THE Youth and Sports Ministry is in constant dialogue with the Football Association of Malaysia to find ways to raise the standard of Malay- sian football.

The ministry’s parliamentary secretary S.A. Vignes- waran said this in reply to a question by Datuk Azian Osman yesterday.

He agreed with the senator that the standard of football in the country had deteriorated.

“But it is still the most popular sport,” he added.

“That is why the cabinet committee on sports has identified it as one of eight sports to be given attention.”
Vigneswaran said the sala- ries of national football players were paid by the FAM.

The ministry paid the under-20 squad. It spent RM2 million on the squad last year.

Vigneswaran said the ministry, through the National Sports Council and the Football Association of Malaysia, ran several football training programmes at the grassroots level.

He said the FAM and NSC were setting up more centres for soccer excellence in districts and states.

The programmes also ca- tered to primary and secondary school students.

Complementing these programmes are age group tournaments, like the President’s Cup, for those aged between 20 and 21, and the Youth Cup, for those between 18 and 19.

He said those who trained and played under these programmes eventually went on to the Malaysian League.

On a lighter note, senate president Tan Sri Hamid Pawanteh told Senator Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain that there was no need for a woman coach for the national team as Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said was good enough to get the sport moving.

SUMBER : THE NEW STRAITS TIMES, 22 MEI 2007 ]]> http://savigneswaran.com/blog/2008/02/20/dewan-negara-no-effort-spared-to-raise-football-standard/feed/ 0