Harimau Muda should have FAS or that man on their shirt

After the revelation that FAS is paying FAM a levy (Not putting the percentage as who know if it will rise again in future) as well as generously picking up the tabs on their clubs sides trip to Singapore, I wonder why our FAS or even FAS President is not on the Harimau Muda shirts when they played in the S-league.

It is the least FAM should do as FAS is surely now their second-biggest 'sponsors' on youth development after their government and not a word for the 'sponsors'.

After all, youth development is among the hardest to get sponsorship in the world as they do not received as much mileage when compared to senior sides.

We should know that for FAS constantly remind us by 'claiming' they do not have the cash for this and that sponsors are tough to get.

And the results is seem for our youth teams are relegated to playing each others on a constant base due to such cost-cutting for let remember last year when several youth teams got poor results at the international arena (Take note FAS now only send age-group teams to play only when it is compulsory like the ASEAN age-group competition), the coaches asked FAS how they intend to improve teams like the U18, who suffered some terrible results, if they have to play only fellow youth sides like the U17 and U19 to prepare only and have no other experience.

After that, the response was the usual in which FAS defended itself by crying no money. (what else)

But it sound hallow after the March 1 report by TODAY because one wonder how they can agree to the levy and all those costs when they know they have no money and our youth teams stay in Spore because of that.

Can one image just training one whole year and playing no game in between of any meaning at all.

Even the famous Youth Olympic Games (YOG) team and Lion City Cup (LCC) U15 get that kind of treatment with the media gone. (It is not difficult to know they do not assemble much at all now)

Worse is once they are past the age-group for LCC, they have even less to aim for just like what I pointed out about our U18 last year when they are just assembled together to play their juniors and yet is expected to do well.

So with our youths crying for cash to help them, one see FAS spending cash elsewhere how does one believed in them especially on the issue on levy.

This is a bad deal as the money to FAM is guarantee no matter the heath of FAS finances and it take an incompetent man to sign such a contract.

This come from one-time MM Lee for back in early part of last decade, Disneyland was interested in opening a theme park in Asia outside Japan and the interested site are Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong.

In the end, Hong Kong got it and Singapore government received criticisms for not working hard enough to get it but MM Lee disagreed as he noted it will be difficult to sign a deal that was so lopsided.

While due to confidential reasons, he never gave up the full details, details did came later which saw the Hong Kong government gave away the land for free with them bearing the entire reclamation cost.

Everybody should know reclamation is expensive and if that was not bad enough, Hong Kong government also have to bear much of the construction cost of around HK$22.45 billion and from it, Hong Kong was given a near-equal share with Disneyland who pumped in far less.

The Hong Kong public, upon hearing such details, were hardly thrilled especially after it opening where it is plagued by crowds problem and poor pay issues.

Worse was Disney parent company was still able to receive all sorts of fees, which run into hundred of millions of HK dollars for their 'work', even as the new theme Park bleed. (See the similarity to FAS where we pay and pay even if we have our own financial issues) 

After all that it was no wonder, Hong Kong next Chief Executive took longer to agree to an expansion which Disney must pump in the cash with Hong Kong the land (Although it still cause unhappiness when hidden cost about the land were revealed)

Indeed it took a bad leader to sign such a deal and Tung Chee Hwa, Hong Kong first Chief Executive, was considered that as his misrule meant he never finish his second term of office in 2005.

Is our FAS President near that?

You can decide on your own but one thing is we have pumped so much with no recognition thus the least for FAM to 'reward' their big 'sponsor' is a logo on their Muda shirt; especially the man who sign that contract.

For we are bleeding thus no longer able to send our youths on regular assignments and yet we can still 'sponsor' FAM youth development.