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Soccer Friday: John Barnes on FIFA, Indonesia and Liverpool's woes
Just as Indonesia received its devastating ban from FIFA last weekend, Liverpool legend John Barnes was being mobbed by young fans as he conducted a kidsâ coaching clinic in suburban Jakarta
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J
ust as Indonesia received its devastating ban from FIFA last weekend, Liverpool legend John Barnes was being mobbed by young fans as he conducted a kids' coaching clinic in suburban Jakarta.
A day after rubbing shoulders with local business leaders, the former England winger shared tips with disadvantaged Indonesian youngsters, who also received a free eye examination and spectacles, as part of Standard Chartered Bank's 'Seeing is Believing' campaign.
The passion for soccer in Southeast Asia's largest country can't be dulled, despite the incompetence and petty rivalries of administrators that have seen Indonesia booted out of the upcoming Asian Football Confederation (AFC) World Cup qualifiers and the cancellation of the 2015 Indonesia Super League (ISL) season.
The local game's ongoing woes mean that the English Premier League, and former stars like Barnes, are given even greater prominence.
'I've been coming to this part of the world for a while now and unfortunately politics plays a big part in football,' Barnes told ESPN FC. 'The infrastructure and finances should be good enough for football to thrive here, if only people were allowed to do what they're good at.'
Barnes caught up with new Indonesia interim coach Pieter Huistra in Jakarta to hear some of the challenges that the former Holland international faced. Huistra was relieved that Indonesia's U23 squad were allowed to compete in the soccer competition of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Singapore, but had to cancel this week's senior national training camp.
But Barnes believes that FIFA is in no shape to rule on Indonesia after last week's indictment of 14 people with connections to the governing body that preceded the re-election and subsequent resignation of Sepp Blatter as president.
'We're not surprised by the revelations because we've spoken about them for the past five to 10 years,' he said. 'It's unfortunate that football has been tarnished but it still can't detract from what a great game it is.'
A decade and a half since retiring as a player, 51-year-old Barnes is in high demand all over the world.
He is a UEFA Champions League pundit for South African television and is a frequent visitor to Asia, also stopping in Bangkok for a day on his latest trip.
He flew to Jakarta after attending the 10-year anniversary dinner last week of Liverpool's 2005 Champions League triumph over AC Milan in Istanbul. The conversation invariably touched on the future of manager Brendan Rodgers after a disappointing sixth-place finish in the 2014-15 season.
Rodgers, who has failed to win a trophy in his three years in charge, discovered that his job is safe after meeting this week with Liverpool co-owner Tom Werner as part of an annual review.
'Of course Brendan should stay on,' Barnes said. 'There's not another manager in the world who could do better than him with the players available. When we lost to Manchester United the second time, it all fell apart. But to expect us to finish second, like last season, was unrealistic. Yes, he spent 150 million pounds on new players, but Liverpool can't afford to pay the high salaries that other clubs do to get the real superstars. Chelsea won the league because they bought two players, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas. '
As for unsettled England winger Raheem Sterling, Barnes believes that Liverpool should start preparing for life without him.
'If he doesn't want to stay at the club, he has to go,' he said. 'You can't keep an unhappy player because he's not going to perform. You need to get the money for him and bring in players who want to play for Liverpool. That's modern football.'
Barnes's Anfield career ' with five major trophies, including two league titles between 1987 and 1997 ' overlapped with that of departing club captain, Steven Gerrard, who 'could be Liverpool's best ever.'
He added: 'Alongside Kenny Dalglish, he's the greatest Liverpool player of all time. But now he's 35 years old and he can't run anymore. Liverpool were there before him, Liverpool will be there after him. What we need to do now is focus on how Liverpool can get where they want to be without him.'
It is bound to be a different looking squad when the Reds play a pre-season match against a Malaysia XI in Kuala Lumpur on July 24.
Barnes was in the commentary box at Bukit Jalil Stadium for Asian broadcaster Astro for Liverpool's 2011 match and is planning a full week in the Malaysian capital this time.
'I've been wanting for a long time to work again as a football manager [his last role was with Tranmere Rovers in 2009], however, it's hard to get in and even harder to stay in,' he said. 'But I always like coming back to Asia. It's a busy life, but I'm enjoying it.'
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Jason Dasey is senior editor of ESPN FC, Indonesia's most popular English language soccer website with a Southeast Asia edition and a daily Indonesian TV show on NET. Twitter: @ESPNFC_ID
