National team captain Noh Alam Shah is optimistic about the future of local football.

Ion Danker

Yahoo! Singapore

Love him or hate him, footballer Noh Alam Shah is one player who knows how to grab headlines.

Last week, the 29-year-old Lions striker shocked the local football community by slamming the S-League for its poor refereeing, dismal attendances and lousy management.

His criticisms hit a raw nerve among fans and officials alike, who are split down the middle in their support for one of the S-League’s marquee names (Your Say on Y! Answers).

Capped 72 times and with 32 international goals to his credit, Alam Shah heads to Indonesia today as he embarks on the next chapter in his career after signing a year-long contract with Indonesian Super League Arema Malang.

But before he left, I caught up with the fiery striker near his recently-sold flat in Chua Chu Kang, which he shares with his wife and three kids.

Expecting the worst from the reputed ”bad boy” of Singapore football, I found instead a refreshingly honest and frank player whose passion for the Beautiful Game burns as bright as ever.

In-demand star

I started by asking him about his decision to further his career in Indonesia.

“I bleed every time I go out and play for my team,” admits Alam Shah, who says he’s leaving local football with a heavy heart.

“I’ve had several offers to play in the US, Australia and Vietnam since 2005, but I declined all of them because of my family and the fact that my club needed me,” said the striker, who joined Tampines Rovers in 2003.

“My chairman is the best in Singapore. He is always supporting me in every aspect of my career and he is one of the reasons why I am leaving to play in Indonesia.”

It is this close, father-son relationship with Stags chairman Teo Hock Seng that, ironically, was pivotal in  his decision to move abroad.

Last month, when Teo was found guilty by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) for approaching an assistant referee aggressively in a league match against Singapore Armed Forces FC (SAFFC) — it was an incident which Alam Shah describes as “the final straw”.

“My chairman was furious when I was sent off in that game and he stood up for me by speaking to the assistant referee,” he says. “When they [FAS] banned him after that, I knew this was it. I spoke to my chairman and he fully supported my decision to play abroad.”

He also admits his frustration with the poor refereeing standards in the S-League had led to his increasing disillusionment with local football.

‘Bad boy’?

By his own admission, Alam Shah says he belongs to a “dying breed” of footballers, those who play with their heart on their sleeve, whether for club or country.

His aggressive and take-no-prisoners style has made him one of the region’s most feared marksmen — he once scored seven goals against Laos as Singapore went on to win the 2007 ASEAN Championship. He was eventually named the tournament’s “Most Valuable Player”.

But his physical and muscular approach to the game is also his curse, his double-edged sword.

11 red cards in 12 seasons in the S-League bear testimony to his rugged style.

In 2007, Alam Shah was banned for seven months from all football for assaulting fellow Lion and SAF-FC defender Daniel Bennett on the pitch.

Having undergone an anger management course and having seen a therapist has done nothing to dull his ferocious edge.

But following that incident, Alam Shah feels he was never treated the same by referees. In his own words, he feels he was ”black-listed” by some referees.

“Although it happened quite a while ago, referees have been giving me a hard time because of that incident. I was once booked by a referee in the first minute of play, and he told me that it was to warn me for the rest of the 89 minutes! If you look at the standard of refereeing, it has dropped a lot,” he says.

Alam Shah says his family is one of the reasons behind his rise in football.

Is this deep-seated frustration with referees the cause of his outburst last week?

Better S-League, more fans, good youth development system

Alam Shah, who’s been asked by the FAS to explain his recent remarks, says he would now rather look to the future than the past.

But, one thing’s for sure, he has not given up on Singapore football.

“I think our local league can only get better if it is marketed well to the public,” said Alam Shah, with a glimmer of hope.

“I hope more fans will come and support the league and make it livelier because every footballer wants to play in front of huge crowds. We also need to produce more quality youth players and start thinking of the next generation of footballers. I don’t see it happening now but if we could have a strong academy, then we are on the right track for the future,” he said.

No regrets

Despite recent criticisms of him “biting the hand that feeds”, I quickly realise the two-time S-League champion is no fool and that he is under no illusion as to what football has given him.

“It really feels good being able to play abroad. Football has given me this life. I am a secondary school dropout and I could have been in prison, on the streets or doing odd jobs now. But football has brought me to where I am today and I will not take it for granted,”  says Alam Shah.

After all, it was roughly 12 years ago that a young, starry-eyed Alam Shah made his debut for Sembawang Rangers at the tender age of 17.

“I remember watching Fandi Ahmad play when I was a kid and wanted to be like him. I guess I’m following his career path as Fandi also went to Indonesia to further his career,” he continued.

“When I first signed for Sembawang and got my jersey, I was so excited that I went around my neighbourhood boasting to my friends that I am going to play football in the S-league. Now, after signing for Arema Malang, that same excitement is back.”

As I begin to wrap up my interview, I ask Alam Shah what was his proudest moment as a footballer.

Alam Shah shares his thoughts with Yahoo! Singapore Producer, Ion Danker in an exclusive interview before leaving for Indonesia

He reveals it came just a few weeks back on 26 July, 2009 .

“(Lions coach) Raddy called me in the morning, and said I will be leading the team out against Liverpool,” said Alam Shah.

“I was stunned, I thought he was joking because I supported Liverpool as a kid and being given this opportunity to captain the Lions against Liverpool was a dream come true.”

Despite losing to the Reds 5-0, Alam Shah hopes to skipper the team more regularly but recognises it is not his decision to make.

“It was unfortunate that Indra Shahdan was recovering from injury as he is our regular captain but if I’m given the chance to lead the boys, I will give my all as it is every footballer’s dream to lead his country,” he added.

As I walk away from the almost 2-hour-long interview, I began to appreciate Alam Shah for his honesty and down-to-earth nature — he tells it like it is, straight and simple.

But even more than that, I fear his fiery, passionate style will be greatly missed in the S-League, which will be shorn of another of its leading stars.

I remember, the likes of Fandi Ahmad and V. Sundramoorthy once left our shores years ago for greener pastures.

While much has been done to recruit foreign footballers into Singapore, it now seems like we are heading in the opposite direction; our local talent is moving out. Baihakki Khaizan, Precious Emujeraye and Mustafic Fahrudin are also following in the footsteps of Alam Shah.

Will the S-League ‘hear’ the call for change to improve the standard of football before we lose more local players?

What do you think? Share with us how you feel about the state of our local football league and what you think can be done to improve it.