Foul!

Squash queen Nicol David ( pic ) made it a memorable weekend for Malaysian sports after she won the World Series Finals in London yesterday. Nicol defeated Irish lass Madeline Perry 11-9, 11-9, 11-9 in the final. Earlier, he fellow state athlete Lee Chong Wei had won the Korea Open Super Series men's singles title. This is Nicol's 57th Wispa title. With a perfect start to the year, the Penangite is expected to nail a whole lot of titles this year. Athletes like Nicol and Chong Wei do not come by every day. They are exceptional so it will be unfair to expect a similar pedigree of athletes any time soon. However, it is instrumental to narrow the gap between such athletes and their peers. We need both the quality and quantity of good athletes especially during major tournaments. Perhaps there is a need of organising more local tournaments to ensure the masses are well represented. HD says: Well done Nicol.

It was a perfect start to the New Year. World No 1 Lee Chong Wei unleashed the Dragon in him to edge arch rival Lin Dan of China 12-21, 21-18, 21-14 in the Korea Open men's singles final hours ago. That's a good start for the Penangite as he now gears up for another possible mouth watering clash with Lin Dan in the Maybank Malaysia Open which starts on Tuesday. Had Chong Wei lost in Seoul, I'm sure many would have raised the presumption that he desperately needs the services of former coach Misbun Sidek. Now that he has won abroad, would the same critics say that Tay Seu Bock and Rashid Sidek still aren't good enough? Food for thought. HD says: Winning the Malaysia Open would be a treat for Chong Wei ahead of the Chinese New Year.

There are efforts to get Spanish giants Barcelona FC and Manchester United to play in KL. I was reliably informed that verbal discussions have been made about Barca and Manchester United - as reported in today's Mailsport . However, a source said the discussions are too "pre-mature" and nothing has been finalised. The possibility of Man Utd playing in KL is better though. Apparently, Barcelona are looking at an Asian Tour this year with China and maybe Indonesia, Malaysia or India as their destinations. The Spanish team held talks with government officials in China and closed a deal with an Internet giant there recently. They were also in India last year to toy with the idea of tapping into the Indian market. The Red Devils, meanwhile, last visited KL in 2009 and registered 3-2 and 2-0 wins over the Malaysian selection. It will certainly be a treat for football fans after KL host three EPL clubs - Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea - back to back at the National Stadium in ...

"Hari ini saya telah terima email dr Ketua unit pengadil termasuk semua pengadil dan RA. Isi kandunganya adalah kenaikan elaun. Sudah sekian lama penantian kami semua. Berkat pengerusi pengadil FAM Datuk Astaman yang menghadap Tuanku Presiden pada 10.12.2011 barulah kenaikan ini dikuatkuasakan setelah di tahan oleh JK Kewangan FAM." This was an SMS I received today. Well I am happy the men in black are finally getting more allowances. I had in July 2011 wrote about M-League referees "Blow for free" . Now let's hope for quality refereeing on the pitch eh. HD says: Most referees have interesting stories to tell. Some get verbal abuses while others get chased. Some are praised while others receive brickbats. Part and parcel of the job.

The FA of Malaysia (FAM) are willing to make exceptions if national hitman Safee Sali ( pic ) wishes to return to Malaysia once his contract with Pelita Jaya FC expires on Jan 31. This include allowing Safee to sign up with any M-League team despite the registration date has passed. The situation in Indonesia remains messy and if nothing is being done to solve the matter, then Safee should ditch plans of playing in the Republic and ply his trade elsewhere. FAM vice-president Hamidin Amin even said that his former team Selangor are ever willing to snap him up and there are many other teams in the M-League that could use his services. Meanwhile, Sports Ministry Ahmad Shabery Cheek wore a frustrated look and took a swipe at the Malaysian Athletics Union and the Malaysian Weightlifting Federation for their inaction over the doping fiasco at the Indonesia Sea Games. Two national athletes - one from the 4x400m men's relay gold medal team and the other a weightlifter - were found positi...

That's the headline of The Star's seasoned writer Eric Samuel's ( pic ) piece today. I would like to see the faces of office bearers in the FA of Malaysia (FAM). After all, Eric has always been their "favourite" journalist. With his years of experience, Eric has seen it all. And his article today serves as a grimly reminder that all is not well in the M-League. We have been demanding for the privatisation of the league since ages. In fact, the real objective of MSL Sdn Bhd is to run the league and not just be the marketing arm of the league. Yet, FAM never seem to listen. But why would they want to listen? Privatising the league would mean "no more power lah". Then how to be secretary of state FA and chairman of an FAM committee? (sic) I hope you will not be slapped with a ban for questioning policy matters Eric. Lol! My dear friend Eric, I doubt they will read or listen to what you have said. To quote your headline, FAM are indeed living in La-la Land....

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!