I congratulate V. Sundramoorthy on his appointment as the new national football coach, the first Singaporean in 16 years to hold the post ("The Lions' 'temporary one'"; last Saturday, "FAS has done new boss a disservice with 'caretaker' tag"; Sunday, and "Have full faith in local coaches"; yesterday).

While appointing a local coach is a step forward by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), offering Sundram a one-year contract is taking two steps back.

Questions have been raised on the FAS terming the appointment a "caretaker" one. And rightly so.

No matter how the explanation goes, it still sounds like a temporary measure to tide the Lions over until another foreign coach takes over.

It shows the amount of trust we have in our locals to hold the fort.

Is the FAS sincere in wanting a local coach to lead the Lions out of the current doldrums?

What does the FAS expect from Sundram in one year?

If he fails and gets the sack after a year, how does that reflect on the FAS' selection process?

If there are any positives to be taken from the announcement, it must be Sundram's determination to prove himself at the highest level.

I wish him all the best as he transforms himself from "The Temporary One" to a "Uniquely Singapore One".

Let us, fans, be his 12th man and give him all the encouragement and support we can.

As for the FAS, I hope it can get serious and look long term, instead of making stop-gap decisions and causing the public to doubt its sincerity.

David Tan Kok Kheng