By Les Tan

afc singapore vs jordan

Noh Alam Shah (in red) in action during the Asian Cup qualifying game against Jordan in February 2009. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports file photo)

National football striker and captain Noh Alam Shah has signed a one-year deal to play for Arema Malang in the Indonesian Super League. Precious Emuejeraye, Baihakki Khaizan and Fahrudin Mustafic are also reportedly interested in moving to Indonesian clubs.

A rule change in the Indonesian Super League now allows their clubs to hire five imports, two of whom must come from Asian Football Confederation countries.

So what does it mean for the S.League? Nothing much, really.

The S.League crowds are small to begin with. In fact, that is a reason Alam Shah cites for leaving, according to a Channel NewsAsia story (National captain Noh Alam Shah slams local football). He is apparently excited about playing in front of crowds numbering 30,000.

“It feels horrible playing in front of a poor crowd, and at some stadium, there is almost no crowd at all. I believe we are still a footballing nation, but even when we are in centralised training with the national team, the players often wonder if the fans will turn up to watch us,” Alam Shah is quoted as saying in the Today newspaper (Alam Shah cites low fan base, poor officiating and lack of star quality for leaving; Today, September 11, 2009)

Some football industry figures have also questioned the level of footballing standards in the Indonesian Super League.

“The level of football is about the same if not lower there,” ex-Singapore striker V. Sundramoorthy was quoted as saying in another report (Will more take the bait?, Today, September 10).

But that’s not the point, is it? Football, or any sport, thrives on rivalries, on conflicting passions.

That, unfortunately, is in short supply in the S.League. While the organisational standard of the S.League has given it a top-10 rank in Asia, fans aren’t responding to that accolade.

In the end, some of the mentioned players may not leave the security of a well-run S.League for the uncertain jungle of Indonesian football. It will take a streak of adventurism to play in that league.

Noh Alam Shah always goes into his challenges without fear. He will now need to show the same courage in Indonesia.

All the best to him.

REDpoll

With regard to the S.League ...

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...