In an almost tell-all account in The Straits Times yesterday, former Young Lions coach Aide Iskandar hit out at the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), saying that his job was made "unnecessarily challenging".

After reading the story, we only had one gif in our mind to describe FAS.

We take a look at the FAS own goals from the ST exclusive.

Own goal 1: Talk big

Football parlance: Pass the ball to me! I double confirm chop can score hat trick!

SEA Games would take top priority this year, according to FAS.

When a country's football association makes a claim like this, how can you not believe in your boss?

But this boss proved to be just a master of "no action, talk only" (NATO).

Plans to keep the SEA Games team together for the year went poof as both Sahil Suhaimi and Faris Ramli were allowed to join the Lions XII instead of bonding with the rest of the Young Lions in the S-League.

 

Own goal 2: Zero f**** given

Football parlance: Coach, I paid good money for this striker. I don't care about your tactics, you better start him every game.

Aide was previously working with fitness coach Aleksandar Bozenko and the relationship was considered fruitful (A Singapore team beat Palestine and scored the country's first win at the Asian Games since 1990). The players, too, had a good relationship with Bozenko and were responding well to his methods.

However, with just months to go to the SEA Games, the FAS decided to throw a spanner in the works by instructing Aide to take on German Juergen Raab - because funding had been sought from Sport Singapore for him to work specifically with the team.

It's like forcing Aide to drop his best striker for a new "star signing", who cost the management big bucks.

 

Own goal 3: Free and easy management 

Football parlance: Hey, youth coach, you want to coach the senior team tomorrow? SURE!

U-23 goalkeeper coach John Burridge asked to be reassigned to the senior squad just weeks before the Games. And FAS actually approved it, causing Aide to scramble for a last-minute replacement.

In a move so stunningly incomprehensible, it affected first-choice goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari to the extent that he started to doubt his ability. He actually said: "What did I do wrong that John wanted to leave?"

Perhaps that's why the goalkeeper made this mistake in the 2-1 defeat against Myanmar.

 

Own goal 4. Engage in petty politics

Football parlance: Eh I'm from the senior team. I can do what I want.

The shit really hits the fan when national team coach Bernd Stange called up Iqbal Hussain to the senior squad. All this after Aide dropped Iqbal from the SEA Games squad due to disciplinary reasons.

The Young Lions be like:

"Oh, you mean I can play punk and still be called up to the senior team?"

Aide also told The Straits Times that this move was kinda WTF.

"This was the most puzzling move. I told coach Bernd and the management and we decided that it would not have been wise to call up Iqbal given the circumstances. Yet he was called up."

Top photo from Football Association of Singapore Facebook.