Foul!

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has played polo around the world but come this June, Malaysia wants to do exceptionally well in the all-important FIP Polo World Cup Zone D Qualifier from June 11-26. It is a tournament that the Malaysians will be rooting for the national polo team to make the top three which will not only give the sport a big boost in the country but also take it to a new level. At stake is a historic place in the FIP Polo World Cup which will be played in San Luis, Argentina from October 11-25. To earn the passport to Argentina, Malaysia must finish in the top three. Royal Malaysian Polo Association (RMPA) president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah ( pic ), who is also the Crown Prince of Pahang, sees a “tough battle” but in the same breath is confident that his wish will come true. “We are in a tough group which is made up of some of the best polo playing countries in the world but we hope to perform well and qualify for the World Cup Finals,” says th...

That mean's no problem. And yes, I personally do NOT have any problem with anyone within the circle. Not wanting to disappoint any party, I'm friends to all - unless one or two feel otherwise then it's not my problem eh? And yes, some may see my affiliation with Rizal Hashim and SS Dhaliwal (alphabetical wise and has nothing to do with preference) as a problem. In reality, both individuals have been there for me since Day 1. They guided me and were even at my late father's funeral some nine years ago. They helped me get back on my feet. There are others too who played instrumental roles, but I guess most are fine with my affiliation with them. So, no problem there. If YOU have a problem, feel free to give me a buzz or write me an email. Life's short - chill yo :) HD says: Get your jazz shoes on and listen to No Hay Problema by Pink Martini.

Malaysia will play Taiwan (home - June 29; away July 3) in the first round of the World Cup qualifier (Asian zone) The Olympic squad play Lebanon (first match away - June 19) in the second round of the Asian qualifier to the 2012 London Olympics. National coach K.Rajagobal; "Everybody will think it's easy. They all have their opinions. Only a coach or a manager will understand the situation better." Olympic coach Ong Kim Swee; "I have to do my homework. Lebanon played Pakistan in two friendly matches...I'll ask Pakistan what they think of Lebanon or see some videos on them." Rajagobal's lads will play Hong Kong in an international match on June 3. He plans to play another friendly match on June 7. Kim Swee's team will either play Saudi Arabia in KL early June or head over to Turkey ahead of their match in Beirut. For more info, read here and here . Pic by Osman Adnan, NST HD says: All the best boys.

Remember the article about the schools' sports excellence centre ( pic ) along Jalan Cochrane? This is the reply I got from the ministry sometime ago; Untuk makluman, keputusan telah dibuat agar Pusat Kecemerlangan Sukan (PKS) Cochrane dipindahkan ke tapak baru di ‘Plot C’ berdekatan dengan tapak sedia ada. Perpindahan tersebut adalah bagi memberi laluan kepada cadangan pembangunan di tapak sedia ada PKS Cochrane tersebut. Tapak bagi PKS tersebut yang telah dikenalpasti iaitu di bekas tapak Maktab Perguruan Seri Kota, sedang dinaiktaraf bagi penempatan sementara. Dalam masa yang sama, cadangan untuk membina PKS yang baru di tapak gantian tetap sedang diteliti di peringkat Kementerian bagi memastikan pusat baru yang akan dibina menepati kehendak dan standard Kementerian . Kos untuk menaiktaraf tapak sementara dan tapak gantian tetap bagi PKS tersebut adalah ditanggung sepenuhnya oleh pihak pemaju. UNIT KOMUNIKASI KORPORAT KEMENTERIAN PELAJARAN MALAYSIA 15...

Menurut Peraturan 6.2.4 Peraturan Pertandingan Liga Malaysia, harga minimum tiket bagi semua perlawanan Liga Malaysia adalah RM5.00 dan PTR boleh, atas budi bicara sendiri, mengenakan bayaran yang lebih tinggi, jika difikirkan wajar. Peraturan 6.2.4 adalah seperti berikut: BAYARAN MINIMUM BAGI SEMUA PERLAWANAN LIGA -M HENDAKLAH RM5.00 (RINGGIT MALAYSIA: LIMA SAHAJA) KECUALI PASUKAN KELAB YANG MENYERTAI LIGA FAM DAN PASUKAN PIALA PRESIDEN BOLEH MENGENAKAN BAYARAN BERLAINAN. PTR BOLEH, ATAS BUDI BICARA MEREKA, MENGENAKAN KADAR BAYARAN YANG LEBIH TINGGI DARIPADA KADAR MINIMUM JIKA DIFIKIRKAN WAJAR. Itu merupakan isi kandungan emel yang dihantar oleh Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia (FAM) sebentar tadi. Emel tersebut dihantar berikutan kenyataan Presiden Persatuan Bola Sepak Perlis Sahidan Kassim ( Berita Harian hari ini) mensyorkan FAM menurunkan harga tiket perlawanan Liga Malaysia. Yang peliknya, Shahidan pernah bercita-cita nak jadi timbalan presiden FAM. Sama ada dia tidak tahu tentang...

That was the title of my commentary piece which was published in yesterday's Mailsports . I have nothing against the individuals and organisations referred in the article. What baffles me and many others is to who nominated their names or allowed them the opportunity to bask in glory when in fact there is so much of room for improvement. I would like to speak to those sitting in the selection panel of the recent National Sports Awards and speak to the man, a former journalist, on what criteria did he nominate former Malaysia Snooker and Billiards Federation president WY Chin for the Sports Leadership Award. I also hope I would be given the opportunity to ask Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak if he did write a support letter (including the RM100,000 grant) for the hosting of the International Congress of Sports Medicine organised by the Society of Sports and Exercise Medicine Malaysia recently. Perhaps they have the answers. HD says: Transparency is the key to earning the trust of the...

I met up with some friends in the sports scene recently and we naturally spoke about the National Sports Council (NSC) and the National Sports Institute. It's no secret that the NSC and NSI personnel are always engaging in "friendly banters". And the latest "banter" by an NSC employee was; "Dato' aku lagi besar, dapat tiga pingat. Dato' ko hanya dua pingat." Biar benar wei?!! HD says: Kalah lawak Hantu Kak Limah Balik Rumah siot.

UPDATE (March 28; 12.30pm): My good blog-sphere friend Po Hui uploaded some clips of Malaysian fans cheering on the boys at the Jalan Besar Stadium. Here are the links; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmuH_p_Fm0Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qMM2RIPu7w It was a Goodwork out for the boys , says the News Straits Times (Malaysia). It's sister paper Berita Harian, meanwhile, said Skuad Raja sekadar seri dengan Etoile FC . Malaysia held Etoile FC to a 1-1 at the Jalan Besar Stadium yesterday with many of the Malaysian players given a fair chance of sweating it out against their Singapore-based French team. Ahmad Fakri Saarani ( pic ) scored in the 7th minute but Etoile equalised through Hicham Bouchemlal in the 62nd minute. HD says: A little bird told me national coach K.Rajagobal believes that our yellow jersey is jinxed. Ye ke?

It is supposed to be a friendly-cum-charitable match between Etoile FC and Malaysia at Stadium Jalan Besar in Singapore tonight (live on Astro Arena - 801). But don't expect K.Rajagobal and his lads to be in a charitable mood. The game against the Singapore League-based French team will be a good avenue to groom the national Tigers ahead of the World Cup Asian qualifiers in June followed by a 10 day Premier League festival featuring Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool in July. National skipper Safiq Rahim ( pic ) is not trying to be overconfident but believes the team is motivated to do well, as seen here . Even the BA of Malaysia (BAM) will no longer be in a charitable mood when it comes to former national coach Misbun Sidek - contradicting outsiders as seen here and here . As a senior official said; "Misbun has already resigned. There's nothing to discuss anymore. The Council will meet on April 1 but it is highly unlikely they are going to talk about him unless Misbun st...

Taufik Hidayat ( pic ) needs no introduction. The man has seen it all. Yet, he joins the likes of Peter Gade, as being modest as ever. And he's a hot commodity in Indonesia thanks to his superstar status. However, I was told that Taufik has only two major sponsors to date - Nestle Milo and Yonex. "Maybe he doesn't need the money. But he should take advantage of his super star like status and start tying up with major brands. It's only natural as he is still Indonesia's top badminton player," said a source from Jakarta. It seems Taufik will be in talks with an energy drink manufacturer, as reported in today's Mailsports . Taufik is set to play Chong Wei in an exhibition match on April 3 at Juara Stadium and he could also sign the deal with the energy drink manufacturers - ahead of their official launch in Indonesia. HD says: 100Plus is good when taken warm...especially when you kena denggi..trust me!

That's the amount Lee Chong Wei hope to raise for the victims of earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The world No 1 shutter said this after launching the Hope and Smile — 311 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami charity fundraiser at the Boulevard Hotel in MidValley hardly two hours ago. It is also reported in today's Mailsports. Among those lined up for the event are Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng and there is a possibility of Taufik Hidayat playing as well. HD says: Wei go to!

He invited the National Sports Institute director general Dr Ramlan Aziz and Olympic Council of Malaysia deputy president Dr M.Jegathesan. He has the support from the No 1 man (Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak). He is confident of getting the RM100,000 from the Treasury due to the government's backing. He has never heard of the Malaysian Association of Sports Medicine which was established in 1973. All this and more, in today's Mailsports . FYI, Prof Dr Mydin Musa is the president of the Society of Sports and Exercise Medicine Malaysia that hosted the International Sports Medicine Congress in KL recently. HD says: Mydin's clinic at the 26th floor in Menara PNB reminds me of my uncle's clinic back in Taiping.

The who's who were not invited. So WHO was invited? I spoke to many people from the sports fraternity and none attended the International Congress of Sports Medicine organised by the Society of Sports & Exercise Medicine Malaysia (SSEMM) recently. Apparently the Treasury Department are now mulling over the allocation of RM100,000 which was supposed to be channeled to SSEMM for organising the event. The National Sports Institute and Olympic Council of Malaysia pointed out SSEMM is not affiliated to them. Mailsports has the story today . Also, is it true that doctors were promised RM6,000 to attend the event? What's the total cost of the event? Who footed the bill? How come the Sports Ministry and OCM were not invited? For the record, The Sultan of Selangor, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and wife Rosmah Mansur received an award each from the International Federation of Sports Medicine during the event as reported here and here . P/s: The name dropping syndrome is back! HD...

Ah Saiful Munir Mansor. To me, he's Cikgu Saiful. Cikgu Saiful was my school teacher in secondary school (Methodist Boys School Sentul). He was a darn bloody good Physical Education teacher any school could ever have. Throw a sporting equipment at him and he plays it well. Saiful is now with a different school but one thing has not changed - his passion towards hockey. He coaches the KL Under-16 team and the National Under-16 hockey final was held over the weekend. Saiful's team blasted six goals past Malacca and won the title without conceding a single goal throughout the tournament. Way to go Cikgu, but my question is....why the huge difference in standards among KL and the other states? And my other question, how will the powers-that-be address this? Answers please..... HD says: Cikgu, we must catch up for old times sake. Cheers!

The Malay Mail's assistant news editor Pearl Lee has been longing to write a blog after her weekly column every Wednesday ( pic ) was removed - due to a change in regime. The Voice of the Valley is back - this time as a blog. Well it's about time she speaks of kad hutangs . Expect more community-based and political issues in time to come. HD says: Welcome back!

There were earlier claims that Dr M.Jegathesan ( pic ) will be the next vice-chancellor of University Sains Malaysia (USM). It was a full time job that pays well. An honour for anyone being in the academic line. But Jegathesan denied the rumours, as seen here . "No sir" was his brief reply. Three days ago, Jegathesan called me up and explained to me the difference between a vice-chancellor and a pro-chancellor. Unlike a vice-chancellor, a pro-chancellor attends ceremonial functions, usually once a year, to hand out diplomas to the graduates. He told me not to write anything until USM confirms his appointment as the new pro-chancellor. USM made it public today . HD says: I didn't bother going for both my convocations. The bloody packages offered by photo studios just to rent the robe and take snapshots was simply daylight robbery.

I guess that's the new term for the Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation (MSBF). Fact 1: National Sports Council has been paying RM1,500 from March to October to MSBF for administration work by the executive secretary. MSBF Council meeting held on March 5, 2010 stated the executive secretary has resigned. Fact 2: MSBF Council agreed to pay RM20,000 as a "token of appreciation" for the departure of senior official, as documented in the Council meeting held on March 5, 2010. The said official is still with MSBF based on the new line-up of the Council (elected on Dec 17, 2010). Fact 3: MSBF treasurer claims he is clueless about the national-body's finances. The newly elected president who just tendered his resignation hardly a month in office refuses to comment. Fact 4: The snooker scene was acknowledged at the recent National Sports Awards after MSBF former president Prof WY Chin received the Sports Leadership Award. By the way, AR means Arbitrator. Read all a...

Joseph Sepp Blatter was in town. He spent some time at the Istana Pahang in Kuala Lumpur together with FA of Malaysia president Sultan Ahmad Shah and his son Tengku Abdullah. During a press conference, he touched on several issues - from his fight for the top spot against AFC president Mohammad Hamman to the possiblity of serving his final term with FIFA. Also, Blatter promised to look into claims of a Russian player Nikola Nikezic who was "beaten to terminate his contract". By the way, it's Dato' Seri Blatter from now on. Read it all in tomorrow's Mailsports. HD says: I wonder what Blatter would have said if I wanted him to autograph Andrew Jenning's Foul! : The Secret World of Fifa. Hmm... :)

Apparently, the Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation (MSBF) is in a mess. The internal bickering seems to have gone out of hand leading to resignations and what some might deem as a "threatening" e-mail. Sadly, the sport will not debut at the Malaysia Games in May as scheduled. Read the full story in today's Mailsports . Ironically, the sport was aknowleged during the National Sports Awards last night after MSBF former president Prof WY Chin was handed the Sports Leadership Award. HD says: Let's watch Captain Sensible sing ' The Snooker Song '.

Squash queen Nicol David and national cyclist Azizulhasni Awang were named the Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year (2010) at the National Sports Awards night hours ago. Nicol is nicknamed Duracell Bunny while Azizulhasni is our Pocket Rocket Man (no relation to Rocket Singh ). See how a handful of men try to scare Nicol by doing the Haka during the Cayman Islands Open and what Azizulhasni endured when a large splinter pierced through his leg at the Track World Cup in Manchester recently. Well done to all those who won. But the question that lingers on the minds of many...is the National Sports Awards becoming a boring and predictable event? Hmm... UPDATE (11.30am): " And at the same time please change how the awards are presented as it's the same for donkey years, no progress in terms of making it lively, boring is the key word. " So says SS Dhaliwal, based on his posting Sheer Waste of Money . Roll of Honor Sportsman of the Year: Mohd Azizulhasni Awang (cycling) Sport...

Apparently that was NOT what Sports Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek had meant. I raised my eyebrows when I read this; SPORTS MINISTRY AIMING FOR FOUR GOLD MEDALS IN LONDON KUALA LUMPUR, March 14 (Bernama) -- The Youth and Sport Ministry are eyeing four gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics although the nation has yet to win a first gold medal in the Olympics history. It would have made a darn good commentary. But I saw the need to clarify with Ahmad Shabery and this is what he said; "No. We are aiming for the first gold but 4 golds are within reach." That's a realistic target for sure. One, not four. HD says: Is loving Nancy Ajram's Mashy Haddy

World No 1 Lee Chong Wei ( pic ) defended his All-England title after defeating arch nemesis Lin Dan 21-17, 21-17 in Birmingham just minutes ago. The doubles pair of Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, however, failed to net the men's doubles title after losing 15-21, 21-18, 21-18 to Danish pair Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen in an earlier final. Kien Keat and Boon Heong were winners of the 2007 edition. Meanwhile, there were reports published during the All-England that Chong Wei wants to retire after the 2012 London Olympics. Read here . Wasn't this reported more than a year ago? Read here , here and here . Results (Finals) Men's singles: Lee Chong Wei (MAS) bt Lin Dan (CHN) 21-17, 21-17 Men's doubles Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen (DEN) bt Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong (MAS) 15-21, 21-18, 21-18 Women's singles Wang Shixian (CHN) bt Eriko Hirose (JPN) 24-22, 21-18 Women's doubles Wang Xiaoli-Yu Yang (CHN) bt Mizuki Fujii-Reika Kakiiwa (JPN) 21-2, 21-9 Mixed d...

That's the feeling I get. Since highlighting the fact that the Pusat Kecermelangan Sukan at Jalan Cochrane in KL have been asked to move from their 12.5 acres land on Monday, not even a single official has responded to our queries. Friday - March 4, 2011 - Calls and SMS to Education Ministry's director general Abdul Ghafar Mahmud (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) were not answered. Sunday - March 6, 2011 - Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong promises to get back. Asked to call back on Monday (March 7) at noon. Failed to respond since. Tuesday - March 8, 2011 - Sent an SMS to Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. He left for India that evening and I was told to call his press secretary Hafiz Abdul Halim. Have yet to hear from him since. Hmmm. HD says: ................................................... (kalu komen nanti merajuk pulak)

National shuttler Hafiz Hashim ( pic ) is eyeing for a shot at playing in the London Olympics next year. Having opted out from the national stable, Hafiz now trains under the KL Racquets Club banner and made this revelation duing a Press Conference held this morning. Read the full report in today's Mailsports . This isn't the first time Hafiz has left the BA of Malaysia. He was once attached with Nusa Mahsuri. His best achievement is winning the All-England championship in 2003. Many, however, believe the lanky player has lost his charm a long time ago. Can he prove his critics wrong in London? HD says: Best of luck Hafiz.

The Pakistan-Malaysia return leg Asian Olympic qualifier match in Lahore is still 0-0 after half time. There's another 45 minutes to go. Stay tuned to the live updates brought to you by the Pakistan Football Federation . Pic courtesy of Pakistan Football Federation. UPDATE (12.59am): Pakistan 0 Malaysia 0 - Malaysia win by 2-0 aggregate. UPDATE (2.00pm): National coach Ong Kim Swee is not bothered if critics consider his lads fangless. He salutes them. Read today's Mailsports . HD says: I'm still wishing for the live telecast.

"Dukacita dimaklumkan siaran langsung perlawanan Pra Kelayakan Olimpik (pusingan kedua) di antara Skuad Olimpik Pakistan menentang Skuad Olimpik Malaysia pada 9 Mac 2011 ( Rabu) di Stadium Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan pada jam 10:30 malam ini terpaksa dibatalkan atas sebab masalah teknikal yang dihadapi oleh penyiar televisyen tempatan Pakistan yang sepatutnya membekalkan kami siaran perlawanan tersebut. Pakistan TV mempunyai masalah menghantar insyarat siaran langsung kerana tidak mempunyai segmen satelit bagi membolehkan isyarat transisi ke Malaysia. Pihak kami cuba menghubungi beberapa pihak untuk bantuan dari segi teknikal ini termasuk menghubungi pihak Telekom dan juga Eurovision. Namun masalah teknikal ini masih tidak dapat diatasi atas sebab format isyarat transmisi Pakistan TV tidak disokong oleh mana-mana satelit yang masih mempunyai kekosongan slot." The much anticipated return leg Asian Zone Olympic qualifier match between Pakistan and Malaysia in Lahore tonight will ...

Got this email from the FA of Malaysia (FAM) earlier. Penamatan Kontrak Atas Persetujuan Bersama Adalah dimaklumkan bahawa atas persetujuan bersama di antara Persatuan Bolasepak Malaysia dengan Azraai Khor, kedua-dua pihak bersetuju menamatkan kontrak jurulatih itu bersama FAM berkuatkuasa 8hb Mac 2011. Sekian, terima kasih Jabatan Media Persatuan Bolasepak Malaysia HD says: So Azraai, hang balik Kedah ka?

"I wonder if the left hand knows what the right hand is doing. What sort of message are we sending to our children with the many flip-flop policies we have. First they took away Stadium Merdeka, now this... what's next?" This was said by a school teacher who called The Malay Mail. Read here for the full report . The Paper That Cares received many more calls from school teachers and students regarding the proposed demolition of the schools sports excellence center at Jalan Cochrane, as reported yesterday . Efforts to contact Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin proved futile. My phone calls and SMS were left unanswered and I was told he is heading abroad tonight. Pic courtesy of The Malay Mail. HD says: Sigh....

That's the front page of today's The Malay Mail . The KL schools sports excellence center along Jalan Cochrane - which boasts two football fields, three sepak takraw courts, two basketball courts, a multipurpose court, a dining hall, a function hall and a gymnasium, among others - will be torn down in the name of development. The teachers are crying foul. The students will suffer. The KL Schools Sports Council (Msskl), which are based there, have been asked to leave by April - the same month Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is scheduled to launch the 1Student-1Sport programme. Sports Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek was right to say: "Only in third world countries you see people with their air liur meleleh when it comes to land in the city. In modern cities, fields are aplenty in the heart of town." HD says: Action speaks louder than words

A bunch of “very talented” individual polo players carry Malaysia’s hopes and aspirations for a historic place in the FIP Polo World Cup Finals scheduled to be held in San Luis, Argentina in October. Malaysia, despite being one of Asia’s most established polo nations, has never made it to the FIP World Cup Finals. And as recently as two months ago the national polo team assembled to carry the country’s challenge looked “lost and chaotic”. But all that has changed and today Malaysia look positive for a top three finish in the eight-team FIP Polo World Cup Zone D qualifier that will be played at three historic polo clubs – the Royal Pahang Polo Club (established in 1926), the Royal Selangor Polo Club (1902) and the Putrajaya Equestrian Park (2005) from June 11-26. National polo skipper Shaik Reismann ( pic ), the only Malaysian player with World Cup experience, having played for Singapore in India in 2000, summed it up all when he said “today we (Malaysia) are a strong unit with lots of ...

Pandelela Rinong ( pic ) received a pleasant surprise after she was named the 100Plus-SAM Best Athlete 2010 at the awards ceremony earlier today. Astro Awani's broadcast journalist Zulhelmi Zainal Azam was named Sportswriter of the Year for his story on national footballer Zaquan Adha Abdul Razak recovering from an ACL injury. He pocketed RM7,000 for his feat. The list of winners as follows: Best Athlete: Pandelela Rinong (Diving) Most Promising Athlete: Yeap Wai Kin (Wushu) Special Award from National Sports Association: Datuk Lee Chong Wei Outdo Yourself Award: National football team (Asean Cup champions) Best Report (Print): Wan Mohd Fakhrul Anwar (Kosmo!) Best Report (Electronic): Ku Mohd Lufti Ku Yahya (RTM) Best Commentary (Print): Rajes Paul (The Star) Best Commentary (Eletronic): Rozihan Mohd Raji (RTM) Best Photographer: Mazlan Samion (Bernama) Best Special Report: Mohd Zulhelmi Zainal Azam (Astro Awani) Best Reporter: Mohd Zulhelmi Zainal Azam (Astro Awani) HD says: Tah...

So says Rajes Paul of The Star. In her article today, she writes about sports leaders that have ruled their respective association for decades. Here's a paragraph from the report: But for some, the love of the lucrative perks that come with leading sports associations has derailed them from their real mission – raising the standard of the sport. These leaders should be truthful to themselves and leave. Note: Graphic by The Star. HD says: Ouch! :)

That's the name of Ani DiFranco 's song. Sadly, the songwriter and guitar strumming artist was not allowed to sing that song in Singapore in 2009, as revealed here . I wonder what restrictions will be imposed when the likes of an athetist Bob Dylan (1997 interview with Rolling Stone that he's no longer a follower of any organised religion), Michael Franti (I bet he can't sing Ganja Babe) or Maroon 5's front man Adam Levine (who openly admitted being gay) perform in the Republic. Some good names coming up in Singapore throughout the year as seen here . But will they be allowed to keep their substance? I doubt I'll ever see the likes of Dylan, Robert Plant or Steven Tyler in KL. Not in their lifetime. Not in my lifetime. HD says: Imagine having a Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 that doesn't work.

I do occasionally visit the good folks at the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia office in Bukit Jalil. Mostly it is just before a press conferences or when I meet our athletes in the area. However, I was recently told - politely - that my visits are not really 'welcomed'. In fact, some people in SRAM get nervous when a reporter drops by. They think of us journalists as creepy spiders. Not wanting to get tangled in the web, they would want to squash us. Their policy - no comments about the association. Period. My policy - no need to comment about SRAM. Period. HD says: No class lah.

I've been hearing this for some time but simply brushed it off. But when more players and officials started talking about it, I decided to check it out. And apparently it's true. Despite his illustrious and colourful background, Kelantan's new coach M.Karathu ( pic ) is not a big hit among his players. He is deemed too "old school". Perhaps the players cannot stand his training regime. Some players make fun of Karathu's command in the Malay language, so I was told. Despite the "unrest", Kelantan lead the Super League standings at the moment. Read today's Mailsports for the latest. HD says: Give Karathu a break lah.

That's what I heard. Apparently an Indonesian coach had asked for a place in the BA of Malaysia through another Indonesian coach which is currently in the country. He is eager to join the national stable as a supposed replacement for Wong Tat Meng. As for Misbun Sidek's replacement, SSDhaliwal speculates former China ace Xia Xuanze, as per his posting here . Read today's Mailsports for more. For the record, we already have the services of Indonesians Rexy Mainaky and Hendrawan. HD says: Who could it be eh? :)

Panamanian defender Luis Moreno could get up to three months in prison for kicking an opposing team's lucky owl which was struck by a ball after landing on the field. Read AsiaOne for the full story . Read reports from Guardian , The Sun and the New York Daily . Moreno's dumb actions can be viewed here . HD says: I would like to kick Moreno's b@ll$ with my Lotto boots.

Hi guys, Firstly sorry I cant write to each of you an individual email as I'm pressed for time, just got back from my morning session and I have to leave for league in 30mins..!!i have to make lunch too...anyways...im not sure you guys are aware as just yet,but i've officially hit my life target of number 10 in the world...Its a little emotional for me as i was so close 2 years ago,to be sick with over training syndrome then the following season with a torn abductor...and last year my priorities were commonwealth games, Asian champs and Asian games..So finally its achieved...whats next..i suppose i'm setting immediate goals and the first one on my list is kl open..i have a huge summer as the tournaments in Eygpt are not looking great...It will give me time to get some military training in...Id of course like to firstly thanks all of you,the good articles and the bad, it keeps me going when im winning and the bad ones strive me to keep on pushing..its all positive...Id also ...

Nok, in Thai, means bird. It is also the nickname of Thai lass Noppawan Lertcheewakarn . I first met Noppawan at the National Tennis Center along Jalan Duta. She was very young back then, as seen in the picture. I featured her in an article, "Thai lass yearns to go her countrymen's way" which was published on May 10, 2007. She has made a name for herself since, having even won the Junior Wimbledon in 2009. Earlier today, Noppawan continued her fine form after beating world no 100 Alberta Brianti in the first round of the BWM Malaysia Open 2011. The beauty of it all, Noppawan didn't beg for support from the government or the national associatio. Just like a true professional, she sought her own finances and succeeded. If there is a will, there is a way. HD says: Way to go Nok!

Biar benar. Houdini pun kalah. I was told by several players that Perak striker Razali Umar Kandasamy has been given numerous chances and yet he remains as defiant as ever. Betul ke? Apparently he cannot tahan with Perak coach Norizan Bakar's religious ways. Ye ke? Some may call it stubborn; I call him an 'interesting' character. HD says: Kejap ada, kejap takde!