Foul!

“Ini janji kita kalau BN menang, hari ini kita menang, esok kita akan berikan stadium kepada FAS. Menteri besar Selangor perlu hormati pasukan ‘The Red Giant’. “Pasukan ini sudah puluhan tahun mencipta nama. Bayangkan kalau pasukan bola yang mempunyai ribuan penyokong, akhirnya dikecewakan kerana ada unsur politik." Those were the words of Selangor Umno chief Noh Omar. Read the full article ' Hari ini menang, esok serah Stadium Shah Alam, kata Noh '. And this was my immediate respond to the article on Twitter : I don't know if Noh Omar will claim he was misconstrued. Such 'U-turns' occur quiet often among politicians. But following his views, as reported by the online portal, Noh Omar joins a list of politicians who love scoring own goals. We all know the politics revolving Selangor FA even before Noh Omar jumped on the Shah Alam Stadium bandwagon. And it's sickening. PKR's Azmin Ali, the man who has blocked me from Twitter, i...

These pictures taken at the MBPJ hockey stadium say it all. The mini 'speed bumps' could pose a serious problem as the venue hosts the TNB Malaysian Hockey League. According to the fixtures , Selangor will play RMAF Rajawali in a league match at the stadium at 5pm tomorrow. Players and team managers believe the air pockets are caused by the recent downpour. As the stadium is located on lower ground, water from the surrounding area tends to flood the venue. Perhaps a well thought drainage system inside and outside the venue can help ensure the newly laid turf will be in perfect playing condition. Even the lighting at the stadium could be upgraded to ensure they meet the international body's requirements. The condition of the turf here reminded me of how the Ministry of Education turf at Pantai once looked like. By the way, here are some of my previous articles regarding hockey turfs in the country: April 1, 2016: Come on Selangor, reward your ...

UPDATE (5.30pm): Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng has written a letter to the Mayor regarding this matter. ---- ORIGINAL POST Construction of the bridge near Jalan Putramas is underway. Picture taken this morning. Many Kuala Lumpur residents are turning into an angry lot. And the same can be said about those staying at Sri Putramas 1, Royal Domain and Royal Regent. The residents there are up in arms over the construction of a new bridge connecting the already congested Jalan Putramas to a new condominium project site called Era@Duta North . The first phase of Era@Duta North was launched in April last year, offering 921 units within two blocks of residential towers named Dawn. The bridge, the residents said, will create massive congestion. Checks with residents there revealed there are 1,220 units at Sri Putramas 1; 1,022 units at Royal Domain and 654 units at Royal Regent. There is another residential block there - Antah Tower. The residents, had through their respecti...

The Sports Commissioner's Office (SCO) has taken a shot at the Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation (MSBF). And the national body was quick to admit the SCO was right in doing so. Sports Commissioner Datuk Zaiton Othman told NST MSBF has been given a final warning to provide necessary information, including their Annual General Meeting (AGM) minutes, or face deregistration. "As the national body, they (MSBF) should lead by example especially in terms of good governance," said Zaiton, when contacted yesterday," Zaiton was quoted as saying. "It is sad when a national body do not manage themselves well. How are they going to support their affiliates and help the sport reach greater heights?" Read the full report here . MSBF preisdent Melvin Chia said: "The documentation is in place but our secretary (David Ong) had failed to submit (to SCO)." "We also shifted our office three times and thus we didn't receive any letters,...

When Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein was the Youth and Sports Minister from 1999 to 2004, he brought the Asian X-Games to Malaysia. Extreme sports enthusiasts were elated with the initiative. A skate park was even built at Bukit Kiara. But there were those who questioned the need for the ministry to spend "millions" to obtain the hosting rights from 2002 to 2004 . Fast forward to today, skateboarding has been added to the upcoming Asian Games in Indonesia. The sport will also be contested at the 2020 Olympics. Last month, the Youth and Sports Ministry announced "skateboarding and climbing were also on the National Sports Council's agenda in expanding the scope of national sports" . The NSC is also tasked to organise a national championship for skateboarding. Some call it a missed opportunity. If officials within the ministry had followed through Hishammuddin's initiative, we could have a larger pool of talents today. We have the likes of Joe...

I just saw Caroline Ang's posting on Facebook regarding Evelyn Ang: Ang, 44, Amiruddin Hamid, 37, and Ahmad Hadafi Jus, 42 were hit by a car during the  Klang City International Marathon, Selangor on Dec 10, 2017. Numerous questions were raised after the incident, as per my article in Channel NewsAsia . Also, more runs were held but were 'missing' from the Sports Commissioner's Office's list of approved and rejected events, as I wrote on Dec 29, 2017 ( MAF, FTAAA not informed of KL New Year run ). Back to Ang, the questions raised by Caroline as per her Facebook posting speak for itself.  I wonder if anyone is truly following up with the episode. The last thing we want is to hear is the powers-that-be repeating themselves, making a whole lot of pledges and promises, when another tragedy strikes.

UPDATE (Jan 8, 12.49pm):   Sports are a nation builder and unifying factor. Sports should not be tainted with politically motivated agendas.  To politicians of both divides, don't use sports as a gimmick to win votes. Read the full article here .  --- ORIGINAL POST To whom it may concern, This is in reference to a pledge made by the youth wing of a political coalition, claiming it will broadcast all international sport matches including the English Premier League on state-owned Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) should it win the upcoming general elections. The full report "We'll show the Premier League on RTM if we win GE14, Pakatan Youth offers"  can be read here . I responded through a series of tweets as seen below: I believe my tweets are self-explanatory. For the uninitiated (and those who clearly failed to do their homework before making the pledge), I had touched on this subject in 2015 through my column Haresh Says: Who should Serie A...