Former Singapore diplomat Anil Murthy wants to make Valencia great again

SINGAPORE – It has been nine years since Valencia won their last piece of silverware - the 2008 Copa del Rey – but incoming club president Mr Anil Murthy, who will take over from fellow Singaporean Ms Chan Lay Hoon in June, believes it is only a matter of time before the fallen European giant starts consistently challenging for honours once again.

The Spanish side, who was bought over by Singaporean billionaire businessman Mr Peter Lim in October 2014, has struggled to find success on the pitch in recent seasons. They finished 12th in the La Liga last year, and are also 12th with seven games to go this term.

Off the pitch, things have also not been rosy for the six-time Spanish champions.

Since Mr Lim’s takeover, the club has gone through five head coaches, including former Manchester United defender Gary Neville and ex-Italy coach Cesare Prandelli.

Los Che have also been forced to sell some of their best players such as Andre Gomes and Paco Alcacer to comply with UEFA’s financial fair play (FFP) regulations.

And in January this year, with Valencia continuing to languish in mid-table, throngs of angry fans took to the streets and outside Valencia’s famed Mestalla Stadium to protest against Mr Lim’s management of the club.

While acknowledging that the club has fallen short of expectations over the past two seasons, Mr Murthy, a former Singapore diplomat with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is confident that the 2004 UEFA Cup champions and two-time Champions League runners-up will turn their fortunes around in due time.

“Valencia are a big club in Spain with a great history in European football. However, we have admittedly not done well on the field this and last season,” said the 44-year-old, who will step up from his current executive director position to become club president at the end of the season.

“But we have the tools to succeed, and that is my objective. We want to improve the club in many aspects, with a single objective in mind: to win.

“Our aim is to reach a consistent and sustainable level of performance that will see the club finish high up in the table and qualify for European competition year after year.

“As for this season, it is not over yet.

“We’ve had a good spell of late (winning our last three league games) and we hope to be able to get more points on the board and move up the table.”

CAREER DIPLOMAT

Yet Valencia is Mr Murthy’s first job in football management.

The 44-year-old lifelong West Ham United and Singapore Lions fan, whose local football heroes include Fandi Ahmad, Terry Pathmanathan, Malek Awab and V. Sundramoorthy, was previously a career diplomat with Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

When asked how he ended up being recruited by Lim for the Valencia job despite his lack of experience in football management, Mr Murthy acknowledged: “A football club is no different from a normal company in many aspects in that it requires strong professional management.

“But football has an important part which makes it different from normal companies - the fans, the players, luck, etc.

“So it’s not a simple business.”

However, he is confident that his years working in the MFA will prove useful for his new position.

“I am confident that my experience in the Singapore Government, and in particular the MFA, will be and has been very useful in helping me get through this complexity. One important lesson I learnt in MFA is that you work in a certain reality and not your ideal world.

“So the reality of football is such that to succeed, don’t hope for the (protesting) fans to behave differently. It is for the club to do well and prove its success on the field.”

DEEPLY APPRECIATIVE

That is why Mr Murthy is deeply appreciative to Ms Chan for helping to stabilise a debt-ridden and unstable Valencia during her two years in charge of the club.

He says that Ms Chan, who previously oversaw Mr Lim’s multi-billion investment portfolio and philanthropic work, has helped to ease Valencia’s financial problems, which provides them with a good foundation to build on moving forward.

“A very important point is the strong base that Lay Hoon has built for the club,” said Mr Murthy.

“When she arrived just over two years ago, the performance on the field may have been better, but the company was in very bad shape.

“However, she will be leaving with the club having achieved institutional and financial stability.

“But the task is not completed yet, and we must continue her good work. This aspect of running the club, which is invisible to fans and the press, is what will allow us now to grow.

“Without this stability, the club can never reach its objectives except through pure luck, which is definitely not sustainable.”

Mr Murthy added that the transition in leadership from Ms Chan to him will be a seamless process.

“I am proud to take over the club in the state that Lay Hoon is leaving it,” he said. “But one thing I learnt in my 16 years working in the Singapore government is that managing leadership change is key to a successful organisation.

“So the change in the presidency of Valencia by the majority shareholder and the Board was planned in such a way as to ensure a smooth transition.”

LISTENING TO THE FANS

Mr Murthy also said he was not overly concerned with the recent protests against Mr Lim, as he believes that the majority of fans still back the Singaporean’s ownership of the club.

“Fans are naturally unhappy when their team is not doing well,” he explained. “Some people have manifested their unhappiness repeatedly outside the stadium – we’ve all seen the pictures in the press.

“However, just like in politics, not everything in football should be taken at face value. (These protests) were not entirely with innocent objectives.

“I am confident that most (fans), while unhappy with the results, still back the club and (Mr Lim’s) project.

“The fans don’t see it and it’s normal that they don’t see it. But there are sufficient examples of clubs in all European leagues that have been badly managed and have gone down and can’t come back.

“Fans in Valencia are notorious for their level of demand of the club. With good and consistent results however, I’m sure we will succeed in bringing back the fans to fill the stadium in supporting their team.”

The sporting jack of all trades, who, apart from football, also played hockey, tennis and badminton, and did long-distance running in his youth, says he is grateful to have been given the opportunity to lead a prestigious and storied club like Valencia.

“It’s a big responsibility and a great honour for me (to be appointed club president). Another thing I learnt from my time at the MFA is that ambassadors may be extraordinary during their postings.

“But then you return to Singapore and you are just ordinary. So I know that Anil Murthy, Mr President, will be just Mr Murthy one day.

“As such, I must ensure that when that day comes, the club is in good shape.

“With this clearly in my mind, I know I am not here for fame or to be adored as the president of Valencia.

“I am here to build a strong club and that’s what I will dedicate myself to.”