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Local coaches need more opportunities: Subramaniam

SINGAPORE — The past few years have not been kind to Singapore football. From group stage exits at the Suzuki Cup in 2014 and the SEA Games last year to recent defeats to a Japanese University team and Cambodia, the Republic has had a torrid time on the international stage at all levels.

SINGAPORE — The past few years have not been kind to Singapore football. From group stage exits at the Suzuki Cup in 2014 and the SEA Games last year to recent defeats to a Japanese University team and Cambodia, the Republic has had a torrid time on the international stage at all levels.

It is a startling decline in fortunes for Singapore, a four-time winner of the Asean Football (AFF) Championship and long regarded as one of the top footballing nations in the region.

But former national coach Vincent Subramaniam is not surprised.

And the 61-year-old, who took charge of the Lions from 1998 to 2001, has pinpointed the main reason for this slide: The lack of coaching development in the country.

“Talented players also need a talented coach to flourish, and that aspect is missing in Singapore at the moment,” Subramaniam, who currently works as a technical development officer at Fifa, told TODAY.

“The amount European football nations spend on their coaches is huge. What we’ve done is focus a lot of our resources on developing our youth talent but not our coaches.

“We have a youth academy, but no coaching academy, and this is something we seriously need to address if Singapore football is to move forward.”

Subramaniam added that one of the biggest hindrances to the development of local coaches is the lack of opportunities for them to gain experience and exposure at a higher level of football.

Highlighting how the Japan Football Association (JFA) regularly sends their coaches overseas for exchange programmes in places like Germany and France, the Fifa and AFC coaching instructor said: “JFA coaches go overseas for three to four months to gain experience.

“They will document their experiences in a diary, and go home with a thorough understanding of how top teams and academies are run.

“In our case, we don’t (send enough coaches abroad). Maybe there’s not enough budget for it.

“But if you can send a big squad of players to Turkey, Australia and Germany for training camps and friendly matches, you must also think about sending the coaches to these places for their development.”

The lack of mentorship and practical guidance for new coaches is also something that Subramaniam hopes can be addressed.

“A doctor who has graduated on Saturday, can he perform surgery on Monday? It will take another three or four years before he can go into the operating theatre and do surgery by himself, and this can be applied to coaches who have just gotten their respective licences,” he explained.

“I’ve seen coaches with huge potential failing to fulfil it because they were not tutored or mentored after passing the coaching course.

‘‘They just went straight on to the field and started coaching teams. Nobody corrected or advised them and, as a result, that potential is untapped.”

Subramaniam, who is based in India, admitted that the topic of coach development is something that is close to his heart, and revealed he wants to help the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) address this issue.

“If the opportunity arises, I would want to help improve the development of coaches over here,” he said.

“I’ve been given so much exposure during my time in Fifa and I’m now a lot wiser and more knowledgeable than I was before. I want to impart these to the local coaches.” Noah Tan

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