Last Ditch To Salvage A Legacy?

Lim Chin is thinking a way to "fit S.League into ASL system".

Even though many are skeptical, but they still seen it as an opportunity to place the ailing S.League as the priority again after Lions XII's acrimonious exit from the Malaysian league.

Unfortunately, it will not be the case when the top man of the league, himself, declared:"If we agree that the ASL (Asean Super League) will be a good platform for us to build a strong national team, then we should all work together to achieve that... We have to find a creative way to transform the S.League into a system to fit into the ASL model,"

The presser of the recent FAS AGM (credit: FAS)

Those words by S.League 'CEO' Lim Chin at the recent concluded FAS (Football Association of Singapore) AGM shattered those who harboured hopes to see the country's only professional sports league to be given attention it badly needed to unplug itself from life support.

But with the game's local governing body's pet project - ASL to be given the priority, as perceived, the "poorer cousin" is set to be the second fiddle again like the last four years in the shadow of the disbanded Lions XII despite assurance it would not (just like what it was mentioned four years ago).

Instead, the folks at JBS have painstakingly trying to convince the S.League is still an important component in the setup to majority out there who had registered their unpleasantness online during the last few days.

And at the meantime, enticing the masses the benefits ASL is going to help Singapore football out of its doldrums proved to be a mammoth task.

Thailand is miles ahead of the rest in this region.

FAS president Zainudin Nordin pointed out 'the ASL as a stepping stone for players in South-east Asia, before they make the jump to the bigger leagues in Europe, Japan and South Korea.'(source)

Yet when Thailand's Teerasil Dangda on two separate occasions plyed his trade in Europe, there wasn't anything called ASL since he was transferred there from his club Muangthong United and not that long ago a Chonburi player was offered a trial with a J-League club in Japan.

Moreover, with their clubs assured a spot in continent's top-tier club tournament - the Asian Champions League's (ACL) group stages and a place in the same competition's qualifying play-off, so how is it going to ensure powerhouse like Thailand to whole-heartedly committed to this project by sending their best players to ASL when former SAFFC star and current Chonburi FC coach Therdsak Chaiman openly denounced the proposal in a recent interview?

Therdsak Chaiman (right) is now head coach of Chonburi FC (file)

Time to time we are told the necessary groundworks are laid to prepare for inauguration in 2017, the latest date provided after this new ‘league’ failed to materialize its scheduled kick off this August.

Such an uncertainty with lack of tangible update of progress to this ambitious project would be hard to see any entity or individual keen to associate with amid chorus of disapproval among the Singapore football supporters.

It's certainly not what I envisaged when I first came to know this ASL gimmick in 2010, thus given the fact that S.League is now being declared the feeder base to the pet project, I thought it would be another case of not willing to swallow the bitter pill by seeking another quick fix in order to cement a legacy?