LIM Teong Kim has set clear goals for Malaysian football – first is to qualify for the Under-17 World Cup in 2019. Second is for this team to be absorbed into the national outfit and start challenging for honours on the world stage.

But to achieve that, he said, three things have to be put in order – developing a proper youth system, developing the infrastructure and changing the mindset of everyone involved in the game.

Teong Kim is now in charge of developing a proper youth system through the National Football Development Programme.

His only concern is getting the support and cooperation from the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and state teams. He is thinking ahead to what would happen to his players after they turn 17. Where would they go from there? This is where he hopes FAM and the state teams will step in.

It is the other two issues which are beyond his control, that he has problems with.

In a recent interview with The Malaysian Insight, the former national footballer, who was also Bayern Munich youth coach for 12 years, said the decline in Malaysian football began when officials running the sport only thought of their own interests.

And this was when they stopped thinking about the future of the sport, allowing Malaysian football to remain in the doldrums.

Here’s his take on the issues plaguing Malaysian football:

Lack of infrastructure and organisation

The decline in Malaysian football over the past several decades can be put down to this: everyone involved in the sport still has the “amateur” mentality, with no regard to improving the game’s infrastructure.

Teong Kim said this has been evident from the time he was a national footballer in the 80s and 90s till present day.

“During my time, training sessions were in public fields where there were no changing rooms. We changed under trees. Soh Chin Aun and Santokh Singh (former national footballers) can attest to this.

“We didn’t have proper training grounds or club grounds we could call our own. That was 30 to 40 years ago. It was all right then, Malaysia was poor, under-developed, but not anymore.”

“Look at all this now,” he said, pointing to the Kuala Lumpur skyline. “Why isn’t the sport moving as fast as this?”

He bluntly put it down to this: Those involved in football are not interested in developing the game, they are only thinking of lining their pockets.

This is where, he said, someone like current FAM president Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, popularly known as TMJ, will be good for the game.

“TMJ will change all this because he has no personal interest, no personal agenda. He is a rich man, what he wants is only success and this is good for football.”

Teong Kim said people think football is just about training on the field. What they fail to realise is that it is a profession. Footballers need to have a sense of belonging.

“A proper working place, if you like. One with a nice training field, nice changing rooms. A place a footballer can call his own.”

He heaped praise on the Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) football team, the Malaysia Super League champions, saying that was the only club team with proper infrastructure. TMJ managed JDT.

Teong Kim then took aim at the government for taking away fields in the name of development. While he accepted that it created jobs for people, he questioned why they did not provide replacements in other areas.

Teong Kim pointed out the same was happening in Europe where playing fields were making way for development but the governments there are sensitive to the needs of sports bodies and replacement fields are not an issue.

State teams here, he said, keep looking for grounds to train.

“We say our football has turned professional, but in many ways, we never left the amateur mentality.

“Being professional means, they must have a home. Chelsea (English football club) don’t need to move around, looking for fields to train.

“They have a proper training area. A centre where everybody comes to, be it their senior or junior team.

“So, where’s ours? We cannot be in denial anymore.”

Changing the mindset

There must be a complete change of mindset among all those involved in football, from the officials to the coaches and to the players, said Teong Kim.

“They must set their sights on bigger things, that means looking beyond Southeast Asia and even Asia. They must be challenging for honours on the world stage.”

Teong Kim questioned why less developed countries like Ecuador and Chile could qualify for the World Cup but Malaysia could not.

“Are we spastic or handicapped? If we are looking at being recognised in world footbal, then this mindset must change.”

The problem lies with the officials, coaches and players wanting the easy life. They are satisfied with what Malaysia has achieved so far, which is not much anyway.

“Most are happy living in past glories,” said Teong Kim.

But with this new set of youth players under his charge, Teong Kim, is confident of achieving success, even if it takes at least another decade.

“My coaches and players have set our goals. That is to qualify for the Under-17 World Cup.”

And if that happens in 2019, then it will be clear that Malaysian football is back on the right track.

The last time Malaysia competed on the world stage was when they hosted the 1997 Fifa World Youth Championship.

Malaysia was in Group A with Uruguay, Morocco and Belgium. They did not make it past the group stage after losing all three games. – May 7, 2017.