http://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/fas-gets-tough-to-stub-out-smoking-among-footballers
FAS gets tough to stub out smoking among footballers
Starting with Young Lions, players who pledge to kick the habit will get support; those who flout rules face penalties
The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is tackling the longstanding problem of smoking within the professional ranks head on.
The clampdown has started with the Young Lions, essentially Singapore's Under-23 squad who play in the S-League and represent the country at competitions such as the SEA Games and Asian Games.
Players in the squad who step forward and say they are smokers will get support to kick the habit and be asked to join a smoking cessation programme.
If the player continues to flout the no-smoking rule, he will be fined an undisclosed amount and suspended.
And if he is caught again, he can be sacked by the Young Lions. However, he will still be allowed to look for a new club.
FAS deputy president Bernard Tan told The Straits Times that the smoking issue among footballers here is endemic despite past attempts to tackle the problem.
But this time, the association would adopt a "zero tolerance" approach, he said.
Mr Tan added: "We have to cultivate the correct habits (among footballers), and that includes stubbing out smoking. Smoking has no business at the elite level of sports."
The plan, he said, is to get the coaches' buy-in first. "If they can get the discipline right, the rest will follow."
The clampdown on smoking is the latest in a slew of changes to the local game. The S-League, which kicks off on March 31, is also in the midst of an overhaul.
Mr Tan added that all S-League clubs are encouraged to follow the Young Lions' example and discipline errant players.
He also urged the fraternity to support the effort, saying: "We will need the cooperation and commitment of the whole league.
"(The anti-smoking policy) is a voluntary thing. We are not implementing any law, but we hope the clubs can follow this lead."
Another tricky area is rule enforcement, with Mr Tan acknowledging that "some (players) might be silly and they will want to smoke elsewhere". "But the moment we find out, there are no two ways about it," he said.
He also reiterated the FAS' resolve to tackle the problem, saying: "Even if we go abroad for international tournaments and players smoke, we will drop them.
"And if there are not enough (to field a team), we will just concede a walkover because they have let the team down."
The problem of smoking has long plagued the Singapore football scene. In 2000, a national player was caught lighting up during a training tour in Dubai. That prompted the creation of a Code of Conduct and Professional Ethics for players, which strictly prohibits smoking and the consumption of alcohol at all times.
The problem has even surfaced during tournaments such as a 2010 Asian Cup qualifier in Jordan. In 2012, there were reports of members of the 2010 Youth Olympic Games squad, who won a bronze medal during the tournament, spending late nights drinking and smoking.
That led the team's former coach Kadir Yahaya to express his concern in a 2012 interview, saying: "I feel the smoking culture has already gone out of hand."
FAS gets tough to stub out smoking among footballers
Starting with Young Lions, players who pledge to kick the habit will get support; those who flout rules face penalties
The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is tackling the longstanding problem of smoking within the professional ranks head on.
The clampdown has started with the Young Lions, essentially Singapore's Under-23 squad who play in the S-League and represent the country at competitions such as the SEA Games and Asian Games.
Players in the squad who step forward and say they are smokers will get support to kick the habit and be asked to join a smoking cessation programme.
If the player continues to flout the no-smoking rule, he will be fined an undisclosed amount and suspended.
And if he is caught again, he can be sacked by the Young Lions. However, he will still be allowed to look for a new club.
FAS deputy president Bernard Tan told The Straits Times that the smoking issue among footballers here is endemic despite past attempts to tackle the problem.
But this time, the association would adopt a "zero tolerance" approach, he said.
Mr Tan added: "We have to cultivate the correct habits (among footballers), and that includes stubbing out smoking. Smoking has no business at the elite level of sports."
The plan, he said, is to get the coaches' buy-in first. "If they can get the discipline right, the rest will follow."
The clampdown on smoking is the latest in a slew of changes to the local game. The S-League, which kicks off on March 31, is also in the midst of an overhaul.
Mr Tan added that all S-League clubs are encouraged to follow the Young Lions' example and discipline errant players.
He also urged the fraternity to support the effort, saying: "We will need the cooperation and commitment of the whole league.
"(The anti-smoking policy) is a voluntary thing. We are not implementing any law, but we hope the clubs can follow this lead."
Another tricky area is rule enforcement, with Mr Tan acknowledging that "some (players) might be silly and they will want to smoke elsewhere". "But the moment we find out, there are no two ways about it," he said.
He also reiterated the FAS' resolve to tackle the problem, saying: "Even if we go abroad for international tournaments and players smoke, we will drop them.
"And if there are not enough (to field a team), we will just concede a walkover because they have let the team down."
The problem of smoking has long plagued the Singapore football scene. In 2000, a national player was caught lighting up during a training tour in Dubai. That prompted the creation of a Code of Conduct and Professional Ethics for players, which strictly prohibits smoking and the consumption of alcohol at all times.
The problem has even surfaced during tournaments such as a 2010 Asian Cup qualifier in Jordan. In 2012, there were reports of members of the 2010 Youth Olympic Games squad, who won a bronze medal during the tournament, spending late nights drinking and smoking.
That led the team's former coach Kadir Yahaya to express his concern in a 2012 interview, saying: "I feel the smoking culture has already gone out of hand."
