Photo exhibition shows Macau football past glories

The Football Veterans Association (AVFM) opened a photo exhibition to celebrate its 15th anniversary yesterday. AVFM president Francisco Manhão has called on the government to provide more support to local football players.
The inauguration ceremony for the exhibition took place yesterday at the Rui Cunha Foundation. Senior officials from the government and the Legislative Assembly (AL), including Macau Sport Development Board acting president Pun Weng Kun and AL vice president Lam Heong Sang, also took part in the event.
Mr Manhão said that the major objective of the exhibition is to provide a chance for the younger generation of football players in Macau to commemorate the local football stars of the past.
“In the past, Macau did have some very outstanding players that are worth being remembered. However, it is regrettable that the younger players in Macau do not [know of them]. So I want to provide this opportunity for them,” the president said.
He added that AVFM wants to motivate the younger players to put more effort into playing football in Macau as well.
Moreover, Francisco Manhão commented that Macau football needs good coaches and better support from the government.
“Within a team a coach is very important. You also know that Macau [football players] are amateurs. They usually will receive training until they are 18 years old and then they have to find a job.
“I think the government should be more considerate and give more protection to those outstanding players. This will provide a better future for sport in Macau”, the president said.
Francisco Manhão has advised the government to provide assistance to younger players in job hunting.
Meanwhile, Sam Kei, a senior member of AVFM and local football coach, said that there has been a drastic change in Macau football. However, the problem of football field shortages still persists, which he claimed has slowed down the progress of training younger generation football players.
“There are not many venues for training. This means that young people do not have a place to practice.”
Mr Sam also reckoned that the younger players nowadays do not have the sense of pride that they should have even though they are representing Macau. He hopes that they will be more hardworking and better utilize the abundant resources in Macau.
AL vice president Lam Heong Sang, on the other hand, remarked that the photo exhibition is a very meaningful event.
Though he also pointed out that it is difficult for the older generation players to gather and play football, mainly due to the lack of venues and the players’ physical condition.