Foul!

As published in Mailsport today. By Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my PETALING JAYA — Trouble seems to be brewing in Wisma FAM as several national coaches may opt to quit following continued interference by FA of Malaysia (FAM) officials. Insiders claimed the coaches were “fed-up” with the national stable as decisions were made without consultation. They also claimed officials were quick to blame the coaches if they failed to achieve targets without taking into account the poor eco-system in the establishment. “The coaches are being very polite but things are not looking good and if left unattended, they could just leave,” said a source. “The national team management committee decided several matters recently and the coaches only found out about the changes from newspapers,” the source said. Among the decisions made by the committee included the possibility of disbanding Harimau Muda A after the Singapore SEA Games (June 5-16, 2015).  Plans are afoot to include several ...

UPDATE Feb 17, 9.39am: " I am saddened that our participation in Queensland has been put in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Tigers A will play in Queensland to prepare for the Asian Games." - FA of Malaysia general secretary Hamidin Amin. Read more here . ------------ One of the world's foremost authorities on football match fixing has warned the inclusion of a Malaysian side in the upcoming National Premier Leagues Queensland could expose the competition to the influence of Asian betting syndicates. But Football Queensland has dismissed the possibility, saying it was a "long bow" to draw. Harimau Muda A, the Malaysian under-22 side, will play for competition points in the 14-team NPL Queensland competition from next month. However, the side will be ineligible to make the finals and will instead use the competition as preparation for Asian international competitions. International match fix...

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.

The list of players of the Thailand team competing in the Merdeka Cup revealed 16 players are from Narathiwat FC. Kelantan were supposed to play Narathiwat but were told the Thai team will be playing in a "perlawanan empat penjuru" in Kuantan. Instead, Kelantan will play Yala FC on Sept 10. The coach accompanying the Thai team - with players ranging from the ages of 20 to 31 - is the assistant coach of the nation's Under-23 team. But Thailand FA insists the Thai team in Kuantan is representing the nation, as published in Mailsport today. For the record, Singapore, Myanmar and hosts Malaysia will be fielding their Under-23 squads. Meanwhile, Harimau Muda A coach Ong Kim Swee is expecting a stiff competition as his lads take on the Singapore Under-23 team in the curtain raiser tomorrow (kick off 5.30pm Darulaman Stadium). "People may say we have been training together overseas but you must understand a large number of the Singaporean players have been play...

“I might even change our playing style. We need to limit our passing in our half. If we keep on repeating the same thing, it will be of no use." Those were the words of Harimau Muda A coach Ong Kim Swee when contacted in Manama about an hour after the match. More will be published once The Malay Mail's website is updated. Kim Swee is adamant of making changes to ensure the team will not repeat the same mistakes for the third time. The national side lost 2-1 to Bahrain in the London Olympic qualifier - their second defeat to the Middle Eastern team. In November, the Harimau lads wasted a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 to Bahrain. Some claim the Malaysians looked rusty, perhaps because they have not played any competitive matches for quite sometime. Others say the players lacked concentration and made life difficult for themselves. Kim Swee was at the sidelines that night and should know his boys best. One thing for sure, he is right to say that changes need to done - and they better be ...