SINGAPORE — From a bit-part player, Shakir Hamzah has blossomed into an automatic pick for the LionsXII and the Singapore national squad.
But yesterday, a contrite Shakir took full responsibility for his foolish actions that saw him serve four days of detention for going AWOL (absent without leave) from his National Service (NS) duties, which has left his footballing career in doubt.
On May 17, without informing nor receiving permission from his superiors at the Singapore Police Force (SPF), the defender joined the LionsXII in Kuantan, Pahang where later that evening they battled to a 1-1 draw in their Malaysian Super League (MSL) clash.
Last Thursday, on the eve of completing his NS, he was informed he would be charged for his transgression. Four days spent in a detention cell the size of an HDB bomb shelter, sleeping on a mat on the floor with a blanket sans pillow and the toilet bowl only a partition away, would leave any man sober.
For Shakir, at 20 and still not quite a man, it has been a sobering and, hopefully, life-changing experience. Explaining his actions, Shakir said he wanted to be with his championship-chasing team, knowing that each point won would take them closer to the MSL title.
“My passion is 100 per cent football. I was thinking about my football so much that I didn’t think about anything else, that was my mistake,” said Shakir.
“I am sorry for causing all this misunderstanding, between me and the FAS (Football Association of Singapore), my team manager, all the officers at NS, but as a man, I’ve done my time going to detention and I feel sorry for everything.”
The FAS will convene a Disciplinary Committee hearing to discuss further sanctions on the player, though a time has yet to be set. In the meantime, Shakir is suspended from all football activities. His future with the LionsXII and national squad and his participation at this December’s South-east Asian Games are in doubt.
Having had time to reflect on his actions, Shakir hopes he has not dealt his footballing future a mortal blow. “The only way I can show I am a changed man is to prove to everyone with my actions,” he said. “Just by saying is not enough, I need people to see with their own eyes I have become a better person. I will need to prove this to Singapore.”
Meanwhile, Lions coach Bernd Stange has made it clear that, when it boils down to duties to the country, NS and not football must take priority and his players cannot breach this rule.
The German, speaking after receiving a certificate and €1,000 (S$1,670) for being among five nominees in the inaugural German Football Ambassador Award, which was won by former journalist Holger Obermann, is the first ranking FAS official to comment publicly on Shakir’s case.
Stange stressed the importance of NS to Singapore and that his players cannot fail in their national obligations. Furthermore, ignoring their duty will dent the good ties the FAS has with the NS authorities in the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Home Affairs, and their ability to get young players time off for training and matches.
“(How) can I ask those favours if we otherwise have problems with the discipline of players?” said Stange, 65. “That is a relationship and we will manage it very carefully, but National Service should have priority.”
But Stange added that young players must also be given a chance to learn from mistakes.
“(Shakir) is a very talented player and I have my eye on him and he will have my fullest support to learn from this,” he said. “If you want to live in this beautiful country, with safety and all such things, you need National Service, and players have to learn they cannot make such mistakes. That is why I think he should be fined for what he did and that’s it.”
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