Foul!

"These players are very keen and with expert guidance and encouragement would produce a new crop of players ready to supplement the school team when some players have to leave next year." That was an excerpt taken from Tan Sri Tengku Mahaleel Tengku Ariff ’s article that appeared in the Sultan Ismail College, Kota Baru school magazine in 1966. The article was sent to me by Tengku Mahaleel’s former school teacher Jacob Matthews who had coached the Under-15 team which became east coast champions in the King’s Cup in 1966. Tengku Mahaleel was the badminton school captain and today, he is the BA of Malaysia (BAM) president. Before making ambitious statements, Tengku Mahaleel ought to take a step back and realise what makes a champion. He should know that it starts from grassroot development. BAM should rope in the various stakeholders including universities and clubs to expand the pool of talent. The onus should not be on BAM alone to mould talents. Shuttlers

National coach K.Rajagobal bares it all as he speaks about the national team and efforts to get rid of him - as published in Mailsport today.

National cager Jacky Ng made an appointment with a doctor at the National Sports Institute on June 24 - but he never showed up. Such was the revelation made by NSI chief executive officer Dr Ramlan Aziz, as reported in The Malay Mail today. Jacky was substituted and was cheering on the national team from the bench as they played a local club in Jinjiang, China before he collapsed and died on Sunday. He was 25. Meanwhile, sports officials pleaded to religious authorities not to kill sports after Penang Mufti Hassan Ahmad suggested that the participation of female Muslims in swimming and gymnastics be discussed during the National Fatwa Council committee meeting in September - as reported here . Even Youth and Sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin requested all parties to be sensible and logical about this matter. Among female Muslim athletes who have done the nation proud are gymnasts Farah Ann Abdul Hadi ( pic ), her sister synchronised swimmer Katrina Ann, gymnasts Durratun Nasi

"Paralympic case is actually completed but DPP (deputy public prosecutor's office) decided 'no case'. I am not satisfied and have asked the case to be relooked." Those were the words of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission deputy commissioner Shukri Abdull. Read the full report on the front page of The Malay Mail today . The Malaysian Paralympic Council had 'invested' a staggering RM4 million into an events company belonging to the MPC president and his sons in 2008 - as exposed by The Malay Mail. Last year, the Council decided to write off RM3.8 million investment as reported here . HD says: I just don't understand this whole 'investment'.

Piala Malaysia 2013 Kumpulan A Selangor, ATM, Sime Darby FC, Johor FA Kumpulan B Darul Takzim FC, PKNS, T-Team, Felda United Kumpulan C Kelantan, Pahang, Terengganu, Negeri Sembilan Kumpulan D LionsXII, Perak, Sarawak, Kedah ------- Rangkuman: Harimau Malaya kalah lagi. Pasukan Harimau Malaya kalah 5-0 kepada pasukan bawahan Liga-J Shonan Bellmare; pengurus pasukan Subahan Kamal dipetik berkata antara punca kekalahan termasuk bulan puasa dan persembahan hambar penjaga gol Norazlan Razali dan pemain penyerang Safee Sali. Baca laporan selanjutnya di sini . Rosman ganti Hamidin Rosman Ibrahim kini bergelar setiuasaha agung Persatuan Bola Sepak Selangor, mengisi kekosongan yang ditinggalkan oleh Hamidin Amin yang telah dilantik sebagai setiausaha agung Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia. Bayar hutang sebelum 31 Ogos Persatuan bola sepak kelab mahupun negeri yang ingin beraksi dalam Liga Malaysia musim depan harus menyelesaikan segala hutang sebelum 31 Ogos, seperti t

It looks like Perak coach Azraai Khor Abdullah has a new job scope - watering the field at the Perak Stadium. The field has not been watered properly, as revealed on the backpage of the The Malay Mail today. I obtained confirmation from Azraai over the poor condition of the field as the team gears up for the Malaysia Cup. The Malay Mail's reporter Fernando Fong, who is based in Ipoh, meanwhile observed that the field is in a poor state. He added the stadium is not maintained properly and there were rubbish everywhere. As the stadium is managed by the Ipoh City Council, it was only right to seek clarification from them. Ipoh Mayor Roshidi Hashim promised swift action. After contacting his staff, he returned my phone call and admitted the council had overlooked the matter and promised to carry out rectification works. "I must thank people like you and the Media generally for highlighting such matters to us. Sometimes such matters are not brought to my attention and

Shouts enveloped SK Seri Pristina as the presence of Deputy Education Minister II P. Kamalanathan did little to pacify the crowd yesterday.  The primary school — which turned infamous after pictures of students eating in the changing room made its rounds on social media — hosted the deputy minister and several representatives from the state education department and Education Ministry to clear the air. Despite strong police presence, a group of individuals created a ruckus as they refused to accept Kamalanathan's explanation. Kamalanathan, nevertheless, offered no excuses over the incident. "The school has guidelines. Obviously, they didn't comply," he said. "We hope this serves as a lesson to all schools to take appropriate and timely action. "I understand that sometimes we are pressured to take immediate action but we must ensure it is accepted by all." Kamalanathan also said the issue had been resolved. Read the full report in The

The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) lambasted those who labelled doctors as being racists without thoroughly investigating the claims. MMA president Datuk Dr N.K.S. Tharmaseelan was "upset" over such claims, adding that grouses should be aired through proper channels. Dr Tharmaseelan was responding to allegations by several patients in Penang that doctors at the Kepala Batas and Seberang Jaya hospitals had verbally abused them and did not offer proper medical assistance. Pinang Tunggal assemblyman Datuk Roslan Saidin had also claimed during proceedings at the Penang state legislative assembly earlier this month that three Malaysian Chinese doctors had refused to treat Malay patients. This was refuted by state Health director Datuk Dr Lailanor Ibrahim, who said the department had not received any complaints. "Using privilege of office to hurl unproven accusations is cowardly and a misuse of such privileges," he said. "If there is basi

As published in The Malay Mail today. HARESH SAYS by Haresh Deol IT is amazing how some people will go to great lengths to highlight something that has little significance but treat achievements by their compatriots lightly. National divers Pandelela Rinong Pamg and Leong Mun Yee reclaimed the bronze medal in the women’s 10m platform synchronised diving event at the World aquatics championships in Barcelona on Monday. They won the bronze in the same event at the 2009 edition. Malaysia were among the four Asian countries to participate in the finals. The others were eventual winners China, North Korea (placed 9th) and South Korea (11th). Some 530 kilometres away from La Sangrada Familia, national paralympic athlete Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli emerged victorious in the men’s shot put (F20) at the International Paralympic Council World Athletics Championships in Lyon, France. National archers Khairul Anuar Mohamad, Atiq Bazil Bakri and Haziq Kamaruddin

Federal police Criminal Investigation Department director Deputy Commissioner Datuk Abdul Hadi Ho told The Malay Mail there has been no request by Singapore police to extradite referee Shokri Nor. Bukit Aman Anti-Vice, Gambling and Secret Societies Division (D7) principal assistant director Datuk Abdul Jalil Hassan said: “We’ve confirmed with Interpol and there has not been any request from Singapore (to arrest Shokri)." Jalil is also part of a integrity committee set up by the FA of Malaysia and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) monitoring match fixing in the country. He said: “We are monitor his movements, including his daily activities at his house in Sungai Petani and in Kulim. “He is still holding his police identification card but he is suspended from the force at the moment.” It is learnt that former Malaysian footballer Thanasegar S. Sinnaiah, who was also charged with corruption in Singapore, has fled the republic and his whereabouts a

UPDATE 9.06am :Paralympic athlete Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli won the gold medal in the men's shot put (F20) final of the IPC World Athletics Championships. ----   National divers Pandelela Rinong and Leong Mun Yee ensured a podium finish in the women's 10m platfom synchronised at the World Aquatics Championship in Barcelona early this morning. Pandelela and Mun Yee bagged the bronze medal in the Spanish city known for its football team while the famous La Sagrada Família serves as the backdrop for the world competition. China pair Chen Ruolin-Liu Hui Xia won the gold medal while Canadians Meaghan Benfeito-Roseline Filion were placed second. The Malaysian duo repeated their efforts in 2009 when they also won the bronze medal in the same event then. The other two Asian teams who made it to the finals are the divers from North Korea (placed 9th overall) and neighbours South Korea (11th). On Monday, the national archers came in second after losing 209-203 to Mexico in t

Let's start the week with some life lessons. Trust William Shakespeare once said: Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none while Stephen King said: The trust of the innocent is the liar's most useful tool Jealousy American science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein describes jealousy as: A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in anything. Jealousy is invariably a symptom of neurotic INSECURITY William Penn had this to say about jealous people: The jealous are troublesome to others but a torment to themselves Respect - a word not many understand. Albert Einstein said: Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolised But my personal favourite is a quote by Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson - an American baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball. I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me...all I ask is that you respect me as a human being 

English Premier League giants are set to play the national football team today. However, reports leading up to the anticipated clash have not been pleasant. A confusion over an event by a sponsor of the team led to a stand off between the local Press and the respective party organising the do, as seen in this commentary ' Hello, the British colonial days are long over '. Another report, Chelsea leave Malaysians singing the blues , read; "It is learnt there was an argument between Chelsea and FA of Malaysia officials regarding some signed memorabilia during a meet-the-fans session. Some of the Chelsea officials were extremely rude to Harimau Malaya manager Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal, telling him indirectly where he can stick his request. Subahan is also FAM’s vice president. Chelsea CEO Ron Gourlay, however, later apologised on behalf of the club." The Sportswriters Association of Malaysia president Ahmad Khawari Isa, meanwhile, had this to say; It remain

Semua pemain, pegawai pasukan dan pemain import yang terlibat dalam Liga Malaysia diwajibkan untuk mengisytiharkan harta masing-masing berkuatkuasa mulai musim depan. Setiausaha Agung Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia (FAM), Datuk Hamidin Mohd. Amin berkata, langkah tersebut perlu sebagai usaha untuk mengekang gejala mengatur perlawanan yang kembali menular dalam liga tempatan. Baca laporan penuh di sini . Ini merupakan satu langkah proaktif dari FAM untuk membendung gejala bookie yang berleluasa sejak zaman 90-an lagi. Singapura dan beberapa negara yang lain juga mengamalkan proses yang sama buat pegawai dan pemain bola sepak mereka. Apa yang penting sekarang adalah untuk memastikan bahawa peraturan ini diamalkan oleh pihak-pihak yang berkenaan. FAM juga harus berani mengambil tindakan jika ada pihak yang tidak mengikut peraturan yang ditetapkan. Tidak lama dahulu, FAM mengenakan syarat bahawa pasukan (kelab mahupun persatuan negeri) yang tidak membayar gaji, KWSP or Socso p

The Sports Ministry will be making it mandatory for athletes to be subjected to random breathalyzer testing to ensure they are free from alcohol consumption while participating at sports competitions in the country. Its minister Khairy Jamaluddin said he will request the Malaysian Anti-Doping Agency (Adamas) to carry out the move alongside anti-doping tests on athletes. This was reported by Bernama on Friday. Read the full report here . The powers-that-be can only do so much but it boils down to the athlete. English footballers are known to party hard and booze but most of them know their limits. To those who enjoyed the opportunity of covering EPL teams playing in the country, they will know that the minibars in the players' hotel rooms will be removed until after the exhibition match is over. Athletes need to be disciplined enough to know when to drink and when not to drink.The best is to reduce or abstain from consuming alcohol. Our players need to be aware that as

Sukma handball players - Adib Adha Ismail, 18, Megat Farzeril Faiz Megat Razali and Mohammad Shaizzad Md Shafie, both are 19, - claimed trial to a charge of raping a 20-year-old chaperone. Sessions judge Yasmin Abdul Razak granted them bail of RM10,000 each after fixing their case for Aug 20. They were alleged to have raped the girl in a room in Second College, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, at about 4.10am on July 4. The victim was said to have gone out for drinks with the boys earlier that day and the alleged rape took place in the dormitory at the Games village. Read the full report here . Starpix by SAM THAM

Those were the tweets of a good friend Jonathan Fernandez, whom I had the pleasure working alongside during his stint with The Malay Mail several years back. For the record, Jonathan has participated in the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in the past. Meanwhile, 'Haresh Says' - as published in The Malay Mail today - speaks about ' Sex in the city '. "Hosting the Sukma is not a birthday party.  Just like the conversion of a minor Bill and the proposed implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) that have courted debate recently, proper groundwork should have been done by the powers-that-be. They must think thoroughly and leave no stone unturned. But we tend to take things for granted, relying on what little we know and only react when an unfortunate incident happens. Sadly, some will treat it as another day in office only to return home to watch reruns of Sex and the City." HD says: It's called Malaysia Games or Sukan Malaysia (Sukma). Not Su

That was the backpage headline of The Malay Mail today. The move by the Sports Ministry to ink an MoU with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has received the thumbs up by the stakeholders. Officials say this will promote transparency and erase doubts over deals between the ministry and third parties. The ministry has been plagued with several controversies in the past. Several projects had been questioned including the purchase of two premier chalets in Port Dickson worth RM850,000 and a study by University of Stirling believed to have cost RM6 million. In 2006, the ministry spent a whopping RM22.4 million on professional services, celebrations and hospitality which earned a ticking off by the Auditor General, as then reported by The Malay Mail. HD says : Wonder how often the chalets in PD are being used? Would love to read the detailed "RM6 million" report by Stirling University and a breakdown of the more than RM20 million used in 2006.

The Youth and Sports Ministry will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) so that all expenditure is directly monitored by the MACC, reports Bernama.     Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department  Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan will lead the surveillance team which aims to ensure that expenditure made by the ministry was transparent.      "The ministry needs to be careful in managing its finances, for example development projects such as building the National Youth Skills Institute (IKBN), supplying equipment to IKBN and others involve a lot of money and can reach millions of ringgit a year so the MoU with the MACC will ensure there are no leakages or wastage involving money," he said. HD says: Bet some people will not be too happy with such a move (sic).

UPDATE 5.29pm: Kenyataan Menteri Sukan Khairy Jamaluddin seperti tertera di akaun Facebook-nya. KENYATAAN MENTERI BELIA DAN SUKAN MENGENAI KES TUDUHAN ROGOL DI SUKAN MALAYSIA 2013 Saya memandang serius tentang tuduhan kejadiaan rogol yang berlaku di perkampungan sukan Kolej Kedua UPM semasa temasya Sukan Malaysia ini berlansung. Sebagai Menteri yang bertanggungjawab ke atas perjalanan Sukan Malaysia, sudah tentu saya merasa amat sedih dan dukacita kerana kejadian ini telah mencacatkan temasya ini yang telah berlangsung dengan baik sekali tanpa menghadapi sebarang masalah yang besar. Ini adalah kali pertama insiden ini berlaku dalam sejarah pengelolaan Sukan Malaysia bermula pada tahun 1986 yang lalu. Jawatankuasa Pengelola memangnya mengadakan kawalan yang begitu ketat di tempat penginapan peserta. Kerjasama daripada pihak PDRM digunakan untuk menjaga aspek ini manakala Unit Keselamatan UPM juga turut digunakan. Prosedur penempatan adalah mengikut prosedur UPM sendir

SENARAI NAMA BAGI PERSIAPAN UNTUK MENGHADAPI PERLAWANAN PERSAHABATAN ANTARABANGSA DAN PERLAWANAN PUSINGAN KELAYAKAN PIALA ASIA 2015 Adalah dimaklumkan bahawa Persatuan ini telah mengatur jadual latihan untuk Pasukan Bolasepak Kebangsaan sebagai persiapan untuk menghadapi perlawanan persahabatan antarabangsa dan Perlawanan pusingan Kelayakan Piala Asia 2015. Bagi memenuhi maksud yang tersebut di atas, Pasukan Kebangsaan akan mengadakan latihan dan pemilihan bertempat di Wisma FAM, Jalan SS5A/9, Kelana Jaya, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Berikut adalah jadual bagi Pasukan Kebangsaan:- Bil. Perkara Tarikh Tempat 1 Latihan Pusat (Tempatan) 11.07.2013 – 23.07.2013 Wisma FAM 2 Perlawanan Persahabatan Antarabangsa melawan Chelsea FC 21.07.2013 Stadium Shah Alam 3 Latihan Luar Negara dan siri Perlawanan Antarabangsa di Jepun 23.07.2013 – 03.08.2013 Tokyo, Jepun 4 Latihan Pusat (Tempatan)