Foul!

I received several phone calls yesterday regarding the backpage report ' Match or player agent? ' that appeared in The Malay Mail. One woke me up by raising his voice and telling me never to contact him again. Several others called me to justify the roles played by the FA of Malaysia (FAM), BSC Soccer Sdn Bhd and event management company Fat Boys. None, however, answered my question - who was the link between Barcelona and Kuala Lumpur? Here are the questions which I hope will be answered either through the documents which the Sports Commissioner Office will receive today or at the FAM Congress at the Royal Chulan Hotel. 1. Who brought FC Barcelona to KL since FAM were unaware of their trip to KL in the beginning?     Note: Sinar Harian report (March 6, 2013)     Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia (FAM) kurang berpuas hati dengan tindakan wakil Barcelona FC yang menghebahkan kedatangan kelab bola sepak Sepanyol itu tanpa merujuk kepada mereka terl...

KLFA have been given several advertising boards in major streets in KL to generate income. It would be interesting if KLFA could reveal the exact numbers received from the outdoor advertising. KLFA also boasts an academy. That too can generate income if it is managed well. But KLFA have made no effort to engage with their fans. It is the supporters who have been creating Facebook pages to share information about the city side. The official KLFA website has not been updated as the latest news is of their match against UiTM on March 29. The team were plagued with allegations of match-fixing, prompting supporters to hold up banners that screamed “Fan 0 Bookies 5” at Cheras Stadium in May. This led to their sole sponsor to pull out. KLFA have 19 executive members. How many have contributed to the team? Do any of them now have a game plan? KLFA can continue to beg for sympathy or get their act together by taking football seriously. The ball is at your feet, KLFA. Rea...

No water and now no imports. Perhaps that is the 'New Year's curse' of those based in and around the Bandar Tun Razak Stadium in Cheras. The city team will not be able to field two of Slovakians - midfielder Juraj Kuhajdik ( pic left) and defender Vladislav Palsa ( pic below ) - after the FA of Malaysia (FAM) had yesterday ruled that KLFA, or know officially known as Federal Territory FA (FTFA), had submitted their application late. Here's the twist. Without Kuhajdik and Palsa, KL "will not be able to obtain sponsors". Apparently Kuhajdik and Palsa are part of a "package" whereby insiders claim the sponsors will only pump in funds if both players feature for KL. Now, FTFA are scrambling to appeal against the decision, hoping the national body will reverse its earlier call and allow the city side to field both talents. Why wasn't the application done earlier? There was a problem with the TMS, says an official. Hmm... Nevertheless...

KL players finally received their three months wages in a ceremony at Putrajaya yesterday. Apparently the players will see their cash in their bank accounts by Wednesday. If true, I'm confused as I was earlier informed that the cheque was ready last week itself. Oh well.... But now the backroom staff are feeling left out as they are still waiting for their salary. It's four more days before the Hari Raya and the coaches hope they will receive their pay in time to buy some baju melayus, ketupats and enjoy the festive season. This, however, brings back the question to why payment was not made to the men behind the scenes? And if one thinks that we should be thankful that the players finally received their payment, one is severely wrong. For in the world of professionalism, one has to honour the contract or be dragged to the courts. Football is not a hobby for these individuals. It is their rice bowl. Instead of claiming "match-fixing among officials or player...

I had a dream. It was a dream where KL players will receive their full wages including some additional cash, dubbed as 'bonus' on August 13. The players will receive their money from the new KL Mayor Ahmad Phesal Talib during the Malaysia Games incentive ceremony at Putrajaya. My dream also revealed that KL City Hall have big plans for the city team and are eager to pump in funds on one condition - to strictly monitor KLFA accounts. But in my dream, there were several officials which are apparently disgruntled with each other. Apparently some officials keep complaining that the players and some coaching staff are throwing matches. But I don't remember seeing the 'complainant' producing any form of evidence of such claims in my dream. And suddenly I woke up. Sadly, I didn't know how my dream would end. If KL - with their financial assistance - would do well in the Premier League next season. Oh well, hopefully the dream will reappear again tonight. ...

But the KL players are still waiting for their wages. It's a total of 3 months that they have not been paid. Everyone has been keeping mum about it. Promises were made yet nothing ever came out of it. Even if their salaries were to be paid tomorrow, or the day after, the question remains; How can an employer breach a contract and get away with it but when the employer hear threats of players wanting to protest, they quickly raise the possible legal implications to such actions? Then again, no one cares. The players seem to not care as none have taken the management to task. The management doesn't seem to care as they have defaulted three months in payment. And the national body keeps mum for it's a "state affair" and "they cannot interfere". But it's ok when a president or a secretary of a state FA hold office within the national body. That's not interference I suppose. Guess it is to one's whims and fancies eh? Oh and what ...

Ada desas-desus menyatakan KL akan menarik diri daripada beraksi dalam Liga M. Saya pasti ia TIDAK akan berlaku kerana; 1. KL kini mempunyai Datuk Bandar baru iaitu Ahmad Phesal Talib . Ahmad Phesal dikatakan peminat bola sepak dan ingin melihat KL kembali ke zaman kegemilangannya. Ini sudah tentu akan menjanjikan suntikan dana dari Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL). 2. Presiden KLFA Astamam Abdul Aziz , seorang pemilik dan waris tanah Kampung Baru, dilantik sebagai Pengerusi Lembaga Pengarah Perbadanan Pembangunan Kampung Baru (PPKB) baru-baru ini. Ini akan menjanjikan 'joint venture' dengan syarikat-syarikat swasta yang mungkin dapat menolong KLFA. 3. Menteri Wilayah Persekutuan dan Kesejahteraan Bandar, Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin, yang dikatakan tidak begitu "rapat" dengan Datuk Bandar dulu Ahmad Fuad Ismail, mempunyai hubungan baik dengan Astamam dan mungkin akan memberi sokongan (dari segi moral mahupun wang tunai) melalui DBKL. Oleh yang ...

I decided to give the controversial stories a break and to celebrate joyous moments instead. From the episode in Kota Baru, we hop over to Kuala Terengganu as Terengganu striker Abdul Manaf Mamat tied the knot with his childhood sweetheart Sabihah Johan yesterday. Congratulations to Manaf and Sabihah. Also, KL's striker Stanley Bernard celebrates his birthday today and a perfect gift would be beating Kelantan as both teams play in the second round of the FA Cup tonight. HD says: Have fun this weekend folks!

NST's Devinder Singh and I were watching KL play Armed Forces in a friendly match at the KLFA Academy in Taman Melati on Tuesday. We were keeping close tabs on several players and as I was trying to identify a particular player - Jacob Anderson from Ghana. And when Devinder pointed out Anderson to me, I quickly said; "Damn, he looks like Snoop Dogg." Devinder agreed instantaneously. Later we met the midfielder, thinking he could be the right player for KL. We were wrong. Apparently Anderson is an illegal. He has overstayed in the country for more than seven months. Damn! Read all about it in today's Mailsport . HD says: And this is the 'quality' of foriegn footballers trying to play in Malaysia.

Malaysia Cup The match: Selangor v KL. Time: 8.45pm (kick off) Venue: Shah Alam Stadium Who would you place your money on? Selangor needs all three points to make it to the quarter finals. KL only has to secure a draw to make it to the final eight. P.Maniam is eager to impress his bosses and extend his life line after K.Devan left the Red Giants. Razip Ismail is eager to continue his fairy tale run after the city lads were brushed off from even going beyond the group stage due to monetary problems before the Malaysia Cup started. Selangor and KL settled for a goalless draw in their previous Malaysia Cup clash - the match which saw KL denied two penalties. Razip cautioned his lads not to take the match lightly and believes it is an epic battle between both sides - as revealed in today's Mailsport . Head over to the Shah Alam Stadium for a classic Klang Valley derby tonight. The delayed telecast will be aired on Astro Arena (801) at 10pm while fans would be able to get latest updates...

I know this was first reported last week. But I'm equally amazed with the interest it has created as seen on blogs and forums. Safee told Astro Arena about the deal last week. Over the weekend, the Pelita Jaya player insisted the deal was still in the early stages and it is private and confidential, as reported in today's Mailsport . This video shows Safee speaking about the possible German stint while this posting reveals how Safee's jersey would look like ( pic ). Meanwhile, KL could be losing more players. The city lads have not received their wages for the past three months as reported by Harian Metro not too long ago. After the KL-Kelantan friendly match last night, several players revealed they have been approached by Kelantan, Johor FC and Perak and could ply their trade elsewhere next year. But KL FA are adamant they are not at fault. They are now pinning the blame on current KL mayor Ahmad Fuad Ismail as they only received RM250,000 from KL City Hal...