Mr Mustapha Kamil Mohd Janor
WINNING STRATEGY: It must be built on a foundation that no one individual shall be bigger than the party itself
LAST week, two giant football clubs battled at the famous Wembley Stadium in London for the right to play in the final of the English FA Cup. It was one of the best matches for the 2012/2013 season thus far.
And a crucial one, too, for both the Manchester City Football Club and the equally gigantic Chelsea Football Club. Both, despite their wealth in footballing talent as well as finance, were facing the grim prospects of ending the season without a silverware to boast. The knockout championship, the FA Cup, was their last chance.
Both teams went for each other's throats from the word "go" and the match turned out as a magnificent showcase of attacking football. Manchester City won 2-1 but not before barely surviving a late onslaught by a determined Chelsea.
In the final quarter of the match, and while Manchester City was already leading 2-1, the flamboyant manager, Roberto Mancini, switched tactics to shore-up the team's defence against the marauding Chelsea. He took out Argentinian livewire Carlos Tevez, who throughout much of the game, was terrorising the Chelsea back- line with his strike partner and fellow countryman, Sergio Aguero. The Manchester City manager put in defensive mid-fielder, Javier Garcia as substitute.
It was clear as he left the hollowed ground of Wembley that dejection was painted all over Tevez's face.
Mancini, however, knows best and above all else, is the boss. He could see from the technical area he was confined to that without one more defensive player it would only be a matter of time before Chelsea level the score, possibly requiring them to face what could well be a more challenging extra-time and perhaps the dreaded penalty shoot-out.
In short, Tevez's subsitution was a tactical move we see week in and week out in any football match.
But Tevez was disappointed nevertheless and his feelings are understandable. Any professional footballer would want to play in a match like that and quite possibly get his name on the scoresheet.
In Malaysia, last week, too, quite a few individuals were left dejected when their names were not in the list of candidates who would represent their political parties in the forthcoming general election.
The 13th General Election, which will be held in about two weeks, is seen by political pundits as possibly the most keenly contested ever. All the giants, the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional and their rivals, a coalition comprising Pas, PKR and DAP, feel they stand a good chance of winning this one. This is one election every politician wants to be part of.
But politics is quite like football where at times even players already included in the substitutes' list may not get to see action on the field as the number of seats to be contested in an election is finite.
And, like in football, a winning strategy is crucial for any political party in ensuring victory. And such winning strategy must always be built on a foundation that no one individual shall be bigger than the party itself.
Like the phenomena observed among its political rivals, several members of BN were also reportedly frustrated on learning their names were not in the list of those who would contest in the coming election. A few went on a public show of anger, some making statements closely resembling threats.
Preferably, the frustrations, while only expected, would not last long. While they may not be contesting this time around, the party would and the last thing it needs is internal fighting among its members.
Back to Tevez. While he had to leave the field before the final whistle, his team won the semi-final and will once again appear to play at the Wembley Stadium in the final match. They are most likely to win the cup and Tevez himself will most likely be fielded again.
So, for those excluded by their parties in the line-up this time around, the next best thing to do would be to preserve the big picture by working with those selected to ensure the party wins. It may not be the end of the road for them.
Read more: Politics is just like football - Columnist - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/politics-is-just-like-football-1.261189#ixzz2RAcAWkLw
No comments:
Post a Comment