Foul!

As published in Mailsport today MICK JAGGER and the Rolling Stones once sang  You can’t always get what you want . This is so true in life and especially so in sports. Most people want a better life, higher pay (without actually doing any work), bigger house, luxury car or big bike, prettier spouse, and to be healthier and slimmer without having to work out or watch what they eat. They feel the world owes them a living and if they don't get what they want, they rant, rave and rage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms. Well,  You can't always get what you want . Similarly, sports fans want their favourite player or players to remain with their club forever (please don't go Stevie G), their team to win all the titles they contest and their archrivals to suffer demotion, shame and shock defeats. They will proclaim their team, manager and players as paragons of virtue, who never cheat, dive, pull shirts or use underhand ...

As published in Malay Mail today Haresh Says By Haresh Deol SITTING, standing or hanging on to dear life at the entrance to a sardine-packed minibus was once dubbed a “ride of your lifetime”. It challenged every sense. You had to contend with discarded chewing gum on the railing, sit on a stained seat and endure fumes and body odour. For just 60 sen then, the adrenaline rush when riding the minibus was better than the rides at Starlight Express’ indoor theme park on the top floor of The Mall in Jalan Putra, where the first Yaohan store opened in 1987. That was Kuala Lumpur in the 80s, when everyone claimed they had been in a BMW (fondly known as Bas Mini Wilayah); when Opel Gemini black and yellow taxis ruled the roads and Menara Maybank was the tallest building in town. Kuala Lumpur has transformed from a small tin mining town in 1857 to a bustling world class city. The capital city’s history remains. As JM Gullick penned in his book Ol...

As published in Mailsport today By Vijhay Vick vijhay@mmail.com.my PUTRAJAYA — Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has summoned Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) vice president Rear Admiral (rtd) Datuk Danyal Balagopal to meet him today. Khairy wants to get to the bottom of the tiff between OCM and the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) over the Malaysia International Marathon (MIM). MAF insists the run can only go ahead with its sanctions but Danyal disagrees — even though OCM's executive board last Tuesday agreed to change the name of the run to avoid any conflict. Khairy said the OCM board must be respected, not undermined. "I don't know why they have reverted to the original name when it has been established MAF has the authority over the name Malaysia International Marathon. It is governed by MAF," said Khairy. "I hope Danyal will adhere to the advice of his own executive board. I have asked to meet Danyal tomorrow (today)." Khairy refu...

Going Nuts, by Graig Nunis - as published in Mailsport today A WEEK ago an old colleague brought a copy of the  New Straits Times  (NST) to the office. Nothing strange about that except it was dated July 9, 1996 and back then,  Malay Mail  was under the NSTP group. Ian Pereira, 73, who last month was inducted into Olympic Council of Malaysia's (OCM) Hall of Fame thought it would be a good idea for the younger journalists to see what a newspaper looked like nearly 20 years ago. What caught the eye was the back page picture which featured a streaker (her bottom blacked out and front partially facing away from the camera) running across the pristine Wimbledon grass courts. Nowadays, we might get in trouble if we show a little cleavage or belly button while recently NST even pixelated armpit hair! Hugging is apparently OK – but not if done by K-pop stars! How times have changed. Well, not everything. Take the BA of Malaysia (BAM) for exampl...

TRANSKRIP PENUH TEMUBUAL BERSAMA PM DALAM RANCANGAN SOAL JAWAB TERBITAN TV3     KUALA LUMPUR, 21 Jan -- Berikut adalah transkrip penuh temubual bersama Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak dalam rancangan Soal Jawab terbitan TV3.     Rancangan selama sejam itu dihoskan Datuk Charon Mokhzani.     SOALAN: Bolehkah Datuk Seri hurai sedikit mengenai pencapaian dan prestasi ekonomi Malaysia? JAWAPAN: Sepanjang tahun 2014 malah untuk tempoh sembilan bulan pertama tahun 2014 pertumbuhan ekonomi Malaysia merupakan kadar pertumbuhan yang tertinggi di kalangan negara-negara Asia.     Kita telah mengambil dasar-dasar atau pun melaksanakan dasar-dasar yang membawa keyakinan kepada pihak pelabur dari luar dan dalam negeri.     Tahun 2013 umpamanya kita telah mencatat kadar Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) yang tertinggi dalam sejarah Malaysia sebanyak RM38.2 bilion.     Kita lihat bahawa nilai pasaran burs...

Haresh Says, as published in Malay Mail today Haresh Says By Haresh Deol HE shivered on his way to the office of the Commissioner for Oaths, hoping to get there in time to verify his documents. His 80-odd-year-old legs were about to give up on him and he almost collapsed when he saw the long queue. Every one in line had sweaty and disgruntled faces. “Alamak,” the “uncle” said before he went on a rant, struggling to contain his dentures from dancing around in his mouth. But he was not the only one complaining. The line comprised mostly of the elderly, two in wheelchairs. There was a man in his mid-30s, who had a built-in microphone in his throat and a transvestite, with “her” frail mother, get their documents in order. Three other “aunties” sat on a nearby stairway, looking helpless as they sighed. All of them live in a public housing scheme in Kuala Lumpur and it is that time of year when they are required to declare their income, number in household and other support...

Voice of the Valley by Pearl Lee, as published in Malay Mail today. HE sat quietly in the corner of the room, eyes fixed on the small screen of his mother’s smartphone. There was hardly any interaction with others. He was fixated watching Barney and Friends while swiping the screen, from one app to another. He even knew how to skip the advertisement which appeared before his YouTube video loaded. Benny turned two recently but he uses the smartphone like a pro. His parents have no qualms allowing their son to fiddle with such a gadget. It’s called the “hand pacifier”. “It’s easy for you to say. When you have a child, you’ll end up doing the same,” the mother remarked sarcastically as she passed the phone to her son right after answering a phone call. Other parents claimed they bought phones especially for their toddlers. Afraid their more expensive devices would break once in the hands of their curious young ones, they prefer buying cheaper alternatives which will...

As published in Mailsport today By Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my KUALA LUMPUR — The fight to secure broadcasting rights for the M-League has taken a new twist as the parties involved have joined forces. And this would bring more cheers to local football fans as there will be a minimum of three live matches telecast on match days. Telekom Malaysia (TM), Media Prima, Astro and Fox Sports had all sent a joint bid at RM60 million per year for the next six years to the FA of Malaysia (FAM) on Friday. The national body is expected to announce its decision tomorrow. The figure is double of Astro’s RM30 million annual obligation which ran from 2011 till last year. Mailsport learnt that the broadcasters decided to team up after learning there were efforts by another party to secure the production which will be later sold to the broadcasters. “The broadcasters have decided to team up. This way, they will be able to commit to the requirements put for...

As published by The Star Now, the visually impaired can “see” and enjoy movies nearly as much as others at cineplexes. The Maybank-MAB Cinema, a mini theatre at the Malaysian Association for the Blind complex in Brickfields, is offering audio described movie screenings once a month. It uses a projector screen and sound system, donated by Maybank Global. MAB CEO Datuk Ganesan Supayah said currently, most of the audio described movies were English titles purchased from Amazon.com. Group head for Maybank Global Banking Amirul Feisal, explaining the difference between an audio, described and a conventional movie, said: “Audio described movies include narration to describe and guide visually impaired viewers throughout the movie.” Despite being introduced in the 1980s and rising in popularity in many countries, it remained uncommon in Malaysia. It was a cinematic experience in Australia where special headsets were supplied to the visually impaired that...

Going Nuts by Graig Nunis, as published in Mailsport today ONE of American author Irving Washington’s most popular stories is Rip Van  Winkle . The protagonist is a hen-pecked husband who one day wanders into the mountains to go hunting, meets and drinks with the ghost of English explorer Henry Hudson’s crew, and falls into a deep sleep. He wakes up 20 years later to find everything has changed as he had slept through the American Revolution, his village changed so much he hardly recognises it, his wife dead and his children grown up. Washington’s other famous tale is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and both are  included in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent . The most famous character in Sleepy Hollow is the Headless Horseman, a  Hessian Soldier who had his head shot off by a cannonball in an American Revolution battle. Those who subscribe to Astro would probably have watched a retelling of this story. Malaysia Stadium Corporation (M...

Haresh Says, as published in Malay Mail today. THOSE in power believe they have the best interests of hockey at heart when they parade mind-blowing egos, often proclaiming the “important” roles they play in charting the fortunes of the sport in Malaysia. But their boasts are actually a clamouring for glamour — with hockey being a sport loved by royalty. They need to be drag-flicked out of the hockey arena, for one. Professionalism is almost non-existent in the manner the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) operates. It borders on foolishness, which must be rather embarrassing for MHC president Tengku Abdullah Shah. The Crown Prince of Pahang must realise the importance of educated advisors who understand the sport well. Age does not translate to wisdom. Why my sudden outburst of negativity? Well, MHC is in debt. The winner of the TNB Cup, Terengganu Hockey Team, has apparently not been paid despite the final taking place a month ago on Dec 14. The team received R...

As published in Mailsport today By Vijhay Vick vijhay@mmail.com.my PETALING JAYA — The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) has made a desperate call to its sponsors to pay up as debt mounts.  Treasurer Datuk N. Radhakrishnan, who was appointed last April, told Mailsport the national body owes about RM800,000 to its stakeholders, including affiliates and officials.  But he insists the bank books will be balanced in a couple of months and is confident MHC will not have to take legal action to collect the money owed by sponsors. “I have briefed the president (Tengku Abdullah Shah) on the cash flow and he is looking at ways to get funds. We have cleared the arrears from 2013 and the first half of 2014,” revealed Radhakrishnan.  Among the figures still outstanding are the Malaysian Hockey League (MHL) overall category prize money in excess of RM150,000. The competition ended on Dec 14.  State affiliates have also not received t...

As published in Mailsport today By Wan Noriza Meor Idris  wannoriza@mmail.com.my KUALA LUMPUR — New National Sports Council (NSC) director general Ahmad Shapawi Ismail summoned his three aquatic coaches for a face-to-face meeting yesterday after several Mailsport’s reports regarding the deplorable state of the National Aquatics Centre (NAC). The trio are Paul Birmingham (swimming), Yang Zhuliang (diving) and Long Yan (synchronised swimming). Shapawi, who replaced Datuk Seri Zolkples Embong on Dec 19, was stunned to discover how badly neglected the centre was.  Yesterday Mailsport revealed the national swimmers have been training in the dark for the past fi ve years as the lights do not function. He also said the hot shower have not been working for quite a while. Last week diving coach Yang Zhuliang once again requested for a new roof for the diving arena. He said he can’t conduct training if it rains as the players are at risk of lightn...

As published in Mailsport today KUALA LUMPUR — Fireworks were expected but the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) took an easy way out to avoid a confrontation.  Instead of going head-to-head with the Malaysia Athletics Federation (MAF) over the Malaysia International Marathon (MIM) in Penang on May 23-24, the OCM board yesterday decided to rename the event to avoid having to ask sanctions from the national body.  The about turn is a slap in the face for OCM vice president Rear Admiral (rtd) Datuk Danyal Balagopal, one of the main men behind MIM, who had declared during last week’s launch: “ We do not need MAF’s  sanction. We are OCM ... we can do whatever we want.”  MAF argued OCM had no right to use the words “International Marathon” without the national body’s sanction.  A source privy to the Board meeting in OCM revealed there was a heated debate over the issue during the  three-hour long meeting at Wisma OCM.  ...