Foul!

Former doubles expert Razif Sidek believes so. Razif has down-played Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong's chances of winning the doubles title. Read more here . I wonder if that assessment was made based on Razif's personal experience. I wonder how the players would feel about the statement. Last but not least, I wonder what the BA of Malaysia have got to say. Hmm... HD says: I'm thinking of getting a new racquet. Any suggestions?

The FA of Malaysia (FAM) issued a statement after English club Chelsea FC lodged a complaint of alleged racial abuse towards Israeli player Yossi Benayoun ( pic ) during a friendly match in KL recently. The chants received coverage worldwide as it was reported by CNN and AFP among others. The statement by FAM was made yesterday - a day after Malaysia were booted out from the World Cup qualifiers. Chelsea responded by saying "the matter is now closed", as reported by the BBC. Below is the statement by FAM. FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF MALAYSIA PRESS STATEMENT 29TH JULY 2011 COMPLAINT BY CHELSEA FC With regards to the above matter, the Football Association of Malaysia wishes to issue the following statement: The FA of Malaysia have received a complaint from English Premier League side Chelsea FC over alleged racist abuse targeted at Israeli midfielder, Yossi Benayoun, during a friendly match with the Malaysian XI in Kuala Lumpur on 21st July 2011. From our initial observation...

UPDATE 1.51pm: 1. Singaporeans were dropping easily everywhere. But not according to their coach Raddy . 2. Safee Sali apologies to the fans - says defenders mistake was costly for the team. 3. National coach Rajagobal says the fair result would be if the Malaysians won . 4. FA of Malaysia acknowledged receiving letter of complaint from Chelsea FC but refuse to issue statement. ---- Malaysia drew 1-1 with Singapore in the Round 2 (return leg) pre-World Cup match at Bukit Jalil. Singapore advance with a 6-4 aggregate. Fans, including those with RM50 tickets, were seen standing at the stairs as there was no place to sit. Others sat in the Media box. Some had to park along the highway. Most were issued summons. The fans came in full force. But it wasn't an ending they hoped for. National coach K.Rajagobal insisted the main target is the 2015 Asian Cup. He also said that if Fernando Torres is finding difficulties scoring goals, what more our players. HD says: No comment. You be the...

Bila Persatuan Bolasepak Malaysia kata nak jual tiket RM30 dan RM50, ramai merungut. Kini, ada yg mengaut keuntungan. Tiket RM30 jual RM300 beb!!! Tak caya? Hang pi layan website nie. Ada mamat yg simpan 27 tiket RM30 nak jual harga RM70. Kalau hang nak beli semua 27 tiket, ada diskaun RM10 utk setiap tiket. Tak caya? Tengok sini. Kalau hang kenal sapa yang beli tiket RM300, tolong bagitau gua. Gua nak tabik spring sama dia! HD says: Untung sepuluh kali ganda siot!

But why? In 2006 I bought the Germany training jersey from an adidas concept store. It was priced at RM89.90. Sadly I bought my Malaysia training jersey from the stands outside the stadium during the Malaysia-Arsenal match. I was told that national jerseys are out of stock. And Nike aren't selling the training jersey. Ye ke? Imagine if 10 percent of the 85,000 fans (8,500) bought the training kit at an estimated price tag of RM100 each, we're looking at a total sales of RM 850,000 - that's close to RM1 million for just one match. Oh well. HD says: Original, Grade A, pasar malam...janji jersey Malaysia.

I received a phone call from Shahmim Imran of Planet Football and he didn't sound pleased. "I went to Bukit Jalil Stadium and there were no tickets available. I rushed to PJ Stadium and the counters are closed with a sign that states people should come back tomorrow. "Rajagobal say people can come in full force to watch Liverpool play and they should do the same when the national team plays. Tell Rajagobal to talk to his FA (of Malaysia) first as to why it is easier to buy Liverpool tickets than the Malaysia-Singapore tickets!" Shamim, whom I've known since the early days of the now defunct MyTeam, went home disappointed. But looking at the bright side, football - and techno music - is certainly a unifying factor for Malaysians. From the Sidelines today speak about a man who dumped clubbing and booze to create a theme song for Malaysian sports. It's all about uniting the nation . HD says : It's all about Malaysia and Singapore.

We grew up wanting to be either a doctor, lawyer or engineer. Some wanted to be a nurse, teacher or even pilot. In 10 years to come, every kid would want to be a CONsultant. Why? 1. Can earn a lot of money 2. No one will ever nab you despite it's been happening for ages. There's a job that's becoming more popular in town. It's called 'Land Consultant'. Job description: "Sell" land belonging to others without the owner's knowledge. Qualifications: Sweet talker. Monthly income: Thousands to Millions And judging by my previous exposes, I doubt the culprits will ever be caught. Read all about it here . HD says: Sigh!

I could picture that title on the hardcover of Lee Chong Wei's much anticipated book. I remember speaking to someone during the Malaysia Open earlier this year about efforts to document Chong Wei's achievements and life story in a book. And I learnt a lot from that particular individual. Apparently, there were already plans of writing a book on Chong Wei by members of his fan club. Then another party close to Chong Wei was keen of writing the official biography and Chong Wei was said to be cool with it. However, the Penangite said there should be less of his personal life and more of his badminton achievements documented. It was supposed to be done in a simple manner and published in three different languages - Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mandarin. He wanted the book to be cheap so that it will be easily available to school kids. Suddenly, another party came into the picture with arm twisting tactics and hijacked the whole project. Chong Wei was apparently left with no choice ...

You could blame: 1. The artificial field 2. The 'import' players representing Singapore 3. The small stadium 4. The absences of Norshahrul Idlan Talaha 5. Lady Luck for not being on our side 6. The blue (away) jersey and say even big teams like Manchester United and England can lose, what more Malaysia. OR You could say: Our defenders failed to live up to expectations. Credit to Amirulhadi Zainal, S.Kunalan and Safee Sali nevertheless. Malaysia lost 5-3 to Singapore in the pre-World Cup Round 2 match minutes ago. The return leg will be held at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil this Thursday (July 28). HD says: Another leg awaits us at Bukit Jalil on Thursday.

Will the Lions live up to their reputation as the king of the jungle? Or will the Tigers maul the Lions in its own den? I received a call from Singapore's New Paper yesterday asking for my prediction of the score. I don't do predictions but judging on records and current form, I believe Malaysia seem to have the upper hand - provided our defenders do not make silly mistakes. But Singapore could turn the table around as they are playing with a whole lot of seasoned players. Nothing beats experience. The psychological warfare has begin in the Republic. National coach K.Rajagobal was quoted by ChannelNewsAsia as saying " Singapore has an edge ..." while New Straits Times (Malaysia) reads Raja purrs as Avramovic frets . As Today Online rightfully said, The Causeway derby is all about fans, fire and passion . Catch the pre-World Cup Round 2 (first leg) football match between Singapore and Malaysia live on Astro Arena (801) at 7pm and TV2 (7.15pm) tonight. HD says: The funf...

Press release Two weeks of absorbing football was seen at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. Arsenal started it, Liverpool conquered it and Chelsea put the icing on the cake as football fans came in droves to show their support for the English Premier League giants but kept their loyalty to Malaysia close to their heart. The Chelsea match yesterday saw 84,980 tickets sold - breaking the 84,000 achieved for the historic Liverpool match while Arsenal drew 65,000 fans at the stadium. ProEvents International chief executive Julian Kam was pleased as a punch with the figures. ProEvents were the exclusive Asia Tour 2011 organiser for all three teams and more big names are already in the pipeline for next year. “It was great two weeks of football. Fans came from all over the country. The matches even brought die hard supporters of the clubs from the Asean region. They came from Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei. “I was told there were die hard supporters of these teams who came from Eu...

I strongly believe we are capable of maintaining the Bukit Jalil Sports Complex better. The poor economy in Spain does not stop the local government from maintaining the Estadi Olimpic which was built in 1929. Even online portal MSN Malaysia is running a poll - Is our National Stadium good enough? Nevertheless, credit to Merdeka Stadium Board and its corporate communications assistant manager Noriza Mohd Ali. They were pro-active when alerted the issue. Unlike many who would threaten or shy away, MSB admitted their shortcomings and promised to rectify it. Kudos! Read it all here . HD says: I'm impressed with the way MSB handled the situation. Very impressed.

This image has been the subject of discussion on online forums as seen here and here . FA of Malaysia general secretary Lt Gen (R) Azzuddin Ahmad confirmed the misprint. For the record, the Malaysian Selection lost 1-0 to Chelsea last night at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. HD says : The match was still entertaining nevertheless.

If you were hoping for a big scoreline, nope it didn't happen. And I must admit, the match between the Malaysian Selection and Chelsea at the National Staduim in Bukit Jalil was somehow entertaining...even more entertaining than the earlier games between Arsenal and Liverpool. Well the fiesta is finally over and now for some serious action across the Causeway. Singapore, here we come. HD says: Cakap bola, makan bola, tido bola!

That's two contrasting tales between Malaysian athletes. The BA of Malaysia are set to spend RM1.6 million from their Maybank sponsorship money this year for the development of junior players and coaches. The national body has no issues of Asian junior champion Zulfadli Zulkifli of KLRC training in the national set up as written here . But hurdles queen Noraseela Khalid was 'barked' at when she was at Bukit Jalil yesterday. Read more here. HD says: That's Malaysian sports alright.

It all started with a phone call from BBC's correspondent in Malaysia Jennifer Pak two years ago. She was interested to know about the Malaysia-Indonesia final at the 2009 AFF Suzuki Cup. Since then many had wanted to know more about our national team and the players. Even Singapore's Straits Times Lee Min Kok and New Paper Sazali Abdul Aziz were interested to know more about the recent FA of Singapore and FA of Malaysia tie up. I also met up with Jakarta Casual's Antony Sutton as we discussed about the local football scene at Greenman Pub in Bukit Bintang. And not too long ago, I was contacted by leading football writer John Duerden as he wanted to know more about match-fixing in Asia, especially Malaysia, as seen here . Good or bad, more and more people are paying attention to Malaysian football. As they say, good or bad publicity is still publicity. And now to take on Singapore in the Pre-World Cup tournament. HD says : For the record John, I write for The Malay Mail...

Ah parents. Some are fun, some are over-protective. Some can get annoying. But they are parents and we love them no matter what. Nevertheless, there is a need for parents to realise - their children have wants and needs too. From the Sidelines today speaks about Parenting gone wrong . I'm no parenting expert but I hope my children - if I have any - will enjoy life to the fullest. The foot note to my column was surprisingly missing from the online version. It read: Haresh Deol is a Senior Journalist with The Malay Mail. He vows to teach his children how to climb trees, swim in a river and play bare footed on a field in the name of fun. He blogs at www.hareshdeol.blogspot.com and receives brickbats at haresh@mmail.com.my On another note, Wilson Raj Perumal is sentenced to two years in prison . HD says: Life's all about having fun.

Adakah tiket perlawanan pra-Piala Dunia di antara Malaysia dan Singapura murah ke mahal? Tiket berharga RM30 dan RM50. Dengan RM30 anda boleh: a. Beli prepaid telefon yang boleh habis dalam empat hari b. tuang minyak ron 95 yang boleh habis dalam seminggu (kalau pakai Perodua Viva). c. makan durian Muar sampai kenyang ATAU d. sokong pasukan Malaysia yang berpeluang cerah untuk melangkah lebih jauh dalam pertandingan tersebut. Penjualan tiket di Stadium Nasional, Bukit Jalil adalah seperti berikut: 26 dan 27 Julai – 9 pagi hingga 7 malam. 28 Julai - 9 pagi hingga waktu rehat perlawanan Penjualan tiket kepada penyokong Malaysia dan Singapura adalah seperti berikut: Penyokong Singapura: a. Penjualan Tiket dan Penebusan Tiket yang dibeli secara online di Pintu Biru. Penyokong Malaysia a. Penjualan Tiket di Pintu Kuning dan Pintu Merah b. Penebusan Tiket yang dibeli secara online di Pintu Merah. Untuk makluman, tiket-tiket akan di...

The heavy rain and low temperatures did not stop Karamjit Singh from winning the 2WD category of the International Rally of Whangerai, New Zealand on 15-17 July. He emerged fourth overall in the 4th Round of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. "Tyre choice and driving tactics were important in these conditions which were mostly fast flowing winding stages. It would have been easy to have an incident and be off," Karamjit said. It was even a proud moment for local car manufacturers Proton as Karamjit was powered by a Satria Neo. The next race is the Rally Hokkaido in Japan which starts on September 30. HD says: Way to go Karamjit.

CHELSEA’S ARRIVAL DATE : MONDAY, 18 JULY 2011 TIME : 1PM ( Estimated Times of Arrival) VENUE : One World Hotel PRESS CONFERENCE DATE : MONDAY, 18 July 2011 TIME : 1.45pm VENUE : Topaz Room, One World Hotel

What was more memorable? The fact Liverpool finally played in front of their ardent fans in Malaysia? Or the brilliant free kick by national captain Safiq Rahim and the two fantastic goals by Safee Sali? I know my answer. Ada kelas! screamed Berita Harian while NST's headline was Hot strikers, sloppy defenders . HD says: And now for the rumble in the jungle - Malaysia v Singapore (pre-World Cup).

Drumroll please Phagatvinder Singh (left) from Ampang and Mohd Aizat Sharif Fisalluddin from Kota Damansara! They each received a Premier ticket (RM258) for the Malaysia v Liverpool match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil this evening (kick off 5.45pm). Here are the answers to the questions - as can be found on Liverpoolfc.tv 1. Liverpool has won the Premier League 18 times. 2. John Houlding & William Barclay . Liverpool FC was formed on March 15, 1892 at Holding's house in Anfield Road. Barclay was the first seretary-manager and suggested they should go with a new name - Liverpool. 3. Guangdong 3 Liverpool 4 Many thanks to those who wrote in and emailed your answers. There was a healthy response despite the short notice. It was all done in a sporting manner and purely for fun. Your support is much appreciated. HD says: Hoping to run more contests in the future.

In conjunction with Foul! 's first year anniversary, two avid readers will walk away with one Liverpool Premier ticket worth RM258 each. The Kop will play the Malaysian team at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil tomorrow (5.45pm). Answer the three simple questions below and send them to haresh_deol@yahoo.co.uk (subject Liverpool FC) before July 16, 2011 ( 10.00am ). The best part...there is NO slogan! 1. How many times has Liverpool won the League? 2. Name the two individuals instrumental in setting up Liverpool FC in 1892. 3. What was the score between Liverpool and Chinese club Guangdong Sunray Cave played on July 13, 2011 in China? To ensure fairplay, one person is only entitled to win one ticket. The two correct answers to reach Foul! the soonest will walk away with the tickets. Please include your full name , IC no and contact number to enable us to contact you and pass you the tickets as soon as possible. Note: We're based in Ampang therefore ticket collection will...

...not all but they have started paying their sponsorship commitment to the FA of Malaysia (FAM). So the national body has money in its coffers. The referees claim FAM were proactive and paid half of their April salary right after raising the matter at the exco meeting recently. Kudos FAM. The referees now hope all hutang will be paid by the end of the month. There's a silver lining for the men in black after all. And to set the record straight - Astro paid RM3 million (out of goodwill before contract was finalised) followed by RM12 million (once contract details sorted out not too long ago). Astro is scheduled to channel another RM7.5 million to FAM by the end of the month. HD says: Referee bolehlah prepare utk raya eh :)

If, in Malaysia, they were expecting our national team, then why did we send a club? My response which they did not capture was: "My understanding was that Zifa had extended the invitation to Monoz at the insistence of Malaysia FA who could not take the cancellation at the last minute as Zifa had indicated they could not raise a team at that short notice. That was taken from Hope Chizuzu's statement published in The Herald yesterday. Read here for the full article . Chizuzu, a well respected journalist in Zimbabwe, was forced to write a statement responding to an article published on Tuesday as seen here . FAM insist - even till today - that they played the Zimbabwe national team. So who's lying? Go figure. HD says: Many questions, little answers.

"We discovered a new country and discovered how much we are loved here...something which is unknown by the players." Those were the words of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. And it must be painful for the thousands of ardent Arsenal fans in Malaysia. They support a club whose players don't even know they exist. Blind love huh. Meanwhile, Malaysia have played better football and were a pale shadow of their true capability against the Gunners last night. It left national coach K.Rajagobal disappointed . HD says: Now to welcome Liverfools...sorry Liverpool. You'll always walk alone?

And that's not the only good news. FA of Malaysia (FAM) also decided to hand a 50% increment in the allowances to referees officiating M-League matches. Read more here . Meanwhile, UK's Guardian takes a shot at Arsenal's visit to Malaysia and China - calling it a risk to tour countries engulfed in match-fixing scandals as reported here . But it didn't bother FAM deputy president Tengku Abdullah as published in today's Mailsport. HD says: Had an interesting chat with Jakarta Casual's Antoni Sutton at Greenman Pub in Bukit Bintang last night over the English Press. We'll continue our talk soon Antoni.

damn stupid decision, bring money there to get abused !!! i can already hear "Singapore Kayu !" Posted by: stevk1368 at Wed Jul 13 08:56:06 SGT 2011 Totally agree with stev1368 & redlatern, no matter how screwed-up our own league is, NEVER go back to M-League. Serious lack of Integrity & shame by those "Management" in FAS ... p/s : I was also an ardent fans of the old days, but really sicked of being treated like ****, just like how their politicians treated Singaporeans !!!!! Posted by: Tankee99 at Wed Jul 13 09:00:28 SGT 2011 The above were some of the comments taken from Singapore's Asia One article here . I'm guessing the Singaporeans are not too keen over the deal as seen here. From the Sidelines speaks about the Singaporean dilemma in today's Mailsport here . HD says: As I told the Singaporean Press yesterday, it's too soon to judge.

You heard that right. The FA of Malaysia (FAM), had in its exco meeting held hours earlier, decided that import players are allowed for the coming season. Teams will be allowed to have two foriegn players in their stable. Also, PKNS and Sarawak will be part of the Super League. Pahang and Perlis will play in the Premier League next year. Ong Kim Swee's lads Harimau Muda A will play in the Singapore League next year. HD says: And now to write a commentary for my column tomorrow....

If all goes well, national captain Safiq Rahim ( pic ) will be playing in the Indonesian Super League next season. This was revealed by Safiq as published in today's Mailsport . And he won't be alone. Amirul Hadi Zainal and Khairul Che Mat are also set to follow suit - if they manage to impress the clubs there. Safee Sali made the first move to Indonesia and he has been enjoying the limelight since. HD says: Way to go Safiq and Co!

UPDATE (1.45pm) : 50 lucky Arsenal fans, who bought tickets for the Malaysia-Arsenal match, will be able to meet their idols in person. The winners are: TICKET BARCODE NO 0458.2872.6338.9822 4971.8517.3497.5093 0934.4059.1312.4093 5049.8140.4877.4769 1004.4653.6932.2160 5525.6271.1822.3993 1022.3023.5192.4350 5594.8968.8758.2769 1504.7437.6361.2922 5700.7195.6311.3148 1680.9104.2126.2963 5807.1697.2808.8697 2155.9332.1673.7400 6000.6811.5261.5679 2323.0208.6999.2629 6009.4767.0902.7579 2429.7792.4520.6138 6097.7516.4188.8820 2543.8493.6078.6168 6634.2397.8144.0178 2789.2175.3775.4227 6650.4280.3347.051...

UPDATE (10.59pm): Obtained an email from a leading figure in the fraternity. "Good article in your blog on TM Logo on the Malaysian Football Team's playing attire. TM is NOT a SPORT ATTIRE manufacturer like Adidas, Nike, Puma, etc. As such the TM Logo cannot be on any sport teams attire. It is as simple as that. Unfortunately, Malaysia sports attire agents, etc, have no guts to bring up this rule. The problem is not TM or FAM, but S%^&*@*(#$. They have really no sports ethics. " Here’s a typical examination question. Nike = sells sportswear Telekom Malaysia (TM) = telecommunication giants FA of Malaysia (FAM) = national body for football Note: Fifa does not allow sponsors logos to be on national jerseys during international tournaments. Read here for a better understanding. Situation A Q: TM goes into a sponsorship deal with FAM. The deal will see TM’s logo placed on the Nike training kit of the national team. A: No issues I guess. Situa...

I believe much has been said and written about the three parties - Bersih 2.0 , Perkasa and Putra Umno - wanting to stage rallies in KL. Read about it here , here and here . My concern is one thing – the fields in the stadiums. I hate it when concerts or rallies or gatherings are held in stadiums. We lambast our poor quality of field but do nothing when thousands stomp all over it. The league just ended and the fields have been badly battered. It is no secret that our fields – including the one at the National Stadium – are not in good condition. Here are the facts: 1. PNB, the owners of Merdeka Stadium , has reduced the capacity of the stadium from 45,000 to 20,000 – just like it was in 1957. Let’s see if it can fill half of the 100,000 people that plan to rally there. 2. The National Stadium in Bukit Jalil will host three EPL clubs - Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea - starting next week. I doubt the National Sports Complex will want to compromise that. 3. Titiwa...

Ye ke? That was my reaction after I was informed about it. Earlier this year Astro pledged millions into the national body. Later this afternoon, Telekom Malaysia will announce their sponsorship deal with the FA of Malaysia (FAM) worth RM6 million the first year followed by a 10% increase in the next three years. Masih tak cukup duit ke? And this was what I was told...."Bro, duit belum masuk lagi." Ye ke? HD says: Is this true?

The national Olympic side are in Group C together with Asian giants Japan, Syria and Bahrain. Coach Ong Kim Swee did mention he would be happy playing the middle eastern teams and we could spring some surprises. Pre-Olympic Round 3 Group A: Korea, Qatar, Saudi, Oman Group B: Australia, Iraq, Uzbekistan, UAE Group C: Japan, Bahrain, Syria, MALAYSIA HD says: Let's brace for another exciting round

That was the headline thought by Mailsport editor Mustapha Kamaruddin when he read the story. For obvious reasons, that was not used. Instead the back-page story for today is Men in Black see red. M-League referees have not been paid for the past three months! Pahang and Sarawak owe referees in 2009 as well. So the next time you want to shout " referee bodoh or referee kayu ", think again. And the front page story today is about a temporary state school sports excellence center without a field! What Sports Hub? And apparently RM5 million was allocated for the center at Jalan Maran. And my take on this year's Super League - a Super Disappointment! HD says: Some claim no money, some got so much money to waste. I wonder...

No this has nothing to do with more national sprinters 'running away' from their doping tests. But athletes were certainly 'missing' from the 72nd Selangor Open held over the weekend. As a result, 11 events were axed due to lack of participation! Such a shame is the title of From the Sidelines published in today's Mailsport. We usually lambast associations for not having programmes, but when they do, where are the athletes? HD says: Hoping for a better turn out at the 73rd Selangor Open next year.

It's been a fun year for Foul! And what better way to start the day with the Sports Commissioner's Office writing to the Malaysian Paralympic Council demanding for an explanation over the RM4 million fiasco as seen in the front page of today's The Malay Mail . That aside, Foul! would like to thank each and every one of you for your wonderful support. Saya dengan rendah diri,menyusun sepuluh jari memohon maaf andai ada perbuatan atau kata yang menyinggung anda selama ini. As I've said before nothing personal, it's all done in the name of sports. HD says: Here's hoping for more fun.

SAYA cukup teruja apabila menyaksikan majlis pelancaran Larian Serentak program 1Murid 1Sukan 1Malaysia peringkat kebangsaan yang sekali gus mencatat rekod Malaysian Book of Records (MBR) bagi kategori larian terbesar. That was the first paragraph of Raja Ahmad Zainuddin's commentary in today's Berita Harian. Read more here . The programme was launched by Deputy Prime Minister cum Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in Taiping on Saturday. With all due respect Raja Ahmad, I tak teruja lah . When I was growing up, it was a requirement for every student to pick up a sport, be part of a uniformed body and be a member of a club. I was with the school's basketball and volleyball teams, the head prefect and secretary of the Interact Club - among others. That's 1Murid 3Akitiviti...just like Nescafe's 3-in-1. I wonder what ever happened to that implementation. Now you know why I'm not that teruja with the 1Student 1Sport campaign. Been there, done that. HD says: I ...