Hougang United – Etoile brawl: Why has Aide not been able to control his Cheetahs this season?

The report:

This report on the brawl between players from S-League clubs Hougang United and Etoile FC  appeared in today’s edition of The Straits Times :

Fight was on the cards as teams had clashed before

(The Straits Times, 26 May 2011)

By Terrence Voon

IT WAS a fight that was waiting to happen.

That was how the football fraternity viewed Monday night’s pre-match brawl between Hougang United and Etoile FC which saw four people seek treatment at a hospital and further tarnished the reputation of the S-League.

While shocked by the disgraceful scenes at Hougang Stadium, observers were not surprised that the fracas involved the home side - the team with the league’s worst disciplinary record – and Etoile – the much-maligned defending champions from France.

There is no love lost between them. At their last encounter in March, both sets of players squared off after the final whistle, before being separated by officials.

‘The pre-match security should be tightened for matches which have potential for trouble,’ said a seasoned S-League observer.

‘In this case, there was potential because of their history. The authorities should have seen it coming.’

Hougang, known as the Cheetahs, have acquired a reputation for being one of the league’s most physical sides.

‘They are the roughest team we’ve had to play against,’ said the coach of a local S-League club who did not want to be named.

‘Some of their players are very temperamental and I’ve told my boys to stay calm, even when the tackles fly in.’

Hougang are currently bottom of the disciplinary charts, having received 42 yellow cards and two red cards in 14 matches.

The best-behaved team, Albirex Niigata of Japan, have collected just 11 yellows.

Woodlands Wellington defender Graham Tatters, who has faced Hougang twice this season, conceded there were a few ‘hot heads’ in the Cheetahs’ squad.

‘But it’s the same in any other team,’ he added. ‘Something must have triggered the fight.

‘I’ve seen it happen in other leagues, and it’s usually something between two players or a clash of personalities.’

Etoile, who revamped their squad after last season’s title-winning exploits, have tended to attract trouble.

Local players say the French side come across as cocky, and win few friends with their on-field theatrics. But the sentiment in the Etoile camp is that they have been unfairly singled out for rough treatment.

Matters almost came to a boil last October, when a match against Singapore Armed Forces FC nearly ended in a free for all. SAFFC’s Federico Martinez had celebrated a goal by mimicking a cockerel – the national symbol of France – sparking angry reactions from the French players.

Woodlands coach R. Balasubramaniam, who was Etoile’s team manager last season, says they are a misunderstood side.

‘Being French, people think they have their noses up in the air,’ he said. ‘But they are what they are, and you can’t say they are intentionally being arrogant.’

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My thoughts:

There’s a reason why I’ve highlighted parts of the report.

I am surprised to be reading all these assertions and claims about Hougang United simply because of who they have as their coach.

During his time as a player with Home United and the Lions, Aide Iskandar was undoubtedly one of the most respected men on the field.

He exuded calmness, leadership (he was captain for club and country), he was a clean player and as captain and one of the most senior players in his teams, he also ensured discipline among the players.

Which is why I am surprised to be reading all these negative observations about Hougang. The fact that they came from various people just shows that this is a commonly-held view of the Cheetahs.

And the stats don’t lie: 42 yellow cards and two red cards in just 14 matches. That’s an average of three yellows per game so far.

Which begs the question? Why has Aide not been able to assert his authority as a coach and maintain a tight rein on his players’ discipline? Why have Hougang United turned out like this? Has player power to do with this? Are the hotheads in the team exerting player power?

Just wondering if anyone out there is able to help shed some light on this. All feedback are welcome.

Then again, maybe this current situation is the club’s perfect opportunity to axe the trouble-makers? That would be a blessing in disguise.

Yours in sport

Singapore Sports Fan

FAS’ five-year plan for the S-League: a case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted

The report:

This report appeared in The Straits Times on 17 October. It has been edited for length:

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FAS fights back

(The Straits Times, 17 Oct 2009)

It will unveil 5-year strategic plan to counter ‘negative impact’ of the Lions’ exodus

By Wang Meng Meng

THE recent exodus of national players, led by the fiery and controversial Noh Alam Shah, to the Indonesia Super League (ISL) has taken the shine off the S-League.

But Football Association of Singapore president Zainudin Nordin intends to fight back with a five-year strategic plan that will be rolled out in the coming weeks.

The plan is aimed at filling the vacuum, said the 45-year-old Zainudin, who is also the Mayor of Central Singapore District.

Last month, Alam Shah, who moved from Tampines Rovers to ISL club Arema Malang, blasted the S-League for its paltry crowds and lack of atmosphere. In the days that followed, five other national players also headed for Indonesia’s ISL.

They are Baihakki Khaizan and Mustafic Fahrudin (Persija), Precious Emuejeraye and Aleksandar Duric (Sriwijaya) and Ridhuan Muhamad (Arema).

The six national players’ departure is the biggest exodus in a season.

In 1991, five players – Fandi Ahmad, V. Sundramoorthy (both Pahang), K. Kannan (Kuala Lumpur), Malek Awab (Police) and Ahmad Paijan (Terengganu) – played for state teams in the Malaysia Cup.

Mr Zainudin, who took over the FAS presidency from Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs Ho Peng Kee in April, admitted the outflow of talent would have a ‘negative impact’ on the S-League.

But the FAS will revive and improve the 13-year-old S-League, he added.

‘We will be unveiling a five-year strategic plan,’ he said. ‘There will be increased subsidies to clubs to engage local and foreign talent of higher quality.

‘And we will be doing a lot more to ensure that the clubs won’t struggle when it comes to talent spotting.’

Currently, local clubs receive $500,000 annually in seed money from the FAS while the foreign teams (Albirex Niigata and Super Reds) get $150,000.

Mr Zainudin declined to reveal the amount, but said an improved scouting network is already in the works to help clubs unearth gems from the transfer market.

In July, Lions coach Raddy Avramovic, national team manager Eugene Loo and FAS technical director Slobodan Pavkovic were in Shandong to watch China’s national Under-20 tournament.

Besides China, the FAS will be tapping other nurseries in Romania, Croatia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Britain.

The FAS will then make its recommendations to the S-League clubs.

Mr Zainudin believes the exodus is a sign that the S-League has a good production line.

He said: ‘Their departures have made the S-League less attractive in the short term. But look at Switzerland and Denmark. They are small countries with most of their star players based overseas and yet, their national teams are successful.

‘I hope our Lions can become better players during their ISL stints. They will learn to cope with the pressure of playing before big crowds, spending long periods away from their families and learning how to behave like professionals.

‘At the end of the day, I expect a positive impact. Besides, young players who did not have a chance to play before will now get to shine in the S-League.”…..

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My thoughts:

I hate to say this but I felt worse about the S-League after reading Football Association of Singapore president Zainudin Nordin’s remarks.

Can someone explain this to me please?

Why is the FAS only unveiling a five-year strategic plan NOW, after the exodus of the Lions to the Indonesia Super League?

Zainudin said the aim of the plan is to ‘fill the vaccuum’.

But isn’t this a case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted?

So does that mean that the FAS and the S-League would have been content to let things stay at the appalling state that they currently languish in if there hadn’t been the departures to Indonesia and if striker Noh Alam Shah hadn’t come out to publicly blast the S-League for its poor crowds and atmosphere.

If that’s the case, then I am sorry.

I used to want to give the S-League a chance but I am now really turned off it.

There was a time when the S-League was really entertaining, and games could really draw crowds of 4,000-5,000 on their own merits.

That was the golden period between 1996 to 2002 when each club had their own distinct identities and had their fair share of good quality foreign players alongside the national players.

Remember how we were entertained by the likes of:

- Vlado Bozinowski, Ernie Tapai, Egmar Goncalves (Home United)

- Dragan Talajic, Boubacar Seck and Nicodeme Boucher (Tiong Bahru/Tanjong Pagar United)

- Surachai Jatturapattarapong, Surachai Jirasirichote, David Cervinski, Niweat Siriwong (Gombak United)

- Mirko Grabovac, Nenad Bacina, Bojan Hodak, Jure Eres, Velimir Crljen, Ivica Raguz, Kiatisuk Senamuang (SAFFC)

- Tawan Sripan, Thawatchai Damrong Ontrakul (Sembawang Rangers)

- Jason Ainsley, Park Tae Won, Itimi Dickson (Jurong FC)

- Stuart Young, Max Nicholson, Simon Clark (Woodlands Wellington)

Heck, even perennial strugglers Balestier Central had some decent players in the form of Darren Stewart, Esad Sedjic, Marko Kraljevic and Goran Paulic.

Those were really heady and entertaining times.

Even going to the homes of smaller clubs like Gombak United (Gombak Stadium), Jurong ( Jurong East Stadium) and Sembawang (Yishun Stadium) on match days felt like stepping into cauldrons of fire. For the clubs truly had their own distinct identities and were all backed by substantial crowds made up of residents from the neighbourhoods.

Compare all that to the S-League today:

a) we have no new exciting foreign faces,

b) all the current foreign players seem to be playing a game of musical chairs as they change clubs every one or two seasons and

c) crowds figures have dropped.

And yet, only now does the FAS come up with a strategic five-year plan?

It’s not only ridiculous, it makes me angry because it sounds like the FAS were simply content to continue taking local football fans for granted for years before the Indonesian exodus made them sit up in shock.

And for that, I say shame on you, FAS.

Yours in sport

Singapore Sports Fan