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Former Member of Parliament and President of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), Zainuddin Nordin, is bearing the brunt of some local football fans’ anger for suggesting that the “caretaker” label would mean less pressure for Sundram.
According to The New Paper, this is what the FAS President said about the appointment of local soccer star V Sundramoorthy’s appointment as ‘Caretaker Coach’ for one year.
“Have you heard of the term “Acting Minister” before? He’s doing a minister’s job, but he’s the Acting Minister. So I think we must also be able to understand. (Sundram) can do the job, (and) we need to be able to give him the opportunity. Not put too much pressure…. but at the same time give him the full support. To me, that is the key<…>Of course, now working with our technical director and technical team, I’m sure he will learn even more. And I believe he can be an international coach that even foreign countries would want to employ.”
Veteran sports journalist Suresh Nair described the FAS President’s choice of words as ‘Caretaker Rubbish!”
“I had to dribble to Collins dictionary to find out the meaning of the nine-letter word “caretaker” and it says, among other definitions, someone “holding office temporarily, in interim”.”
Reminding his readers that Sundram is the first Singaporean player-turned-coach to lead the Lions, after 16 years and, the journalist asked the real reason about why he was named “caretaker” coach.
“Nowhere in the world would a newly-minted home-grown prodigious talent be branded with the word “caretaker”, except in Singapore, and I feel it’s a slippery slap in the face for Sundram, who holds the FIFA/AFC Pro Licence certificate, the highest FIFA-recognised global coaching badge,” Mr Nair added.
In 2013, Mr Nordin said that he may step down at the end 2015 as the President of FAS. In talking to the Straits Times he said: “I would safely say this (stepping-down) will happen within the next two years. Whatever I could do, I have done my best. It will be good for somebody to inject a fresh perspective into the landscape.”
However in 2015 he changed his tune and said “more than a year ago, I was ready to step down. Since then, I have never changed my view. My view is that there needs to be revitalisation of the FAS succession plan…”.

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