“Mediocrity is the happiest mask which the superior mind can wear because it does not lead the great majority - that is, the mediocre - to think that there is any disguise. Yet the superior mind assumes the mask just for their sake - so as not to irritate them, nay, often from a feeling of pity and kindness.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher.
If there were time (and money), someone would have produced a huge banner with the words “Selamat kembali ke tanah air wira-wira bola sepak Malaysia” (Welcome home the heroes of Malaysian football) to be put at the arrival hall of the KLIA on Friday night.
Judging by the reception the Malaysian team received on their return - applause, pats on the pack, breaking out into a song etc - gave the impression that some of our stars were returning from an assignment where they were victorious from hard-fought battles.
Skuad Harimau Malaya pimpinan ketua jurulatih, Kim Pan Gon yang baru pulang dari Qatar bagi kempen #PialaAsia2023, selamat tiba di KLIA, malam ini.
— BERNAMA (@bernamadotcom) January 26, 2024
Kepulangan mereka disambut meriah peminat bola sepak tanah air dengan tepukan gemuruh dan laungan lagu 'Inilah Barisan Kita'.… pic.twitter.com/fXOQFqqanV
When zeroes are treated like heroes; when failures are celebrated; and when a single performance is used as a yardstick, everything will certainly end up as an illusion - to mask mediocrity.
The mood was set on Thursday by the television commentator in the live telecast of the match against South Korea which ended in a 3-3 draw.
He screamed in ecstasy using various superlatives and heaped praise on the fighting spirit of the Harimau Malaya. Even the cross-over for words from Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh had another declaring that she was in tears.
It is said that the truth always hurts, but omitting and saying nothing would prevent telling a white lie to the people of Malaysia. Right?
Did we qualify for the next round? No.
Did we finish at the bottom of our group? Yes.
Didn’t Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the sports minister realise this? Yes.
So, why were they so generous with the people’s money?
Anwar said: “I was watching a great fight by the Malaysians against a side that’s far superior to us. Despite losing the first two games, they showed character and strength in their last game.
“Because of that spirit, based on the request by the youth and sports minister, the government has agreed to add RM5mil to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to manage the national football team.”
But did he watch the 4-0 drubbing by Jordan and the 1-0 defeat by Bahrain?
FAM not strapped for money
If showing character and strength in one game can merit a reward of RM5 million, I leave it to you - the reader - to imagine how much would have been dished out if they had qualified for round 16.
It’s not that FAM is strapped for money. It is the richest sports association in the country. It gets millions from sponsorships, television rights, gate receipts and even grants from its parent body, Fifa.
More importantly, were Anwar and Yeoh aware that 14 members of the 23-member squad were foreigners?
They became citizens or what is termed as “naturalised” through the backdoor method - illegally - while hundreds of Malaysian-born children are prevented from going to school on technicalities.
There is an equal number of foreign women married to Malaysians who have been denied citizenship.
With so much money floating around and now with an extra RM5 million in hand, the talent scouts, agents and journeymen will be making a beeline to FAM’s Kelana Jaya headquarters to hawk their ware.
There are likely to be those who were discarded from the African continent and have-beens from Europe and it will not be surprising if they are embraced with open arms by the football officialdom.
The result will be that meritocracy will be thrown out of the window and we will continue to reward the mediocre.
Meanwhile, the Manchester City coach says: “It is not a sport when there is no relationship between effort and success. It is not a sport when success is guaranteed from the start. It is not a sport if it doesn’t matter if you lose.”
Do we care if we continue losing as long as the rewards keep coming? - Mkini
R NADESWARAN started his career as a sports reporter and still follows and keeps a keen eye on sports and related happenings. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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