By AIMI G.
A major change to the Singapore Premier League (SPL) has sparked concerns across the local football fraternity.
Raising the foreign player quota to seven could further sideline Singaporean talent, and have an impact on the national team and its performances.
The fears that the move will also disproportionately benefit wealthier clubs, exacerbating existing disparities.
And the fear is that the only club which will benefit from this rule will be the Lion City Sailors, who have the financial muscle to hire top talent.
WHO BENEFITS?
The remaining clubs could well also end up hiring more foreigners to match the Sailors, or just give up and accept that the league will be a one-horse race with the rest just picking up the scraps.
Commenters have already started voicing their concerns.
“Just imagine the message that you’re sending out to all the local boys who want to play, want to be a professional footballer, for example,” said SPL match commentator A Shasi Kumar, a former pro footballer and head coach.
“Would you let your son or daughter play when, at the end of the day, you only have these number of (local) players?”
Under the new rule, clubs can now field up to seven foreigners per match, the highest number since the league began in 1996.
While the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) insists the move will raise league standards, concerned critics warn it could come at a cost.
Football consultant Richard Harcus noted that foreign players usually fill key roles.
“Historically, when you look at football tactics across any country, when you have (foreign) players that are coming into a team, they tend to play in key positions,” he said.
Harcus also voiced concern about long-term implications for the national team, suggesting local players will have fewer chances to develop in key roles.
With the youth-to-senior transition already seen as fragile, he believes the move could undermine development pathways like the National Development Centre and the Unleash the Roar initiative.
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
Reigning champions Lion City Sailors, backed by deep pockets from Sea Group founder and new FAS president Forrest Li, are widely seen as the biggest winner of the latest changes, further fuelling concern that the league is skewing in favour of the wealthy, rather than uplifting the local game.
While clubs like Tampines Rovers may benefit in continental competitions, former professional footballer and commentator Rhysh Roshan Rai warned that the key test will be in the local league.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how many of the other clubs out there are actually going to be able to afford quality foreign signings that will actually lift the overall standard of the league,” he added.
With only three outfield slots available for local players, if clubs do go the full hog and field all seven foreign players at the onset when the whistle blows.
LEVEL UP
While there are concerns about the changes, especially to the number of foreign players allowed to take to the field, is there a silver lining to the changes?
TMSG founder and editor, who is also Managing Director of strategy and public relations firm SW Strategies believes that the one possible outcome of the changes would be to possibly have more fans at matches.
“The more competitive the matches are, the more fans will attend them and take an interest,” he said.
“That is the hope, but what is the determinant now would be how much money the other clubs sans Lion City Sailors put into investing into their squads.
“If there is complete reliance on the subsidies provided, then it is unlikely that there will be any challenge to the possible dominance of the Lion City Sailors,” he said.
Think Hougang United, Balestier Khalsa, Tanjong Pagar United.
It is also unknown how much new investments BG Tampines Rovers would put into their new team under the leadership of the new chairman Shungu Sakamoto.
The changes will put a lot of pressure on the national coach to hunt for local talent to call up to the national team, added Jose.
With eight teams in the league and only 32 local players playing in the first 11, the pool appears limited.
And with key national players like Ikhsan Fandi, Jordan Emaviwe, Kyoga Namakura playing outside of Singapore, what happens then if their respective clubs do not release them for tournaments like the ASEAN Football Federation’s biennial?
“That is when the FAS will realise that our system is still broken, with insufficient talent to fill up the ranks effectively, which is a consequence of their own actions,” quipped Jose.
MAIN PHOTO: SINGAPORE PREMIER LEAGUE