SINGAPORE: The most sustainable way for Singapore football to grow is to build up a pool of its own youth players rather than just importing foreign talent, said Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong.
Speaking on CNA programme Talking Point, he said this approach would also be the most relatable to Singapore.
"Occasionally, we might supplement with a few who’ve been here, who not just as a footballer, but as a person can relate to Singapore and Singaporeans. I think that’s important.
"Because I don’t want a team that is made up of people who wear my jersey, have my flag, but I don’t know them." CNA
At one time, not too long ago, Singapore's coffer was filled with nothing but cash, cash and cash. With so much money, every solution is about money. Money can solve every problem in Singapore. There was this great idea that we could get into the World Cup final by paying our way with money, buy all the top footballers, spend a billion or two, and walla, we will be in the World Cup final. So easy. Why waste time training and training Singaporeans that got us no where?
Edwin Tong's idea is quite new and innovative after a lapse of 40 years. How come no one could come up with such a great idea until now? What happened to the old idea of instant trees, just buy what we want, and get it instantly? If no one can see the joke of having a team of foreigners wearing Singapore jerseys and waving on top of our open deck buses during a victory parade, and every Singaporean does not know who they are, that they look so different from us, maybe Singapore has arrived, as a hotel, with foreigners as our role models.
Edwin Tong's idea may bear fruit in 20 years or longer. Singapore has waited more than 30 years for a return to the Kallang Roar era when we have intelligent and skillful footballers to win matches. So there is no harm waiting for another 30 years, Investing in our own talents is a long term process, just like investing our national reserves. Early stages lose a lot of never mind, look at the long, long term.
This same policy can also be applied to how we brought in millions of foreigners, called foreign talents, and depleted our own talent pool to the point that we don't bother to train our own talents anymore. Just bring in the instant trees. Singapore was a financial centre in SE Asia for decades, if not South and East Asia, the most progressive and advanced banking and financial centre, but ended up with no banking and finance talents. All must be imported. All those we have are no talents, good for nothing goons. No point training them. Even so called talents from third world villages with backward banking systems, are good enough or better than Singaporeans to head our banks and filling up to management positions. I think they have already given up with our unsophisticated no talent Singaporeans in banking and finance. In this field, foreign talents good,
Would Edwin's policy be applied across the board, across all industries, in the ministries, GLCs, to groom our own talents instead of buying foreigners, instant trees?
What do you think? Without the Goh Keng Swees, no political leaders would think like him, to groom and grow our own talents, Singapore for Singaporeans. Finally, there is a lonely voice in a little corner of Parliament, Edwin Tong, to call out to groom our own talents, but only in football. The other ministries and GLCs still very happy bringing in instant trees instead of using out 'no talent' Singaporeans. Just saw an angmoh as Head of DBS East Asia on TV. Totally agree with Edwin that no Singaporeans would know him except for the people that recruited him.
Hopefully a flash in a pan may spread to become a tsunami, if not a little tropical storm would also be good,
What do you think? Would the super talents in charge think Singaporeans got talent and can be groomed to take over top jobs in Singapore, and not become jig and platform workers?
1 comment:
Still trying to flog the almost dead football horse after so many decades of failure. Goal 2010 was when Singapore was supposed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in Africa, according to the tall tales teller. That tale was narrated in 1998, twelve years before the 2010 World Cup. What happened?
Football is not a sport that Singapore will be able to excel because the whole world is taking part. We could not even win consistently within ASEAN against the Thais, Malaysians and Indonesians. How far can we go? How much money have been thrown into the black hole without any tinge of a reasonable return. Goal 2010 was just a fairy tale. Even Goal 2100 is an elusive dream.
There are sports that nobody wants to participate in, and Singapore may well stand a chance. Sure, we do have once in 50 years achievements out of the blue, but those are the odd chances, not the norm.
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