Shoddy Treatment of Perak's Professional Footballers
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www.ipohecho.com.my IPOH Your Community Newspaper echoechoServing the people of Ipoh, Chemor, Sg.Siput,Taiping, Kuala Kangsar, Gopeng, Kampar, Batu Gajah, Air Tawar, Sitiawan, Lumut and Teluk Intan. FREE for collection from our office and selected outlets, on 1st & 16th of the month. ISSUE PP 14252/10/2008(007226) August 1 - 16, 2008 30 sen for delivery to your house by news vendors within Perak. 55 RM 1 prepaid postage for mailing within Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. SHODDY TREATMENT OF PERAK’S PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS Smiles belie true feelings. Clenched fists don’t! They need their money. They deserve their money. It’s a disgrace they haven’t been paid. Read Fathol Zaman Bukhari’s full report -- page 2 Photos by Rosli Mansor Also Perak coach Steve Darby on FAM ideas - page 12 2 IPOH ECHO August 1 - 16, 2008 Your Community Newspaper PERAK STATE FOOTBALL TEAM IN DIRE STRAITS A desperate situation needs desperate measures – fast! By Fathol Zaman Bukhari Not so long ago the fans of the blame for the current were upset because financial crisis facng the Perak’s state footballers Perak team. It has failed hit a losing streak. dismally to keep its side of It was a tough period the bargain – the continuing but the lads came through it provision of promised in great style. They started grants. winning - and winning “FAP has yet to receive most convincingly. its dues,” emphasised the What faces them Perak coach. today, though, is a development infinitely TIGHTEST OF more serious than a lack of ALL BUDGET goals. CONSTRAINTS It’s a lack of finance. The team’s broke! When it comes to Footballers, coach budget constraints there’s and staff are all receiving not a football side in their fees paid in pathetic, Malaysia that can match the erratic dribs and drabs - financial measures put in and months late. place by Steve and his staff. What our lads are Reality is that the currently being asked to Perak team is struggling bear is an utter disgrace along with the smallest and stands as an appalling of any of the equivalent indictment of responsible budget operations across authorities and, of We’re empty handed! Got no money! Steve Darby and his crew ( L to R) ham it up for the camera and the nation. course, politicians of try to make light of the otherwise critical situation in which they find themselves. “We are operating at various persuasions who, about 50 per cent of the up to now, have been the stadium facilities. interview with the Ipoh professional in 1989, the state government. other teams in the league. conveniently looking in Far more critical, Echo. football was a sport with Gate receipts make up the Our budget is even smaller other directions. though, is the matter of “The lower-paid a massive following. balance. than some of the teams The Perak team is funds. players got their April pay The likes of Mokthar However, since in the President‘s Cup,” – to put it bluntly – in the “The last full pay we two weeks ago. The rest, Dahari (Super Mokh), Pakatan Rakyat took over Steve revealed. Despite midst of a huge financial received was for the month including me, got nothing,” Subramaniam, Chin Aun, the government following these restrictions, the Perak crisis. None of it is of their of March,” he added, dejectedly. Dollah Bakar and Ghani the March 8 General team has managed to make making and, sadly, there said Steve Mihat before them, were Election, all financial considerable headway in appears to be no relief on during an IN SUPER LEAGUE household names and kids support from the state has both the local league and in the horizon. TOP FIVE throughout the country dried up. “I have written Asia. Comprising one aspired to follow in their a formal letter to the MB Prudent spending by coach, two assistant coach- What makes the footsteps. dated July 2 but as of the association has man- es and 16 players, the team situation even more However, when the today, I have yet to receive aged to reduce its operating is down to its last cents. deplorable is the fact game became tainted Coach cum manager, the that the Perak team is with corruption through formidable Englishman currently running high scandals involving bookies Steve Darby, has been in the national league and and the underworld, its desperately struggling is placed among the overall popularity took a to overcome the top five teams in beating. financial and as- the Malaysian sociated woes Super League. EASY TV ACCESS c o n f r o n t i n g Last season his men. Try they were Today, with the advent as he might, the league’s of satellite television, though, he runners-up football fans have easy has had and Malaysia access to the big-time p r e c i o u s Cup finalists. games overseas. A click of little suc- The team a remote control sits them cess thus has also qual- immediately in a box- far. ified for the seat at the latest English A f t e r quarter-finals Premier League match, or the indig- of the prestig- at alternative events in the nity of being ious Asian Cup Spanish or Italian leagues. The strain shows. Steve and assistant coach, caught in forced to hold C h a m p i o n s h i p Still, none of this mitigates an unguarded moment. his team’s practice 2008 in September, the woes faced by Steve sessions on the Ipoh the first Malaysian Darby and his players who a reply,” Steve lamented. costs by almost RM1 mil- Padang, Steve man- club side ever to don Perak colours for the Rescheduling of lion. The take-home pay of aged to get a partial achieve such a dis- sake of the game and the matches by FAM from players has been trimmed. reprieve from City tinction. “And all honour of the state. Neither weekends to weekdays The team’s size has been Hall. Training work, these, mind you, does it exonerate, in any have unfortunately had a lowered from 30 to a pre- for the moment, can with the minimum measure, those directly serious impact on gate carious 16 members.They return to the stadium. of funding and sup- responsible for the team’s collections. fly to playing venues via But how long this re- port from those con- financial status. “Poor turnout at the cheaper Air Asia routes prieve will last is any- cerned,” said Steve According to Steve, matches is a bane. Who and refrain from staying one’s guess. emphatically. revenue for the team would want to see matches overnight in their away Probably not The Perak side normally accrues directly on weekdays when they matches. What is more, very long, as the is managed by the from three specific sources. have to work the following there are no match bonuses authorities maintain Football Association Besides a generous day?” questioned Steve. for players like before. large sums are of Perak (FAP). subsidy from the Football Poor gate receipts As if to rub salt into still owing for the A deeply concerned coach, Steve Darby, is Before the Association of Malaysia mean less money for the gaping wound, unpaid bills, team’s past use of privately struggling to find a way through the M a l a y s i a n (FAM), a monthly stipend team. FAM, too, must also financial crisis enveloping his team. league turned should also come from bare a substantial portion continued on page 11 Your Community Newspaper IPOH ECHO August 1 - 16, 2008 3 www.ipohecho.com IPOH echo From the Editor’s Desk By Fathol Zaman Bukhari Your Community Newspaper SWEARING-IN THE COUNCILLORS An occasion like no other before After more than four Local Government and months, the long wait is Transportation, some finally over. The appoint- 2,900 applications came ment of mayor, presidents from throughout the state and councillors for the 15 for councillor positions. local councils in Perak Of this, 250 were became formalised on short listed and inter- Friday, July 18, at Ipoh’s viewed. Eventually only Banquet Hall, State 93 were picked to fill the Secretariat Building. 30 per cent slot reserved The swearing-in of for NGOs and profession- 338 new councillors was als. Those picked came done collectively in front from varied backgrounds of the Mentri Besar, Dato’ and professions, said Nga. Seri Mohammad Nizar bin They included doctors, Jamaluddin. As such it was lawyers, engineers, archi- the first occasion of its kind tects and even a retired ever held in the state. senior naval officer. The re- maining 245 candidates are OATHS OF OFFICE political appointees from Pakatan Rakyat, including Previously, only may- five from the Opposition ors and council presidents Barisan Nasional. were sworn-in by the MB. The distribution seems Councillors took their fair and it has fulfilled PR’s oaths of office in the pres- pre-election promise of re- ence of their respective turning power back to the council heads. The latest people. All sworn-in and ready to roll . well, almost . and then there were the vacant seats ceremony was a departure from the norm and under- PAST CORRUPTION feel that those running the The greater proportion of tional upon your perform- empty seats in the front row taken for +good reason. AND INEFFICIENCY councils are corrupted and this missing total has been ance,” he warned. and their absence was only Nizar must have fore- inefficient,” he said.