Foul!

As appeared in Malay Mail Afternoon E-Paper today Stumbling, fumbling, bumbling Harimau Malaysia disappoint yet again. — AFP Comment by Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my ARE we not supposed to be angry? Are we not supposed to be bitter? To concede three goals under 30 minutes is beyond embarrassment. Yet, there are those who maintain we should look at Malaysia's performance in yesterday’s football friendly against Indonesia optimistically. Why, one may ask? Because of the same excuses we often hear — that national coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee did not have enough time to train? The players are 'new'? ‎That this was merely a friendly match? It was a rubbish match, played by 11 footballers minus the defenders. Yes, the defenders hardly made an impression. The strikers? They were nowhere to be seen. It was a perfect start for Indonesia as they marked their return to the international scene since March last year following a Fifa ban. Thailand lost 2-0 to Jap...

As published in Malay Mail today HARESH SAYS By Haresh Deol THE shocking revelation of mass graves hidden in the thick jungle bordering Malaysia and Thailand earlier this year seems to mean nothing.   Bodies of human trafficking victims, believed to be from Myanmar who tried to enter Malaysia by land hoping to for a brighter future, were uncovered.    They were finally given a proper burial in recent weeks as the nation ponders the extent of the human trafficking syndicates whose tentacles appear to cross many borders.   Our politicians and enforcement agencies, typically, gave assurances of changes in policies. They promised stricter scrutiny in border patrol. Heads will roll, they promised.   Non-governmental organisations and observers are tired of singing the same tune. They continue to declare war against human traffickers and uphold the protection of human rights.   But for several arrests in Thailand, Ba...

As published in Malay Mail today. Being Frank By Frankie D'Cruz THE eight-month torture of 23-year-old Indonesian house help, Meriance Kabu, who was starved, stomped on, had her teeth pulled out savagely and endured sharp objects struck in her private part by her lesbian employers continues to reveal attitudes of astounding ingratitude on our part. Every Malaysian has to take responsibility for such barbarism. If Meriance’s case was black-hearted, isn’t it similar to many of us trampling on foreign workers daily? The crime may not be the same, but isn’t it criminal of us to run over those who ease our domestic and service-oriented burdens? Meriance’s abuse comes amid a stalemate between Malaysia and Indonesia involving domestic help, whom we should rightly call extended family members. Again we have not convinced our neighbour that the safety of their citizens working here can be assured. Although Indonesia shares very much the same cultural multiplicity as ours, w...

Pertama sekali, kelab Super League Johor FC kini dikenali sebagai Darul Takzim FC . Yang kedua, penyerang negara Safee Sali ( gambar ) berhijrah ke Darul Takzim FC kerana ingin "menyelamatkan kariernya". "Dalam keadaan sekarang, saya pilih menyertai Johor untuk menyelamatkan karier saya. Saya nampak usaha Johor untuk cuba membuat perubahan dalam arena bola sepak negara...saya terima dan hormati cara mereka.  "Saya dapat rasakan Johor akan memberi impak yang amat positif dalam saingan liga musim depan ," kata Safee seperti dipetik Bernama. Di Jakarta pula, Kementerian Negara Pemuda dan Olahraga (Kemenpora) melakukan pertemuan dengan Persatuan Sepakbola Seluruh Indonesia (PSSI) dan Komite Penyelamat Sepakbola Indonesia (KPSI) untuk membahas upaya penyelesaian konflik sepakbola Indonesia. Baca laporan penuh di sini dan artikel-artikel lain mengenai situasi di Indonesia di Kompas dan The Jakarta Post.

It was a grin that said a lot. National coach Datuk K.Rajagobal immediately looked up and said; “I have to do more prayers” before bursting into laughter. Beyond the smile, Rajagobal is hoping for intervention from the Al-Mighty when his lads take on Thailand in the semi finals as he knows it will not be easy meat playing against the tournament’s favourites. Even the defending champions tag will do little as Malaysia know that Thailand is capable of stealing the thunder this time around. “Thailand is a strong team. We are already in the semi finals and now we must prepare for our next match. I don’t want to think too much but to ensure the boys are all geared up for the next round,” said Rajagobal. “It’s not going to be easy.” Harimau Malaya prowl into the AFF Cup semi finals after managing to maul Indonesia 2-0 in their final Group B match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. Earlier, the national coach applauded his players despite a jittery start in the ...

It was a pleasant surprise to receive a phone call from Jakarta late last night. The call was made by a good Indonesian friend Gaib who is attached with Jakarta's Sindo Radio. The SindoSport programme wanted a few words from me about the state of security and the Malaysia-Indonesia AFF Cup Group B match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil tonight (kick off 8.45pm). I was later interviewed by SindoSport anchor Ita Kusuma as we spoke about the security at the stadium and healthy rivalry between fans of both countries. I also reminded Ita about the 2011 SEA Games incident where our players were forced to leave the Gelora Bung Karno in Barracudas . That aside, we agreed that the Media should play peacemaker and not ignite the sentiments of fans from both nations. My final words were; "Kita baca mengenai Fairplay, kita lihat perkataan Fairplay, kini penyokong dan pemain harus praktikan Fairplay. Semoga tim yang baik memenangi perlawanan tersebut." After the show,...

“Saya berharap tuan rumah Malaysia bisa memberikan perlindungan dan menjamin keamanan para penonton,” ujar Suryana. Hal tersebut dianggap perlu karena para penonton datang dari pelbagai tempat, bahkan ada yang datang langsung dari negaranya untuk menonton sepak bola di Malaysia. Permintaan itu disampaikan terkait insiden pengeroyokan suporter Indonesia yang diduga dilakukan suporter Malaysia. KBRI menyatakan masih menunggu laporan resmi dari para korban. “Kalau sudah ada laporan resmi, baru kita akan mengambil langkah selanjutnya." Kenyataan berikut dipetik akhbar Tempo . Dengar khabar pihak polis ada menerima laporan mengenai kejadian tersebut dan ini disahkan oleh  Ketua Polis Daerah Cheras, Asisten Komisioner Mohan Singh Tara Singh semalam. Pihak Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia pula tidak dimaklumkan tentang insiden tersebut tetapi berjanji akan memastikan tiada kejadian buruk akan berlaku kepada mana-mana penyokong mahupun pemain. Sebelum perlawanan Piala AFF bermul...

Perhaps some folks are being polite, giving the small football nation their fair share of space in the dailies. Singapore's Today Online says Laos are possibly the bogey team . And it looks like the Laos team are in an upbeat mood. Malaysia play Laos in their second match on Nov 28. Judging by their performances in the series of friendly matches, they cannot take Laos for granted. After all, skipper Safiq Rahim did caution his team mates against playing Bangladesh and it turned out to be a 1-1 draw. On paper, Laos have no chance of advancing beyond Group B for they have the likes of Singapore and Indonesia as company. Nevertheless, do expect Laos to create at least an upset - as they did in the 2-2 draw against Thailand in the opening match in 2010 which certainly surprised many. Hopefully the upset will not be against Malaysia. And here is the finalised list for the Malaysian squad; Khairul Fahmi Che Mat, Farizal Marlias, Mahalli Jasuli, Mohamad Fadhli Mohd Sh...

Let's take a look at some of the teams participating in the AFF Cup; SINGAPORE Harris Harun is eager to make his mark in the AFF Cup. The midfielder was quoted by Singapore's The New Paper as saying; "It is a very important tournament because we have a realistic chance of winning it for the fourth time, even though the likes of Vietnam and the Philippines have become stronger." INDONESIA Indonesia's coach Nil Maizar is trying out various formations ahead of the AFF Cup. Nil told Antara news agency;  “We will still focus on using the 4-4-2 formation. But in anticipation of a lack of players, we’re also trying the 3-5-2 formation.” THE PHILIPPINES The Philippines team manager Dan Palami  believes the Azkals, who recently enjoyed training camps in US and the Middle East, are no longer considered as 'underdogs' by the other teams. Palami told AFF Cup website;  "We caught them by surprise in 2010, but I doubt they will get surp...

The national team left for Hanoi yesterday as they are scheduled to play Vietnam in a friendly match tomorrow before taking on Thailand in another friendly game in Chiang Mai on Nov 7. Malaysia coach K.Rajagobal admitted he already has his list of 22 players in mind but would still want the players to display their best during the two friendly matches before registering them for the AFF Suzuki Cup later this month. According to Indonesia FA's (PSSI) website, Sudan is expected to play Malaysia on Nov 17 . The team from Sudan will play Indonesia earlier (on Nov 14). Speaking about Indonesia, former Selangor hitman Bambang Pamungkas joined his team mates for their training session as he is expected to see some action in the tournament. He was quoted by Jakarta Globe as saying; "I came from my home to join the Indonesian national team training camp. As a professional, I hope that the Indonesian football dualism ends here. "No more two 'national teams...

That was the headline in The Jakarta Post today on Indonesia's Youth and Sports Ministry as published here . Below is the full article. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) questioned on Monday the secretary for the Youth and Sports Ministry, Yuli Mumpuni Widarso, as a witness in the 2012 National Games (PON) scandal, once again cementing the ministry’s reputation as one of the most graft-ridden government institutions. Yuli was sworn in last March as secretary, replacing Wafid Muharram who was sentenced to three years in prison for accepting Rp 3.2 billion (US$340,000) to rig bids in favor of PT Duta Graha Indah (DGI), the company that won the Rp 191 billion Southeast Asian (SEA) Games athlete’s village construction contract which was supervised by the ministry. Recently, the ministry has also been rocked by another graft allegation centering on the Rp 1.52 trillion construction of a sports complex in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java. On Tuesday, Youth and Sports...

TorTor Dance Belongs to Indonesia STOP STEALING INDONESIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE WE ARE THE INDONESIAN YOUTH GENERATION NEVER LET YOU STEAL OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE JANJI KAMI MASIH SAMA DENGAN JANJI ORANG-ORANG SEBELUM KAMI BAHWA SELAMA MASIH DARAH DAN TULANG KAMI BERWARNA MERAH DAN PUTIH DAN DENGAN CARA KAMI SENDIRI, TAK AKAN KAMI BIARKAN SEORANGPUN BERANI MENCOBA MENURUNKAN SANG SAKA MERAH PUTIH DARI PUCUK TIANG TERTINGGI TAK AKAN KAMI BIARKAN SEORANGPUN MENGGANGGU BERKIBARNYA SANG DWI WARNA DI LANGIT BIRU IBU PERTIWI RAWE-RAWE RANTAS MALANG-MALANG TUNTAS #TorTorOPS The FA of Malaysia's (FAM) website was hacked but it had nothing to do with football this time around. Indonesians are angry over claims that "the TorTor dance and Gordang Sambilan drums would be added to the Malaysian National Heritage Law." The issue took center stage on the internet, mainly on Twitter, yesterday as Malaysians and Indonesians were involved in a heated exchange although there were...

Two Malaysian athletes who competed in the Indonesia Sea Games were found to have tested positive for banned substance. Unconfirm reports suggest the athletes are from athletics and weightlifting. The matter was first highlighted by Astro Arena's Nadi Arena last night. The sample B will now be tested as the Olympic Council of Malaysia has been asked by the Indonesian organisers to provide a clarification - as reported in today's Mailsport. If found guilty, the athletes will be slapped with a two year ban and their awards withdrawn. HD says: Sigh!

AFP is an abbreviation for Agence France-Presse. But judging by it's latest report on the 26th Sea Games, it is now in A F&^ked-up Position. Why? Well the mouth watering Indonesia-Malaysia football final is supposed to be played today at 8pm. Yet, an AFP report had this headline - Indonesia beat Malaysia in Sea Games football final . Blogger Pure Shiite was fast to post it on his blog, as seen here . But the story read; Monday night's final should harbour few fears for the visitors, who weathered the cauldron of the 90,000 capacity Gelora Bung Karno stadium in Jakarta to beat the hosts 1-0 in their last group game. I pity the journalist for it may not have been his fault. Headlines are usually constructed by the sub-editors or editors. It's a boo-boo nevertheless. HD says: Let's see who will win tonight.

It doesn't get any better now does it. Indonesia are set to take on defending champions Malaysia in the football final of the 26th Sea Games in Jakarta. Both teams met in the group stage which saw Malaysia edge their not so gracious host 1-0. But will the Malaysians have the upper edge again? Indonesians are eager to bounce back and they are on a mission. Even prior the competition, the Indonesian team 'pledged to restore national peace and unity', as reported here . The Malaysians will have to face the hostile Indonesian fans and once again be bombarded with jeers of Balik Balik , profanities and even be given the 'middle finger' throughout the game. Indonesia played with mostly reserves in their earlier clash with Malaysia. The Malaysians, meanwhile, are a tired lot as evident against Myanmar. However, if the team play their hearts out the Malaysian Tigers could once again silence the crowd as the Gelora Bung Karno. They may return to their hotel rooms in army tan...

The fans disrespected our national anthem Negaraku. Malaysia coach Ong Kim Swee was asked to leave the bench and sat at the stands with some 30 minutes left in the game. Yet, that did not stop the Malaysian Tigers from silencing the almost 90,000 crowd at the Gelora Bung Karno in Jakarta. Malaysia edge hosts Indonesia 1-0 in the final group match of the Sea Games football competition en route to topping the table. Syahrul Azwari Ibrahim scored the solitary goal in the 17th minute. The national defenders put up a brilliant performance, frustrating the Indonesians - who were more notable with their funky hair-dos, unique names and nice tattoos instead of their football. It must be noted Indonesia rested several of its key players. But make no mistake, Indonesia's ego are bruised and they will be eager to bounce back Perhaps they will be able to avenge their defeat against Malaysia in the final. As Indonesia coach Rahmad Darmawan was quoted by Jakarta Globe ; “This is a wake-up call a...

I am sure my fellow Media friends and our national athletes were mesmerised with the fireworks display during the opening ceremony of the 26th Sea Games in Palembang yesterday. However, it's been a dramatic start even before the Games were declared officially open. The shooting team arrived in Indonesia without ammunition and will now have to fork out some RM20,000 because of the slip up. Then we had the badminton coaches "receiving a stinking welcome" to their rooms as reported here. And on a sad note, we lost Cikgu Harun Osman who passed away after suffering from a heart attack. As Indonesia Olympic Council secretary general Maryama Bustam said: “We realise we cannot make everything perfect, but with all our heart we are trying our best to prepare everything for the participants here in Palembang.” All the best to our national contingent in Indonesia. Go break some records and make us proud. HD says: Malaysia boleh!

Sama kuat atau sama lemah? Memandangkan ini merupakan perlawanan pertama, mungkin enjin para pemain kedua-dua negara belum 'panas' lagi. Perlawanan berkeputusan tampa jaringan setelah wisel penamat dibunyikan. Ini merupakan perlawanan pertama bagi kedua-dua pasukan di Sukan SEA ke-26 di Indonesia. Adakah anda masih optimis Malaysia mampu mempertahankan kejuaraan? Atau terlalu awal untuk menilai kemampuan sebenar anak didik Ong Kim Swee? Pemain-pemain negara kelihatan buntu di hadapan gol dan ini perlu diperbaiki kerana lawan selepas ini hebat-hebat belaka. Mampukah Si Harimau menerpa masuk ke pusingan kalah mati? Gambar: Pemain Singapura Mohammad Afiq Bin Yunos (kanan) cuba mengasak pemain Malaysia Saarani Ahmad Fakri di perlawanan Sukan SEA pada Nov 7. -- ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN HD says: Kita tunggu dan lihat.

The national associations have made their assessments. And judging by their assessments, the nation ought to clinch 60 gold medals at the up-coming Sea Games in Indonesia. But is it a realistic target? Chef de mission Naim Mohammad avoided the question only to later say that he will stick to the decision made by the team officials. After all, they should know best. However, there are many factors to look into when it comes to the regional Games. As Naim rightfully said, how can one predict the outcome when one does not know the opponent he or she will face. Reality bites . Also, it shouldn't be all about numbers. It should be about improving the personal best and putting up a great show. Indonesia meanwhile are gunning to be the overall champions as seen here . All the best to the national athletes heading to Indonesia. Go easy on the Nasi Padang. HD says: Where can I find good Indonesian food in KL? Any ideas?

Myanmar or Indonesia? That could be the possible destination for Kelantan's B.Satianathan ( pic ). Satianathan is a man who prefers to be on the field with the lads than watching from the stands. This was evident as he was feeling 'uncomfortable' sitting at the VIP box during the KL v Kelantan friendly match at the Selayang Stadium two weeks ago. Satianathan served his 6 month long suspension handed by the FA of Malaysia late last year. He didn't head-butt anyone or performed a flying kick on any official - although he would love to if given the chance. All he did was question the Super League fixture between two teams last year. Now that's in the past, as reported by Utusan Malaysia today . HD says: I doubt Satianathan will coach an M-League team. Anyone wanna bet? Loser gets to buy lemang and rendang ayam.