Focus on building strong national football teams

Home United chief executive Azrulnizam Shah Sohaimi correctly said that a footballing eco-system demands organisation and prior planning ("S-League clubs may get a booster shot"; Nov 26).

Having quality players returning to the S-League would not make the league a more popular and a better one.

We need the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), as a governing body, to be effective.

The decision by the Football Association of Malaysia to drop the LionsXII from the Malaysian tournament is a resounding wake-up call ("S'pore out of Malaysian league, leaving LionsXII in limbo"; Nov 26).

Sending a combined team under the flagship of the FAS to participate in a year-long tournament had competed with the S-League for fan and media attention and limited footballing resources.

The FAS must be mindful of the flaws of promoting football popularity through foreign league participation.

It should focus on building strong national teams of all ages, and a strong local league would support this national objective.

An Asean league is forming, and FAS needs to consider nominating an elite S-League club to compete instead of sending an FAS-formed team. When an S-League club does well in the Asean tournament, it will help to raise the popularity of the S-League in which it plays.

Liew Eng Leng

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