Does Sarjit Singh have wizardry to revive Malaysian hockey?

 

The recent appointment of Olympian and former national hockey captain Sarjit Singh as the men’s national team head coach, a bold call, has left the Malaysian hockey community at large, and neutral observers, wondering whether to be incensed or depressed.

Unfortunately for the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC), the livid have enough cause to fume, and the astute ample reason to dispute. For, while the record books speak volumes of Sarjit’s prowess as an astounding centre-half, arguably the best in Malaysian hockey, the books, however, are disconcertingly silent on his competence as a coach.

But I would like to refresh the discerning sports minds that sports data analytics would reveal that a coach’s contribution to the success of a national team, is less than 10 per cent. While a bad coach can cause irreparable damage at this stage, there isn’t very much a good coach can do that’s beyond the talent level of the national team.

And you don’t need to be a sports wizard to deduce that there isn’t very much coaching done at the national level, as a coach would expect his players to be already schooled in the fundamentals, well before advancing into the national ranks.

Regrettably, as is in the case of everything else in Malaysia, the fundamentals in team sports are alarmingly weak, and have been that way for at least two decades now. And what has come into national teams through this heavily flawed structure, is mediocrity by world standards.

So, it doesn’t really matter who we engage, whether it’s Sarjit, or Jeroen Delmere, head coach of FIH world No.1, the Netherlands. The outcome will be the same, the only difference being the latter would have been paid thrice more for the failure.

Yes, if Sarjit isn’t a wizard who can at a wave of his wand transform his team of plough horses into thoroughbreds, he too will fail. With hockey having been to several Olympics, anything short of that target will be deemed by critics and fans alike as a disaster.

History will also reveal that Malaysia has never really been blessed with world-class coaches who could stand shoulder to shoulder with their more superior counterparts from first world football and hockey nations. But what we had, were world-class players who had taken Malaysia to two Olympics in football, several Olympics in
hockey, and an unprecedented top four placing in the 1975 FIH World Cup.

Which brings me to this classic quote by the late Mario Zagallo, head coach of that amazing Pele-led 1970 World Cup squad, touted as the best in Brazilian football history. When asked about his success, Zagallo said his team had such calibre, that even if Sophia Loren – one of Italy’s most beautiful women and a very famous actress – had been their coach, Brazil would have still won the World Cup.

This testimony, that players with pedigree are the most crucial component in success, comes from no less than a legend who has won two World Cups as a player, and two as a manager.

Coaching, if anyone in a position to make the difference cares, begins in schools, colleges, and universities. It is in those nurseries that minds, talents and strength in diversity are nurtured and cultivated, waiting to bloom.

Sadly, these institutions have become the killing fields, not only for sports, but also minds, academics and diversity. Education ministers who have prioritised politics have failed us, myopic education policies have stunted the intellectual growth of our children, extremist teachings have divided us, and the future of Malaysian sport lies buried in its apathy.

But who cares? Certainly not education minister Fadhlina Sidek, who is clueless about the benefits that a nation can enjoy through success in sport internationally, and the strength in diversity that it builds domestically. And certainly not the national sporting associations who could have offered their junior coaches to schools.

If there is one person who can work with Fadhlina to make sports an integral part of the Malaysian culture and nation building, it is youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh. Let’s just hope she cares.

It is often said, more often in tongue-in-cheek, that behind every successful man is an ingenious woman. Let’s hope that behind the future success of Malaysian sport, will be these two influential women. Just as they are aware that their political careers depend on it, sport too needs that fundamental component called grassroots support.

So, instead of wasting millions of taxpayers’ money on discriminatory programmes involving a handful of players who are incapable of meeting their lofty targets, the sports ministry would do a lot better by judiciously using those funds to plant thousands of shoots throughout the country, many of which could grow into mighty oak trees.

But while the two ministers are mulling over the wisdom of placing a high premium on grassroots development, national associations although not encumbered with this commitment, should empower their state affiliates with this crucial task.

The MHC, for instance, needs to reinstate the Razak Cup, a once widely and passionately-followed tournament, as its premier product, not the MHL. The MHL is like an artificial plant that meets with modern practices. It may look pretty and doesn’t need to be groomed, but it doesn’t grow nor advocate growth of the sport.

Heck, sadly it can’t even command as much prime space in the sports pages as badminton’s prized loser, Lee Zi Jia. Surely that must say something for the newsworthiness of the MHL, to say the least.

The inter-state Razak Cup, at its prime in the early years, was Malaysian hockey’s prized possession. It was the silverware that every state wanted to adorn its trophy cabinet with.

On account of it, youth development was in play, domestic leagues were alive and well in states, and players with pedigree came through the system into the national ranks. Yes, the Razak Cup was like a refinery turning impure dore bars into pure gold.

There is another option though, not just for hockey but other sports as well that are struggling to get past mediocrity. They could follow the lead set by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and reinforce the national team with heritage players of Malaysian descent and naturalised players.

If South Korean Kim Pan-Gon had only home-grown players at his disposal, he wouldn’t have been able to take Malaysia even past the Asean region. The stunted growth at the grassroots and intermediary levels, wouldn’t have allowed him to get as far as the Asian Cup, and even the second round of the World Cup Asian qualifiers.

True, we need to evolve and look far ahead. But when we find ourselves stranded at the fringes of the future and unable to move forward, perhaps we need to take some steps back into the past only to retrace them, and fix the glitches that caused the time warp.

Simply put, sometimes we need to look back to be able to move forward. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.