Singapore’s shock exit in the group stage of the AFF Suzuki Cup in Hanoi in December led to much public outcry about what was ailing Singapore soccer.
One sign that Singapore soccer is ailing is how we have plummeted in the FIFA World Rankings over the years. From a 75th position in 1993, our national soccer team dropped to 101st in 2000 and now are ranked 142nd. That’s a drop of 67 places since 1993.
While the Lions did not perform up to expectations in Hanoi, the focus quickly turned on the local S-League and dwindling interest from sponsors and Singaporeans. We all know that the health of a local league has a direct impact on the standard of the national team, as the local league should uncover talent to feed into the national team. After more than 10 years of relative mediocrity in the S-League, some our brightest national players have left to join the Indonesian soccer leagues on much better terms. Should the exodus continue, it will become more challenging to cobble together a national team of our best players to represent Singapore.
Recent decisions such as sacking the entire national team and overhauling the S League suggest some management issues. What led to such a crisis point? Is the government satisfied that the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) had managed the team and the league competently?
Singaporeans want local soccer to succeed. Thus, the recent announcement by the Singapore Sports Council to increase funding to the FAS for its talent development programs by 50% offers hope for the future.
In the meantime, FAS had announced a Strategic Plan for 2010 to 2015, aimed at taking Singapore football ‘to the next level’. As 2010 was not a good year, it would be important to get clarification on what the next level really means.