Tuesday, February 03, 2009

IN WAR, TRUTH IS THE FIRST CASUALTY


Those words, spoken by Aeschylus, the Greek tragic dramatist, best describes the situation of the two football officials shown the exit by the FAM on Sunday.


What goes up must inevitably come down, although none of us likes to believe that truism when we're up in the clouds.


That was the fate of former national Under 23 team manager Dato Soh Chin Aun and former national coach B. Sathianathan. While Chin Aun was told over the phone that his services was no longer needed, Sathia exit was communicated via SMS, meaning he is worth 10 cents at the most, maybe lower if the telcos are the same.


That I believe is creativity, to tell someone that your time is up, that you are no longer needed. But till today Sathia awaits his termination letter, and like a humble servant he was, Sathia continues to make his way to Wisma FAM.


And believe it or not, creativity is one of the most defining qualities an entrepreneur, be it in football or business that one needs to have. The essence of entrepreneurship centers on creativity, whether it is a new idea, a new business or approach to overcoming a situation.


As a coach and manager, you are bound to face hurdles along the way. Yet, it is your passion for what you believe in that helps you persevere. And when the going gets tough, the creative get going.


Often, it is the struggle to survive that inspires most coaches and managers to explore and experiment with radical and unconventional concepts. Setting a precedent that to be a coach or manager with FAM, you need to have that something 'special' to succeed.


What is it that distinguishes these dynamic folk from the rest of us?It is how you manage to play politics and survive it.


I shall leave the readers with a quote from Ghandiji to ponder on the fate of Malaysian football.