Foul!

Remember this man - Hasihin Sanawi ( pic ). The archer now join the ranks of Lee Chong Wei, Yap Kim Hock and Cheah Soon Kit. Perhaps some may say it is an exaggeration to place a paralympian among the likes of our able-bodied Olympic silver medal shuttlers. But why not - for our paralympic team has shown their true capabilities despite the lack of publicity. And now it is only fair for our successful paralympian friends to be rewarded accordingly - and I still say a pension scheme is the best way to thank our ' Green Arrow ' in the wheelchair. Read of Hasihin's exploits at the London Paralympics here. HD says: Well done!

National striker Safee Sali has called for the setting up of a professional football players association to look into their welfare and rights.   Safee, who plays for Indonesian club Pelita Jaya, said this was necessary as Malaysian football was undergoing a transformation and players needed an active body to protect their interests. “The recent controversy involving two Terengganu players highlights the need for such an association. “I sympathise with them for having to put up with such a shameful situation,” he said at the ‘SYM Hari Raya Open House with Safee Sali’ in Alma yesterday. That was taken from a Bernama report. Perhaps our top national striker is unaware of the Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia. Then again, does anyone know about PFAM? I remember writing about its existence last year - PFAM...who? And to refresh one's memory - this was written by Tony Mariadass in 2009 - For the sake (sale) of the Game? HD says: Everyone wants...

But you won't see the last of Azlan Iskandar ( pic ). The squash player announced his retirement from the professional circuit - something he has been toying about for sometime due to other personal commitments. Thus it comes to no surprise he was rather "fine" when asked how he felt right after the press conference held at the National Squash Center in Bukit Jalil. He was, however, overwhelmed with the response after making the announcement. "Of course I was taken aback by the twitter response," exclaimed Azlan. "But made the decision a while back. Thank you all for the overwhelming support." Azlan will surely be part of the sport through the Azlan Iskandar Squash Academy . And he will surely steal the headlines in the near future - not through his exploits on the squash courts for sure. For his full 'retirement' statement, read here . HD says : Thank you and all the best.

"Much has been raised on the difference in the giving of Shakam incentives (Sport Reward Scheme), to normal athletes and paralympic athletes. In fact, on the lifetime allowance for paralympic athletes, after winning medals. "I find there is a need in that direction and the ministry will work on it. Nevertheless, we need to prove it through wins in the London Paralympic Games," he said. Those were the words of deputy Sports Minister Razali Ibrahim ( pic ) as published in NST . This reminds me of an article I wrote last year - Robbing 'em blind . And this also makes me wonder of the Paralympics RM4 million poser . I am sure our special athletes will thank Razali for initiating such efforts. And Razali is right to say that the athletes will also need to show that they truly deserve it by bagging honours. It's high time for all parties to walk the talk. HD says: And now to listen to Lou Reed's Walk and Talk It .

TERKINI (1.50pm):  "Berita itu menggambarkan kami tidak bermoral sedangkan kami tidak bersalah kerana tidak seorangpun perempuan masuk ke bilik kami sepanjang berada di Alor Setar. “Kami kini dipandang serong oleh masyarakat dan saya sudah menghubungi peguam untuk berbincang mengenai tindakan undang-undang yang bakal diambil bagi membersihkan nama saya.” Itu merupakan kata-kata Ismail Faruqi yang dilaporkan oleh Harian Metro hari ini. Baca ' Kami difitnah ' untuk berita penuh. --- Yang Dipertua Persatuan Bola Sepak Negeri Terengganu Datuk Che Mat Jusoh berkata persatuan itu belum menerima sebarang maklumat dan laporan daripada (Peter) Butler berhubung salah laku dua pemain terbabit.     "Kita meminta dia (Butler) membuat laporan secara rasmi berhubung perkara itu kepada persatuan supaya siasatan dapat dijalankan," katanya kepada Bernama ketika diminta mengulas perkara itu. Bagaimanapun, Che Mat berkata beliau kecewa kerana perkara itu timbul keti...

What does Merdeka mean?   Pandelela Rinong - national diver, London Olympic bronze medalist “Merdeka means we are free from penjajah and we stand together as one.” Azizulhasni Awang - national cyclist “Merdeka literally means freedom from colonialization but in the new millennium, in the current context of our country, Merdeka reflects our country’s solidarity in the advancement towards being a developed nation and most importantly how we bring about the paradigm shift of our mentality to another level.” K.Rajagobal - national football coach “Merdeka holds a significant meaning to all of us. It reminds us of our grassroots and the ability to be harmonious in our country. Everybody should respect the values. Malaysia is a blessed country and we should not think of the negatives and look at the positives. It’s a country filled with colours.” Sieh Kok Chi - Olympic Council of Malaysia secretary “I’m proud and happy we have progressed so far. My beli...

Those were the words of former international Serbegeth 'Shebby' Singh ( pic ) who watched Manchester United's Under-21 side edge Tottenham Hotspur's Under-21 team 2-1 . Shebby, who is now Blackburn Rovers global advisor, shared his thoughts over the match; Watched Man Utd U21s play our lot (Spurs) last night ... we lost 2-1 to a team that had Lindegaard, Fletcher and Evans ... they scored in the 1st minute and then from a penalty. We outplayed them in the last 20 mins with good passing, flair and movement .... met Tim Sherwood and Les Ferdinand after the game for a chat .... and their thoughts on the game match mine ..... A few boys looked really good - Ryan Mason - centre mid with good vision and passing ability, kind of a deep lying playmaker ... captain too Harry Kane - a right footed VdV .... in the hole ... looked disinterested but then would take over the game and was a class apart ... he will struggle with English perception of not working hard eno...