Foul!

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 discovery of mass graves and abandoned migrant ‘prison’ camps in Perlis is the most brutal chapter in the flight of the oppressed to Malaysia.  No one knows how they died but it points to the barbarism of people smugglers and inaction by Asean nations to counter trafficking. It pains our hearts that there were many horror jungle camps that held migrants who had fled persecution in Myanmar and Bangladesh.  We will never know if those in the graves were victims of mass slaughter by traffickers, starvation or illness, but it certainly is man’s inhumanity to man.  This is more proof that our region has plummeted to new depths of monstrosity. How did we allow the mass killings to happen on our soil? It reeks of incompetence and Myanmar, Bangladesh and Malaysia must get the answers.  We are told the authorities were aware of smugglers’ camps five years ago, but how could it...

The Malay Mail celebrated its year-end bash in Bangsar last Friday.   For a brief moment, it turned out to be a mini-gathering of sports journos. Leading the pack was our editor-in-chief Datuk Syed Nadzi Syed Harun, who was a familiar face at sporting venues decades ago. Our night editor Khoo Kay Soon was once a sports editor. Also in the conversation were our sports editor Tony Mariadass and   Mustapha 'El Loco' Kamarudin.   I merely played observer, listening to what they had to say about Malaysian sports.   Grouses were aplenty. They spoke about discipline, character but more importantly we all agreed we have slipped into a comfort zone where we now celebrate mediocrity. Point in reference — the just concluded Myanmar SEA Games.   Malaysia clinched 43 gold medals in Myanmar — three gold medals more from the initial target of 40. We were placed fifth overall as Thailand topped the tally with 107 gold medals.   A friend, who was in B...

It was an ending football fans had hoped for. Malaysia defeated Myanmar 2-0 in the Merdeka Cup final in front of a packed stadium. Striker Rozaimi Abdul Rahman and midfielder Junior Eldstal scored in the 28th and 94th minutes respectively to win the tournament for the 10th time since its inception in 1957, as reported by The Star today. The victory was a perfect Malaysia Day gift. This could be a sneak peak of the Sea Games final. Myanmar will be training from now till December in a bid to snatch the title from defending champions Malaysia. Myanmar are bent on winning the football title. Malaysia, meanwhile, are set to defend their title for the third consecutive time - having won in Laos 2009 and Indonesia 2011. Nevertheless, the question we need to ask ourselves - are we solely setting our sights for the Sea Games? How long more do we need before we start thinking beyond the South East Asian region? Have we turned into a contented lot? Pic by Hasriyasyah Sabudin (NS...

Imagine getting into your car all geared to watch a football match only to be involved in an accident and your vehicle having turned turtle by the side of the road. Many of us would be traumatised. But not this particular fanatic football lover who refers himself as Aduka Seri Perkasa.   Apparently he got involved in an accident while on his way to watch the Malaysia-Myanmar Merdeka tournament match on Monday. Instead, he flagged down a taxi and continued his journey to Kuantan to watch the match. And the trip turned out to be worthwhile as Malaysian edged Myanmar 2-1 to book a spot in the final. Having checked his Twitter and Facebook page and also a one line reply from him over the "accident", it is safe to say Aduka is a hardcore football fan.  But this is not just about the "accident". It is about fans who are willing to travel the distance to support the national team despite many had claimed the ticket prices are "too steep". The FA o...

UPDATE 4.00pm: Taken from Ticket Pro : Attention! Good News! Ticket prices have been reduced!!! Sales information (11-Sep-2013): Temerloh Stadium (Myanmar vs Singapore): RM20 (Free seating) and RM25 (Grandstand) · Stadium Darul Makmur (Malaysia vs Thailand): RM20 (Free seating) and RM50 (Grandstand) And ... Latest information at Stadium Darul Makmur: RM20 (Free seating) and RM50 (Grandstand) Today's press conference also featured FAM Secretary, Dato Hamidin who made the announcement in hope that the reduced ticket prices # PESTABOLAMERDEKA will continue to receive better response to Thursday's match and the Final. He hoped that with lower prices, more fans and viewers will come to enliven the Merdeka Tournament mainly to embolden our 'Tiger'. So what are you waiting for? Get your tickets now!   Refunds will be made for those who bought higher priced advance tickets please see below:   ---- They were given a rude shock, o...

The National Under-23 boys got off to a dream start in the Merdeka Tournament after defeating 10-man Singapore 1-0 in the opening game at the Darul Makmur Stadium on Saturday night. Ong Kim Swee’s men came alive in the second half with A. Thamil Arasu netting the winner 30 seconds into the second half. Malaysia could have doubled their lead but winger Wan Zack Haikal Wan Nor snuffed a spot kick after Singapore’s Mohd Afiq Yunos was red-carded for using his hands to deny Junior Edlstal’s goal-bound header in the 54th minute. The heavy downpour an hour before the kick-off and the drizzle after that left the pitch water-logged and made play difficult for both teams. Read the full report by K. Rajan here . Meanwhile, Myanmar and Thailand settled for a 1-1 draw in the other match yesterday, as reported here . Pic by Bernama HD says: Good start for Ong Kim Swee's lads.

“We have even requested used hockey sticks and goalkeeper padding from the national team yet we get nothing. Now you have a government agency handing out 300 new balls and equipment to a foreign national team. Wow!” Those were the words of a Kuala Lumpur-based school teacher. Such frustration come as a surprise, more so after the National Sports Council (NSC) handed over hockey equipment to the Myanmar national hockey team in Ipoh — a ceremony which did not see any publicity — over the weekend NSC's gesture may seem noble. It can be construed as a means to help promote the game in Myanmar. Some may even call it “Asean solidarity”. But those at the grassroots find the act hard to comprehend. Apparently a school in Sepang requested a small number of equipment through a junior hockey programme funded by the council but have not received any feedback. If true, why? Do read the full commentary Haresh Says before jumping into any conclusion. HD says: As anoth...

"....hockey, table-tennis and badminton were all re-instated." Those were the words of Myanmar's sports ministry official Htay Aung as quoted by AFP as the three sports will now be contested at the year end Myanmar Sea Games. Read more at: http://english.astroawani.com/news/show/myanmar-annoys-rivals-with-sea-games-picks-5583?cp Earlier reports confirmed several Olympic sports were axed from the regional Games as seen here . It caused a lot of dissatisfaction among participating nations. Kudos to the Olympic Council of Malaysia and their counterparts who fought their case. However, do expect plenty of fireworks during the Games - especially in football. Remember the "age manipulation" issue during the AFC Under-22 competition last year? Do read here and here to refresh your memory. The Harimau Muda A lads will get a clearly picture when they play Myanmar in a friendly match in Yangon on Feb 22. Oh well... HD says: The Sea Games should be ab...

  UPDATE Jan 29, 2pm: Table tennis and hockey have been included in the Myanmar Sea Games. Olympic Council of Malaysia and other Olympic Committees are fighting for the inclusion of badminton. The tweet by Astro Arena's (who is also Sportswriters Association of Malaysia president) Ahmad Khawari Isa says it all. --------------- Malaysia will suffer a big blow as badminton, hockey and gymnastics will not be contested at the year end Myanmar Sea Games. Indonesia Olympic Committee chairwoman Rita Subowo confirmed the sport was not in the list of games for the regional meet. “I just received the list today and badminton is not registered as the SEA Games’ sports ,” she said as quoted by Jakarta Globe . The other sports excluded from the Games are tennis and table tennis. Olympic Committee of Thailand’s Vice-President Charoen Wattanasin was quoted by The Irrawaddy as saying that "Singapore had already sent a letter asking Burma to revert its decision". It rem...

FAM tidak bantah, bukti lemah. That was the headline of an article on ESPN's website as seen here . The article quoted the FA of Malaysia (FAM) secretary general Azzuddin Ahmad as saying; "Pada 5 Julai, semalam, AFC telah memaklumkan kepada FAM bahawa mereka telah menerima surat bantahan awal di Yangon dan telah memberi garis panduan kepada kami tentang apa yang selanjutkan patut dilakukan." FAM telah membuat siasatan secara terperinci dan kami terima data-data dari banyak sumber termasuk dari AFC. FAM juga berhati-hati agar perkara ini tidak memberi implikasi yang tidak baik kepada imej dan hubungan Malaysia dengan negara ASEAN." And the statement below appeared on the Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) website; However, the FAM has not complied with the relevant procedural requirements in accordance with Arti cle 58 (b) of the competition regulations ( http://www.the-afc.com/en/ resources/ regulations-a-guidelines/ competition-regulations/2...

A screen shot of the first picture (from the top) was taken on Tuesday. The screen shot of the picture below was taken yesterday. See the difference? Well Yangon United finally decided their player Kaung Si Thu - who played in the qualifying matches of the Under-22 AFC Cup - is "younger" than what he was prior the competition. The first date of birth states he is 25 years old but the second profile sees Kaung being a "19 year old". Also, now we know where Kaung was born - in Mandalay. A mistake by the webmaster? You be the judge. Sources in Myanmar revealed Yangon United had an emergency meeting yesterday morning. Meanwhile, the FA of Malaysia (FAM) have lodged a formal complaint to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) over Myanmar's alleged use of "over-aged' players - including Kaung and Thet Naing - in the qualifying rounds of the age-group tournament in Yangon. This despite AFC said; "According to the documents registered...

UPDATE 6.30pm: Myanmar club Yangon United FC apparently held an emergency meeting this morning, FA of Malaysia to lodge official complaint to AFC. ------ UPDATE 9.08am: AFC replies: Nice to hear from you. According to the documents registered with us, these players are eligible (age-wise) for the tournament. AFC has a strict policy under which it ensures that due diligence is observed in the player registration process for all its tournaments.Hope this helps. ---- UPDATE 7am: Fielding over-aged players has been a problem in the past. Fifa, had in 2009,  ordered bone tests to be performed on players at the Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria as seen here . Pakistani squash officials, meanwhile, check their players' armpits to verify age as reported here . ------- Apparently Myanmar are fielding over-aged players in the on-going AFC Under-22 qualification competition in Yangon. Based on the start list (left), at least two players seem to be above 22 years old. Details wer...

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.