Foul!

Haresh Says, as published in Mailsport today. LET’S look at the facts. The National Sports Council director-general Datuk Zolkples Embong was quoted saying: “Malaysia Hockey Confederation (MHC) have many programmes but are facing financial constraints.” MHC secretary Datuk Johari Abdul Aziz had then said: “I don’t think there is a financial crisis but I have to check with the relevant officials.” MHC treasurer Datuk N. Radhakrishnan said: “After going through the accounts, I can confirm we are not broke.” So what’s the story? The only thing consistent is all three quoted had the title ‘Datuk’ in front of their names. Period. While some continue to debate if MHC is in the red or otherwise, the reality remains that hockey players and teams have not received subsidies, prize monies and incentives promised to them since last year. This include those who participated in the Raja Noorashikin Cup last October, the national Under-14 and national...

"Teams that suffered huge losses to Kuala Lumpur, like the 6-1 drubbing of Perak yesterday, shows that some teams are not well prepared. So, I hope the oldest hockey tournament in the country can be given serious attention by teams." Those were the words of Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Tengku Abdullah Shah after witnessing a Razak Cup match in Kuantan on Sunday. Scorelines can be misleading but it is the quality dished out by the teams which is important. And the Pahang Prince must have unimpressed with what he saw over the weekend. There were also scores of 5-2 and 10-0 registered yesterday as Malaysian Hockey provides the results in "good faith". Let's be real. State teams hardly had time to beef up their squads as most of the players were involved in the recently concluded Malaysian Hockey League. Then there was a two-day national training camp prior the Razak Cup. So can they be blamed? Also, it is the 50th Razak Cup tournament...

Hockey players obtaining stints abroad is nothing new. In 2010, Noor Faeez Ibrahim and  Izzat Sumantri featured in the Dutch league. Faizal Saari and Sukri Abdul Mutalib played for Australian club Adelaide Southern Hotshots last year. Now Faizal is torn between returning to Adelaide or traveling across the world to play for Spanish outfit Athletic Terrassa Club. According to The Star's report today, Malaysian Hockey Confederation secretary Johari Aziz  revealed Faizal is the only national player to have received offers to play in the Australian and Spanish leagues.   It looks like Faisal seems keen playing in the land of tapas, magaritas, beautiful architecture and laid back society - despite the bad economy.   "I prefer to play in the Spanish League as I will be up against top players from Europe. The league in Spain is also much more challenging than the one in Australia."   It's good that we are finally having more players eager to pl...