Foul!

Former national chief coach Harun Rasheed ( pic ) has been banned for 10 years by the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) while six national sprinters who skipped doping tests in 2011 were given suspensions ranging from 18 months to two years. Last Friday's decision by CAS overturned the one-year ban handed out by the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) to Harun for telling the six athletes to skip the out-of-competition dope tests at the National Sports Institute on May 24, 2011. Harun's ban is backdated to Sept 12, 2011 when the MAF first handed out its verdict, which the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) disagreed with and appealed to CAS for a tougher punishment. Read NST Devinder Singh's report here . HD says: Hope this serves as a good lesson.

UPDATE May 31 : Former KLFA president and KL mayor Elyas Omar says he is " horrified ". Former KL players says it is time for a " clean up ". And KL to lose big time if they pull out from the M-League. ---------------- The sponsors for Premier League outfit KL have stated their intention of terminating their RM2 million contract with the city side. Rising Sun Travel & Tours sent a letter to KLFA on Monday but KLFA have refused to accept the letter as there is no proper explanation to why the sponsors want to suddenly quit the team. Allegations of match-fixing heighten following the recent KL-Sime Darby match where fans placed a banner that read "Bookie 5 Fans 0" and "Bookie Detected" during the match. KL lost 5-0. Tired with the inconsistency and allegations, the FA are expected to meet and decide if they are to pull out from the league next season. The team, who saw its glory days in the late 80s and 1990s, are placed 11th o...

UPDATE May 31: Johor FA president Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim is still serving his six months suspension but he made a statement as seen her e. Is the Johor prince in trouble again? ------------ UPDATE (May 30): FAM warn host teams to beef up security at stadium. The competition committee fined Pahang FA RM100,000 while Darul Takzim FC fined RM20,000 over Kuantan episode. Read more here . --------- So says former Mailsport journo Rizal Hashim. One thing for sure, there was certainly an 'overprint' of tickets - something even FA of Malaysia (FAM) vice president cum competitions committee chairman Hamidin Amin suspected as revealed to Mailsport (as published today). The whole fiasco happened right in front of FAM president Sultan Ahmad Shah. A meeting is being held at Wisma FAM to discuss about the FA Cup return leg semi final between Pahang and the Southern Tigers after the match was called off yesterday due to crowd trouble. The number of fans in the s...

National coach Datuk K. Rajagobal is unperturbed over talks that his team could be playing against "school boys" and that their stint in Australia next month could be a "waste of money". There were claims that "the end result of the trip may not fulfill the expectations." National team manager Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal revealed the trip to Australia does not involve tax payers money but was sponsored by Telekom Malaysia. Read what Rajagobal has got to say in today's Mailsport .

Having spent a day asking around and speaking to various folks - from writers, Youth and Sports Ministry insiders to observers, here are some of the names that could turn out to be the new Sports Commissioner (in no particular order) - as published on the backpage of The Malay Mail today. 1. Ab Jalil Abdullah, National Sports Council (NSC) sports management director    - it will be seen as a promotion for the S54 grade officer. Has the expertise but mainly on elite sports. Sports Commissioner's Office is also about mass sports. It would finally be the break he deserves as time (or rather age) is not on his side. 2. Madzrib Ibrahim, Registrar of Youth Societies    - an unknown among those outside the ministry but Madzrib was apparently "groomed for bigger things" only to be placed in cold storage as he does not click well with certain top officials. He once served as a deputy director general for the sports development division within the ministry and is curren...

It is often seen as as a perfect place for high ranking officials to 'retire'. The Sports Commissioner's Office was established on Jan 1, 1998 to act as the guardian for the Sports Development Act 1997. The first sports commissioner was Ahmad Bakri Shabdin, followed by Mahamad Zabri Min, former KL mayor Elyas Omar, Nik Mahmud Nik Yusof and the man who has just retired - Yassin Salleh ( pic ). Ahmad Bakri, Nik and Yassin served as the Youth and Sports Ministry's secretary-general prior playing sports commissioner. So who will best replace Yassin? Former Mailsport journo Rizal Hashim has his candidate as seen on his blog . If we follow precedent, then perhaps the current secretary-general Mohid Mohamed could fill the position. A candidate is expected to be named soon, as reported here . There have been many instances in the past where parties ignore the Sports Development Act and get away easily. Remember the controversial night race ? What about the ne...

An article by Soo Ewe Jin that appeared in The Star today. Sometimes, spending quiet moments alone in the garden can offer lessons that remind us to put things in perspective. WE all go through moments when everything is totally meaningless. There are days when nothing seems to go right, and we are overwhelmed by circumstances that we cannot control. On Friday morning, I woke up early, put the laundry to wash, and prepared my regular breakfast of two half-boiled eggs. I made myself a cup of coffee and remembered that the coffee had been sent to me specially by a friend in Kuantan. She is a cancer survivor and the road for her is not easy. She has to travel by bus once every few weeks to continue her treatment in another state but she never complains. She shares about how she takes morning walks on the beach front and the amazing views of sunrise bring her much cheer. I took my cup of coffee and sat on the swing in the garden. This swing was given to us by my bro...

In February 2012, FA of Malaysia (FAM) deputy president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah met with the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission at the Shahzan House in Ampang over claims of match-fixing in the M-League. It was the beginning of an alliance to combat the disease. FAM even hired former cop Osman Bakar to head the coordination and integrity department. What has been done since? Today (at 11.30am), Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin will meet the FAM integrity committee at the National Sports Council (NSC) in Bukit Jalil to discuss about match-fixing. How different will this meeting be? Also, Khairy must take note that in March, Fifa wrote to the South African government warning them against a judicial inquiry into football match-fixing scandals, saying the matter should rather be handled by the country's football association as reported here . Read a commentary published in Mailsport today about this and the national shuttlers' emba...

The 2013 Sudirman Cup will be remembered for the wrong reason. As Malaysia play host, the national shuttlers simply failed in their quest after losing 3-2 to Germany in the second group stage match en route to being smashed out of the tournament. The national team had lost 3-2 to Taiwan on Sunday. New Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin was clearly irked with the performance of the team as he  tweeted: "...BAM you are in a crisis" right after Malaysia lost the match at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil. The result comes at a bad timing for the BA of Malaysia (BAM) who are already struggling to justify its presence in the Badminton Asian Confederation (BAC) in the form of Nadzmi Salleh who now heads both BAM and BAC. Many continue to lambast the national association for its failure to address the common issues at home - most importantly the poor standards of play adopted by the national shuttlers - but prefers to head regional and world bodies instead....

UPDATE May 22 : MHC president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah says; "I will sort this out", as published in Mailsport. ------- There seems to be an "issue" between national coach Paul Revington and 1Mas development coach Lim Chiow Chuan. Revington had apparently sent Chiow Chuan an email which saw the latter reply in what has been interpreted as a "threatening email". Revington then sends a lawyer letter demanding for an apology and retraction and Chiow Chuan adheres. The Malaysian Hockey Condeferation is well aware of the episode and considers the matter as "settled". Really? Word has it that not many people want to get involved in the episode. What is certain is that Malaysian hockey is bigger than individuals. Read more in today's Mailsport . HD says: Everyone should just focus on their tasks.

Malaysia suffered a huge blow in their opening fixture of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Sudirman Cup, when men’s doubles pair Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong  (pic) lost in straight games 21-18, 21-18 to Taiwan’s Lee Shen Mu-Tsai Chia Hsin. “We thought we would be in control, but we were proven wrong. They (Sheng Mu – Chia Hsin) were clearly stronger in front court, and their attacking was better,” a disappointed Kien Keat said after the match. When questioned if they should play against Germany next, Boon Heong said “It depends on our coaches actually, I think the more confident pair should play. “As for me, I think my confidence has dropped a little after this defeat.” Read the full report here . Outplayed? Outclassed? Isn't it high time for the BA of Malaysia (BAM) to do something about the pair? Or should we still keep them? Is it true that even the coaching staff have given up on the world No 3 pair? HD says: Oh by the way, happy birthday to BAM...

UPDATE May 22 : Dr Ramlan likely to remain as sports advisor as published in Mailsport . ---- He was the former National Sports Council director general. He went on to lead the National Sports Institute before he was asked to play advisor to Sports Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek. So will Dr Ramlan Aziz continue to serve in that position? Or will he just concentrate on being the Anti doping Agency Malaysia chief? While some continue to criticise his management skills, Ramlan is a known figure in the local sporting scene and enjoys good rapport with most of the national athletes. Ramlan is also among the very few senior officials within the Youth and Sports Ministry with an impressive academic background and resume. He has logical ideas. It will be a shame if Ramlan is restricted to just Adamas alone for he certainly has plenty more to offer. To those unware of Ramlan's exit from the Natioanl Sports Institute, read  Another coup d'etat?  and  Ramlan saga - Part ...

As published in The Malay Mail today. Suddenly eveyone wants to be Khairy Jamaluddin's friend. The Rembau MP and Umno Youth chief will now head the Youth and Sports Ministry — a ministry often believed to have plenty in its coffers. After all, the ministry has been guilty of sending an entourage of officials for international tournaments – at times the officials outnumber the athletes. In 2006, the ministry spent RM22.4 million on professional services, celebrations and hospitality which earned a ticking off by the Auditor General. There was also the purchase of two premier chalets in Port Dickson. Some joke that just by slapping a 1Malaysia logo on a proposal, one would be able to obtain money from the ministry easily — may it be serving food during the very many meetings often chaired by little Napoleons or organising an event. Many expect Khairy to do wonders, perhaps due to his past association with football. He was part of the group that initiated UPB-MyT...

While the tech-savvy Oxford graduate is perceived to be the best man for the job, it remains to be seen if Khairy Jamaluddin (pic) can tackle the many issues the often crop up in the local sports scene — from little Napoleons within the ministry and organisations related to the ministry to the often strained relationship between the ministry, national sports associations (NSAs) and the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM). There also seems to be too much of dependency on government funds especially by NSAs. Khairy, however, prefers to take one step at a time. “We have to focus on what we can do. Let’s not try to be overboard with our ideas. I believe the objective is for long term development." Read more in today's The Malay Mail . HD says: Start by listening to the problems many face when dealing with high-handed officials within the ministry...

The tech-savvy Khairy Jamaluddin ( pic ) has been appointed as the Youth and Sports Minister. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Najib Razak minutes ago. Khairy, the Rembau MP who is also the Umno Youth chief, has been associated to the portfolio as he has always been seen as the fresh face representing the Malaysian youth. He also has plenty of experience in the sports scene - mainly football - having formed UPB-MyTeam before becoming the FA of Malaysia deputy president. Naturally, Khairy will be expected to make plenty of changes especially within the ministry. He is well aware of the problems faced but it remains to be seen if any drastic measures can or will be taken during his tenure to ensure the ministry is free from minnions and little Napoleons. All the best KJ. For the new cabinet line-up, visit here . HD says : Brace yourself for a rough ride ahead bro.

Don't the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) have 50-odd officials sitting in the executive board, council to the various committees? Why only two showed up at the TNB Cup return leg semifinal between TNB and Maybank? MHC isn’t all about meetings and blueprints or mixing with the “right crowd”. It is about knowing the players, watching them in action and providing solutions to the problems faced on the ground. If the officials don’t care about Malaysian hockey and the league, what more the masses? The officials can start becoming useful by helping the national hockey team book flight tickets online — having spent an excess of RM30,000 for the Under-16 national team’s flight tickets to Mannheim, Germany as exposed by the writer on Monday. Those who have read law would know that not only must justice be done but it must also be seen to be done. In the same context, here’s one for MHC officials — not only must you claim to occupy the seat, you should also come...

Some names to do not seem to fit the bill but hey, if everyone is blindly predicting their 2013 Cabinet line-up; why not this line up which was handed to the author earlier this morning? Perdana Menteri (Menteri Kewangan) Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak ( erm...pretty obvious kan ) Timb. Perdana Menteri (Menteri Pertahanan) Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin ( defence minister, so what about 1Student, 1Sport? ) Menteri Di Jabatan Perdana Menteri - Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom - Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz - Datuk Seri Idris Jala - Datuk Ahmad Maslan Menteri Kewangan II Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed ( Tok Pa, kalau ada lebih duit cikit, bagilah kat Kelantan FA. Mesti Annuar Musa suka) Menteri Pelajaran Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh ( sekolah satu aliran - ada berani ka? ) Menteri Dalam Negeri Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein Menteri Pengangkutan Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai ( aiks, I thought no MCA participation in cabinet? ) Menteri Pelancongan Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi ...

Wishful thinking? Maybe not. Or perhaps this should have been implemented right from the start. There has been plenty of talk about the need to have a single stream education system instead of the very many vernacular schools in the country. The author, has numerous times in the past, maintained the nation needs a single education system but, with the workings of certain vernacular schools, allowing students to master four different languages - Bahasa Melayu, English, Mandarin and Tamil. This will also allow students to mix fluidly with one another. But not many would agree to such an idea - including those political parties who claim of being Malaysian but yet would fight for the rights of vernacular schools which will only contradict their 'Malaysian' stand. Tamil schools and Sekolah Agama are often in the losing end, for they are always deemed to be the poorest. Chinese schools, meanwhile, are placed in the opposite end where an enrollment fee - in the form of...

The national hockey Under-16 team's departure to Germany early this morning has courted a new controversy after the Malaysian Hockey Confederation had apparently spent an excess of RM30,000 on flight tickets the team of 20. The national juniors will participate in the Four Nation tournament together with Belgium, Germany and Holland from May 18-20. An invoice, issued by a travel agency dated May 9, quoted MHC RM88,900 for flight tickets via Emirates. A check on the airlines' website revealed the total sum including taxes for 20 individuals flying to Frankfurt is RM68,620. Malaysian Airlines's online booking quotes the direct flight from KL to the German city at RM2,945 per person. That totals up to RM58,900 for a group - RM30,000 cheaper than what MHC paid. MHC secretary Johari Aziz confirmed the booking was done but later added he will check the invoice and with the agency. Read more in today's Mailsport. HD says: It's all about the economics...