Enough is enough, Johor Crown Prince tells FAM following 10-0 defeat

PETALING JAYA: In the aftermath of a 10-0 trashing to the United Arab Emirates, the Johor Football Association has pledged to contribute towards hiring a qualified foreign coach for the national team, adding that trainer Dollah Salleh should be sacked immediately.

“Enough is enough, we cannot continue to be ignorant of the problems we are facing,” said the association’s patron Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim (pic) in a post on the Johor Southern Tigers Facebook page on Friday.

On the pledge to contribute towards hiring a new coach, the Johor crown prince, however, laid stated that all teams in the Malaysian league should first be allowed broadcasting rights, which would equate to 70-80% of the total broadcasting revenue.

He said the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) only requires 20-25% to run the leagues and employ foreign coaches.

Youth development he said should be left to the state FAs and clubs.

He added that all teams should spend on youth development and upgrade their football facilities with revenue from the broadcasting rights and sponsorship revenue.

“A good foreign coach is also essential and we cannot put 100% blame on the players. As an example, why do JDT players fare differently when they play for their club and when they play for the national team? It’s due to the coach who is guiding the team.

“Pablo Aimar once told me: ‘There’s no point of having a Ferrari with a driver who only knows how to drive a van’. Thus, to have a good team, its 50% the coach and 50% the players,” said Tunku Ismail.

He said that to improve the mentality of the players, education as well as proper academies are needed to increase the professionalism of players.

“The current players we have are beyond saving and it’s not their fault. It’s FAM and all the teams, including Johor, who have failed in our your development program since before,” he said, adding that Malaysia needed foreign expertise.

He also targeted FAM’s office bearers, whom he said have overstayed their welcome.  

“For those who say I have already achieved my mission when we lost 10-0, I’m far from achieving it as I will only stop when we lose 50-0,” he said.