The vilifying of former national coach Takayuki Nishigaya after his sacking by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is misguided.
While he is to blame for not being able to lead the Lions to the promised land, the responsibility for his failure lies in the leadership of the FAS, from the Exco to the Council.
They are the ones who made and ratified the decision to hire Nishigaya, even though he lacked the credentials and the experience.
Even till today, there has not been transparency over his hiring.
Why him, despite his relative inexperience?
Why him, even though he couldn’t speak English and had not coached outside of Japan.
Why him, even though he had no experience of having led a national team.
The decision makers who agreed to take him are the ones who need to be vilified.
And that is the leadership of the FAS.
THE ROLE OF THE AFFILIATES
It is also unfathomable at the 37 ordinary members who are all voting members of the FAS are sitting idly by as the FAS destroys Singapore football.
Sitting quietly and just sharing their unhappiness in whispers will not change anything.
The axis of power lies in the hands of the affiliates who voted these poor decision makers to office.
37 ordinary members of the FAS decide the fate of football in Singapore.
That also means that this 37 members have the constitutional power to remove the leadership.
Do these affiliates also know this?
DEMOCRATISATION OF FOOTBALL
Fans, and parents of children who sacrifice so much and hope that their children have a fair chance to do well in the game are held at the mercy of these 37 affiliates who decide who runs (and screws up) football in Singapore.
There needs to be greater democratisation of the sport in Singapore.
Fans do have a part to play.
What you can do if you are unhappy with the state of the game in Singapore is to apply pressure on the leadership of your favourite clubs to ensure there is change at the top.
If they do not listen to you, stay away from matches and leave the stadiums empty.
For Lions fans, that also means staying away from Lions matches so the people in charge get the drift.
When people start letting their voices be heard, hopefully the people who fund Singapore football will open their eyes and ears, and feel the heat.
TAKING BOLD ACTION
There is so much work to do for football in Singapore and yet one of the FAS appointment holders agreed to have his name submitted to be a Nominated Member of Parliament.
Luckily it was rejected.
This is a classic case of a CV hunter, and one who is self-serving.
The same people who decide to send our footballers and officials for polygraph tests and use it as a weapon, forgetting what the tool was for when introduced 20 years ago.
Change can happen in Singapore football.
The people who hold the real power need to wake up and take action.
MAIN PHOTO: FAS ANNUAL REPORT
