(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)Hooliganism match-fixing and humiliation on the field - Malaysia has emerged as Asian football's problem child with the country's most popular sport rapidly becoming a national embarrassment. Unruly fans piled on the disgrace on Tuesday forcing the abandonment of a World Cup qualifying match with Saudi Arabia as smoke-spewing flares flew onto the pitch and around the stands.
Sparked by seething anger over a record 10-0 drubbing by UAE the previous week the outburst crystallised the Malaysian game's long-running slide into violence corruption and chaos. Malaysian football experts say the core of the problem is declining play blamed on years of wayward football administration and a failure to develop grassroots talent. But it wasn't always so. Former colonial masters Britain bequeathed a passion for football and Malaysia's "Tigers" were once a source of pride. Stars of club and country were feted as heroes during a 1970s and 1980s "golden era" when Malaysia was able to compete with current Asian giants like Japan South Korea and Australia though it never won an Asian Cup or qualified for the World Cup. "We stood in the forefront of football back then. But today we have become the laughing stock of the region" said Peter Velappan secretary-general of the Asian Football Confederation from 1978-2007. Malaysia's national side has plummeted to 169 in FIFA's world rankings one spot higher than its all-time low hit in 2008 and behind tiny East Timor (163) and Bhutan (164). The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is now reaping decades of failure to build youth-development programmes and the loss of playing fields to the bulldozers of development said former football officials coaches and leading sportswriters. "We used to have very good state leagues which encouraged football among the youngsters. But diminishing fields have resulted in local leagues experiencing a slow death" said veteran sports journalist Tony Mariadass. Malaysia's political and economic wheels are greased by connections patronage and outright cronyism. Velappan says this has leeched into football with politics trumping professionalism in administrative leadership and player decisions. Malaysia's multi-cultural make-up also was once a strength with local stars coming from across its ethnic Malay Chinese and Indian communities. But increasingly tense sectarian domestic politics has resulted in majority Malays being favoured in national and club selections. "Unfortunately racial polarisation has now crept into football" said Velappan. football wayne rooney United striker Hopefully getting two goals in the last two games will mean I continue scoring
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