings us to the following question: Does the Singapore Premier League offer a competitive environment for boys to achieve a higher level of excellence in football?
Probably not, if we compare it to how the players of yesteryear have earned respect during their professional days, especially in the tournament of the Malaysian Cup.
At one point, just over half of our Singaporean footballers signed lucrative contracts in Malaysia, which demonstrated the quality of their football community by qualifying for the semi-finals of the Suzuki Cup. ; AFF.
Singapore should also capitalize on its strengths and revive interest in local football by joining the Malaysian Cup tournament.
Irwan Jamil
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