Soccer Extreme : When the first batch of Lions - Noh Alam Shah (pic), Ridhuan Muhd, Baihakki Khaizan and Mustafic Fahrudin - moved from the S-League to the Indonesia Super League (ISL) last year, it was hoped that it would help improve the standard and boost the profile of Singapore football.Has it?
Last year, national football coach Raddy Avramovic's answer was yes, it's a 'positive sign'.
'This is actually good for the national team. The players have a good challenge...this is a chance for them to build themselves up as professionals.'
More than a year on, and after failing to progress to the semi-finals of the AFF Suzuki Cup for the first time in eight years, the 61-year-old Serb doesn't seem so sure.
In the process of compiling data from the team's performance for the FAS, he didn't go into details but he told The New Paper: 'You were there, you can see it for yourself.'
And according to local football experts and informed sources, what they saw wasn't pretty.
Four more players - Precious Emuejeraye, Shahril Ishak, Khairul Amri and Agu Casmir - have since joined the exodus this year.
But judging from the Indonesia-based players' performance at the disastrous Suzuki Cup in Hanoi, the observers feel that Singapore football has taken one step forward and three steps back.
In fact, one source even called the departure to the ISL the 'the No. 1 problem for the national football team', while another, from Indonesia, said: 'The last thing Singapore football needs is another player joining the ISL.'
Here are the three reasons why:
1. FITNESS PROBLEMS
According to former Tanjong Pagar coach Tohari Paijan, who follows ISL football closely, the set-up there is not professional enough.
He noted: 'Sometimes the fixtures get cancelled and the team doesn't even know when it is going to play next, so how are the players going to train properly?'
As a result, the players have to put up with either a fixture pile-up or a prolonged period on the road. This causes their fitness level to drop which translates into poor displays on the pitch.
One prime example could be found in Ridhuan's sluggish displays. On his day, the speedy winger - who can easily clock sub-11s for the century sprint - is mercurial.
The 26-year-old also helped Arema Indonesia to last season's league title and began this term with a bang, scoring five goals in eight games.
However, in Hanoi, Ridhuan sputtered to a sorry exit in all three games against the Philippines, Myanmar and Vietnam.
When one's body is tired, his legs will not do his bidding, causing decisions to go wrong, passes to go astray and chances to go abegging.
Baihakki and Emuejeraye struggled to cope with direct runs, Casmir, though he scored the injury-time winner against Myanmar, did not do enough to shed his languid image, Amri broke down in that crucial match against Vietnam, and Asean's top striker Alam Shah failed to find the target.
Only skipper Shahril, and the combative Fahrudin looked their usual selves but obviously this wasn't enough.
2. FEAR OF GETTING INJURED
One source told The New Paper: 'Our opponents looked more hungry for victory than our Lions. Maybe they (the Lions) have more loyalty now to their paymasters instead of their countries.'
Kadir Yahaya, who used to be an assistant coach at ISL club Pelita Jaya, said: 'The players could be worried about injuring themselves because if they return to their clubs injured, the management won't hesitate to expel these foreign players.
'In the ISL, you can hire and fire a foreign player midway through a season and it's a thriving business there.
'Many player agents there are just waiting to offer foreign players to clubs,' said Kadir, who was at Pelita from 2007 till last year.
It is a worrying hypothesis, but with yearly contracts worth between US$65,000 and US$100,000 ($85,000 and $131,500) and win bonuses ranging from US$200 to US$1,000 per match, one wouldn't put it beyond the Indonesian clubs to whisper a word of caution into the Singaporean players' ears.
The money is immense, considering the average monthly wage of a top S-League player is between $4,000 and $8,000.
According to previous media reports, Singapore players who have moved to Indonesia have had their salaries doubled, along with privileges such as chauffeured cars.
'Make sure you don't get injured,' would be more than enough to sow a seed of doubt in their minds when faced with 50-50 challenges.
3. FALSE SENSE OF SUPERSTARDOM
The foreign stars in the ISL don't have to wash their own jerseys, nor do they have to clean their own boots. Some even have keychains, T-shirts and caps bearing their names and faces.
In his stint with Persija Jakarta last year, Baihakki was quoted as saying: 'Of course, I want to stay longer. I walk out of training smelling nice as I'm not carrying any dirty boots or clothes.
'I'm mobbed by fans and feel like a real professional footballer. Who doesn't want to have a life like this?'
Alam Shah stopped for 15 minutes just to have his photos taken with fans and Ridhuan is now known in Indonesia as R6, a la Cristiano Ronaldo's CR7 monicker.With fireworks, flares and even bonfire lighting up in the stands, it is easy to get carried away and think that they have arrived or are, following the latest case of staying up beyond curfew, above the rules.
Ridhuan with fan
One source said: 'They play in Indonesia but it's as if they are already playing for Barcelona.'
Another said: 'After receiving star status, they think they are big shots and don't pull their weight during matches.
'Looking at their performances during the Suzuki Cup, I don't think the national team is benefiting at all from these players going to the ISL.
'When Fandi (Ahmad) went to Groningen, you could tell the positive impact it had on the national team because he came back a better player.
'I don't think you can say the same about those who went to Indonesia.' (david lee)