Sundar Pichai was yesterday announced as Google’s newest CEO, and for all the right reasons as well. But let’s just assume that at some point, things don’t go so well. Could you ever imagine him being ‘rested’ or asked to take a two-weeks leave, due to performance issues?
That seems to be the latest trend in Malaysian football – state teams ‘resting’ their head coaches or asking them to take a short leave. ATM did it with B. Sathianathan, Terengganu did it Abdul Rahman Ibrahim and the latest side to jump on the bandwagon is Perak FA, who did the exact same thing with the Datuk M. Karathu yesterday.
Yes, the team has been on a mini slump over the last five weeks or so, and they’ve lost four games in the process. Yes, we’ve moved from being 3rd on the table to now being ranked 8th on the table. Yes, we’ve struggled for form on the pitch, and players have looked demotivated on the pitch. See, none of these things are being contested. But if you’re judging the capacity of a head coach within four games of a season that has been riddled with injuries and various other issues, delusional is probably the right word to describe your thought process.
Let’s not kid ourselves, we’re not talking about a Perak squad that has major big names in it. In fact, only two players from Perak have been ever called up to the national team over the last eight months – Nasir Basharuddin and Zamir Selamat. Most of the other lads in the team are either young and inexperienced, or nothing close to being world beaters (not that I mean it in any derogatory manner). This was also the fulcrum of a team that battled relegation last year, and were considered as contenders for it at the start of this season.
What’s fascinating is how the management was happy to ride along, with the success brought upon by Datuk M. Karathu during the early stages of the season. His experience, was precisely what a young team needed, and Perak battled against the odds to prove doubters wrong. But when the tide took a minor shift, the blame game started. What’s even more appalling is the management seems to feel that they are entitled to remain third on the league.
Take a fine look, Perak FA. Dropping from 3rd to 8th in one day, may sound huge, but the reality is that you are merely four points away from third spot, with a game in hand. Assuming the Seladangs lose in Kuala Terengganu tonight, the gap may increase. But also pay attention to the other teams within the mix – Terengganu, PDRM, Felda United, LionsXII, Selangor and PDRM. These are sides with bigger financial might, and arguably better players as well. LionsXII, despite not having foreign players in their ranks, have plenty of national team players on their roster, and they’ve collected most of their points on the artificial turf at Jalan Besar Stadium anyway.
And then you have Perak. A team that loves playing the blame game. Two years ago, under the tutelage of Azraai Khor, the Seladangs visited Kuching to take on Sarawak in a Malaysia Cup tie. They lost the game 6-1, and instead of rallying the team after a tough match, the management accused them of match-fixing and temporarily suspended everyone in the team, before eventually retracting it weeks later. That sparked a mass exodus of players, with the likes of Farizal Marlias, Shahrom Kalam, Shahrulnizam Mustapha all departing the side.
But we’re speaking about an individual who has accomplished various things within Malaysian football. He’s been in the football scene for almost 50 years now, both as a player and as a coach. He also led Perak to their first FA Cup title in 1990 and even took them to the Malaysia Cup semis on two occassions. More recently, he was hugely successful with Kelantan as well. Yes, none of that makes him invincible to judgement and expectations. It’s a four-game slump though, pretty sure he’s experienced enough to deal with it.
Now, even if Datuk M. Karathu is to be blamed for the team’s slump, that doesn’t justify the decision to ‘rest’ him. We can have countless debates on Malaysian football and what it needs to move away from its’ current slump, but if the most basic form of professionalism is ignored, then any hope is futile. It’s Business 101. If you have a contract and you wish to terminate it before it ends, negotiate a compensation package and the process is complete. No professional business entities out there would force their leaders to ‘rest’ or ‘take a leave’, especially when the environment is extremely volatile.
The only explanation I can conjure, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this probably is this case (Not dropping any allegations here), is that they’re financially unable to provide tangible compensation that matches the terms of the contract. Even if that is the case, financial issues merely highlights the lack of professionalism within the management.
The process should be straightforward. Establish a goal at the beginning of the season, appoint the man to spearhead the project, explain the KPI’s and expectations, and back him till the end. There’s no point in hiring head coaches, if you do not provide him the freedom to operate through the ups and downs of football. It’s thin squad, the calendar is packed, and the roster is filled with youngsters, whose mindsets are not tailored to remain optimum for eight straight months. Believe it or not, we’ve not even discussed player transfers yet, but fret not, that was done in a separate piece, earlier this year.
So, knee-jerk decisions may help on a short-term basis. In fact, the team may experience a fresh start and may even defeat Terengganu tonight. They may end up finishing higher than eighth spot on the table. And a new head coach will take charge. But none of that matters, if you’re not willing to back him when times get tough. Especially if you end up asking the new guy to ‘rest’ or ‘take a leave’.
Perak FA, it’s time to get your s*** together.
Other posts by Keeshaanan Sundaresan
