Forum: FAS must clarify coaching rules and scope of support staff roles
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I refer to the report “Keisuke Honda does the talking off the pitch as FC Jurong get off to a winning SPL start” (Sept 13), which raises an important question about the purpose and enforcement of coaching-qualification requirements in the Singapore Premier League (SPL).
According to the report, FC Jurong’s head coach, Jaswinder Singh, holds the required coaching qualification, while Keisuke Honda, who does not, is registered as team staff. Yet Honda was described as playing a prominent coaching role during the match.
Do regulations clearly distinguish between supporting the head coach and carrying out substantive head-coaching responsibilities? If an unqualified staff member can perform significant tactical and instructional functions while a qualified individual formally holds the head-coach title, what is the practical purpose of the qualification requirement?
If such an arrangement is permissible, other SPL clubs could reasonably adopt the same approach.
That could reduce an important qualification requirement to a matter of job titles rather than actual responsibilities. This creates an uneven playing field for coaches who have invested significant time and resources obtaining the qualifications required to work at this level.
The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) needs to clarify what responsibilities an unqualified member of an SPL club’s staff may exercise. Clear and consistent rules would protect the integrity of the SPL’s qualification framework while ensuring fairness to qualified coaches.
Mohamad Nurhafiz Mohd Noor