Foul!

1. A journalist is supposed to ask questions. 2. There is no tough or easy question - a question is a question. 3. Questions are asked in a bid to seek clarification. If the article / content is unclear, the readers / viewers will not be able to understand and appreciate the narrative better. In short, it's best to be clear when communicating. 4. Here's an example: "Why is the Podium Programme Enhancement Committee's report, which was submitted last September, still kept under wraps?" 5. Here's an example of a possible answer to the question above: "We take note of the findings of the committee. In the spirit of fair play, we are in the midst of gathering feedback and/or information from the parties mentioned in the report before we make the report public. Rest assured, steps are already being taken to address the contents of the report and we will reveal it soon, together with the justification from the respective parties and our steps in moving forward....

I had a quick chat with Youth Football Academy Red Star technical director N. Rada Krishnan recently and we spoke about children and football. During our conversation, he informed me that right after the Movement Control Order was relaxed earlier this month, he received phone calls from other teams wanting to play friendly matches with his trainees. Rada replied: “I’ve told my coaches that our trainees will not commit to any friendly matches or tournaments for the next two months. We’ve just been letting our young footballers kick the ball around and have not been going hard on the drills because they have not been playing competitively over the past year.” Read the full article on Twentytwo13 today . I'm glad we have thinking coaches like Rada who believes that children must have fun and not be pushed into playing competitively especially after a year of non-competitive football. And I hope more coaches will have this in mind. They must be reminded that they are dealing with chil...

1. Pada Ogos 15, 2012, saya disaman oleh Allahyarham Datuk Mohamad Bustaman Abdullah. 2. Beliau berpendapat hasil tulisan saya di blog ini "defamatory". Hakikatnya, saya hanya muat naik artikel Malay Mail, artikel The Star dan satu klip YouTube. 3. Beliau sama saya - bukan syarikat tetapi saya sebagai individu.  4. Pada Sept 2014, Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur telah membuang kes tersebut (struck out) kerana ianya merupakan penyalahgunaan proses kehakiman .  5. Sejak berkecimpung dalam dunia kewartawanan 21 tahun yang lalu, saya akui ada yang tidak suka dengan apa saya tulis.  6. Tapi tak suka dan "defamatory" dua benda berbeza. Mungkin sebagai seorang graduan undang-undang atau kerana saya dilatih oleh pengarang-pengarang veteran, saya memahami konsep fitnah. In short, bila tulis kena berdasarkan fakta. 7. Saya akui adakalanya terdapat artikel oleh penulis-penulis lain yang lari dari fakta. Oleh yang demikian, pihak yang terkesan mempunyai hak untuk menyaman. 8. Tapi...

While many grumbled and moaned about the many Movement Control Order (MCO) and Emergency restrictions, Ridzwan A. Rahim did not let that stop him from completing a historic swim last Sunday. The former journalist is the first person to swim across the Perhentian Channel from Pulau Perhentian Kecil to Besut in Terengganu. He completed the 19.087km swim in 8’56:30s. This was published in Twentytwo13 yesterday. It's indeed an amazing feat, what more by a man who had once served the newsroom. This is a fine example of where there's a will there's a way. Well done, Ridzwan! Your feat will surely inspire many out there.

KBS dalam rangka mempersiapkan satu 'blueprint' VSN 2030 yang bakal diperkenalkan pada hujung suku pertama tahun ini. This was published in Harian Metro on Feb 10, 2021 . So I got this vision that the Visi Sukan Negara will not be launched within the first quarter of the year (which is basically next month).  Instead, those working on it realise that they need to consult more stakeholders and as such there will be a start of a series of discussions regarding the 10-year blueprint. Perhaps the work that was carried out over the past two-odd months or so, was insufficient - despite engagement sessions with stakeholders behind closed doors - and the presentation was "unattractive". Or perhaps one could view it as the Youth and Sports Ministry wanting to ensure it covers all grounds and to get this right - even if it means postponing the launch date.  And in my vision, I was informed that an individual within Wisma KBS was transferred to another department because of this...

On March 24, I revealed the contents of the report submitted by the Podium Programme Enhancement Committee. Read news website  Twentytwo13 for the highlights . Yesterday, I wrote that the committee, had among others, recommended that a forensic audit be carried out on the multi-million ringgit elite athlete programme. While writing my article yesterday, I was informed that a group of individuals had gathered at Taman Perindustrian Puchong earlier in the morning to get their thoughts about the soon-to-be-launched National Sports Vision (Visi Sukan Negara). And I was informed that the one thing that was highlighted - what is the guarantee that the sports vision will be followed through over the next 10 years, especially when a new minister (or two) comes in? I had also raised this in the past.  And I doubt anyone can guarantee that the government officials in Wisma KBS will follow through with the vision. After all, they will be forced to serve the wants and needs of...

Update 6.03pm: The image above was sent to me. This is regarding the membership (keahlian) as stated in the SAM constitution. The sender said: "jadi exco mestilah jadi ahli" when asked if there is no clause or section regarding who is entitled be an office bearer in the constitution.  I was also informed some agreed with what I wrote and some didn't. I'm glad there's some form of conversation about this matter. All I'm asking is - who should be the voice of sportswriters in this country? Just look at the list of presidents since SAM was established in 1969 ... -- SATU lawan satu bagi kerusi No. 1 dan 2 – begitulah senario menjelang mesyuarat agung tritahunan pemilihan Jawatakuasa Eksekutif (Exco) Persatuan Penulis Sukan Malaysia (SAM) pada 3 April ini. Datuk Jasni Shafie yang baru sepenggal menyandang Presiden SAM sejak 9 Jun 2018, menghadapi tentangan Naib Presiden sekarang, Norismadi Abd. Manap dari Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) dalam pemilihan penggal 202...

"Perkara ini berlaku walaupun JDT membuat kesalahan, kita menghantar (surat tunjuk sebab) dan menunggu jawapan. JDT pun pernah didenda juga tetapi kita tak cakap." - Malaysian Football League CEO Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan This appeared in Berita Harian .  Communication is important. There is a constant need to engage and educate the stakeholders (fans included) regarding the role and functions of the MFL. As such, it is important that if a club has been penalised, then you should "cakap" (say).  Why do you need to "cakap?" - to eliminate any form of presumption (of biasness) that may arise. In today's world, silence is no longer golden.  During my talks, I always remind brands and decision makers to be mindful with what is happening and not to ignore questions - no matter how small they may seem to be. Let's start communicating.  Peace!

The International Sports Press Association (AIPS) Sport Media Awards jury decided to dedicate a special mention to the best submissions related to the impact of Covid-19 in the world of sports.  Astro Arena journalist Wan Nor Bazly Wan Azmi's 'The Stranded Champion' was among the four who received the special mention in the Short Feature category . He was among 28 individuals who were honoured for their coverage of sports during the Covid-19 pandemic. Wan Abdul Muiz Wan Abdul Aziz, also from Astro Arena, was placed among the Top 3 in the Young Reporter Broadcasting category. The winner was Clarisse Sih from Cameroon Radio Television ( Karate Tai Sabaki, more than meets the eyes ). The Star's T. Avineshwaran's 'Kick out the racists in football' was among the Top 5 in the Writing (Best Column) category. The category was won by Dina Asher-Smith of The Telegraph ( Think racism hasn’t affected me? It’s there almost every day ). It was a great effort by the Malay...

I had a conversation with several sports administrators who expressed concern over what seems to be a formation of a sports cartel. It seems key individuals are aligning themselves to create a giant force. Wow! I wouldn't lose sleep over it, seriously. I'm sure it's just sheer coincidence that a group of ambitious men seem to be aligned over certain matters. What shouldn't be tolerated is when staff of certain associations behave like decision makers and become the gate keepers to their beloved bosses. That's for another day ... 

Finally conversations over dinner and in Whatsapp groups are no longer about politics. Phew! It took Malaysian badminton player Lee Zii Jia to make that happen. That's the power of sports. Regardless the result of the All-England final tonight, I bet people will still be talking about Zii Jia's exploits tomorrow and perhaps the day after.  It's the kind of distraction and entertainment Malaysians need right now - not discussions about the nation's nauseating politics or depressing economic situation.  Thus it saddened me that when Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had launched the National Blueprint for Unity last month, only Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah saw the need to speak about sports as a unifying agent.  That too he made in passing, perhaps not wanting to offend the Youth and Sports Minister. Earlier this month, Singapore unleashed plans to push its football to greater heights . Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community a...

  I was tagged in Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming's tweet this morning. I have strong views about national sports associations (NSAs). Nevertheless, I felt the MP, who is a quite a sports enthusiast, had to be educated about the national sports system. This was my reply to him: Good morning, YB  1. The athletes mentioned were nurtured by the respective state/NSAs, esp during early days. Eg. Lee Chong Wei was part of the BA of Malaysia's system until he retired. 2. The athletes receive(d) monthly allowances from the government via the National Sports Council.  3. Can NSAs do more? YES! 4. Elite athletes/teams should rightfully secure their own funding via sponsorships. That's professionalism. Govt RM (money) should be used for infra(structure), schools. (It's) Wrong for state govts to spend so much on state football teams.  5. NSAs must evolve, monetise assets. They rely too much on NSC. Yes, I strongly believe NSAs rely too much on NSC and then whine that NSC lords over them...

  It was really nice to see pictures of Datuk Wira Mazlan Ahmad and Datuk Sieh Kok Chi posted on Olympic Council of Malaysia's (OCM) social media accounts. These two fine gentlemen need no introduction in the Malaysian sports scene.  Mazlan, who once served as the National Sports Council (NSC) director-general, was the driving force and the strategic thinker behind the Jaya'98 programme. He also played an instrumental role when Kuala Lumpur hosted the 2001 SEA Games.  Kok Chi on the other hand has been serving decades ago - representing the country in water polo and graduating to becoming OCM's long-serving secretary.  The respected duo are part of the selection committee for the upcoming 2021 SEA Games in Vietnam. Not too long ago, another former NSC director-general, Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz was tasked to lead the Podium Enhancement Task Force Panel. The musically-inclined Dr Ramlan was also the CEO of the National Sports Institute. While the report has been given...

It's been awhile since I last stepped foot at the Tun Razak Hockey Stadium.  I remember covering the schools hockey during my early days as a journalist and later reporting about the hockey league matches at the stadium. Over the weekend, I visited the stadium after learning that parents, Mohamad Zaharani Maulud, 54 and his wife, Morlizawati Ghazali, 44, have been training a group of school students hockey over the past few years. They have been doing it for the love of the sport, and to ensure their three children continue to be active. Zaharani and Morlizawati have not asked for a single sen from the trainees. They believe every child should be involved in some form of sporting activity as sports is the best place for children to learn life skills. Read all about the fabulous couple in Twentytwo13 . To Zaharani and Morlizawati - I salute the both of you.  I hope more parents will be inspired to do the same.

UPDATE (9.34pm): I was informed that FAM had reached out to the person from Challo FC and apologised.  - This was tweeted today. I don't know the people behind Challo Football Club but I would like to give the individual who tweeted the above the benefit of the doubt. I truly hope the FA of Malaysia (FAM) will look into this matter seriously.  Brands and companies must realise that their receptionists and call centre agents play a vital role in shaping their image. One mistake, and the brand suffers - especially in this social media era. This is where brands will also realise the importance of having a tracking system that records all calls and conversations so that it will not become a "he says, she says" fiasco.  I'm sure FAM will take note of this and not join the Malaysian Hockey Confederation in its bubble of "argh, no need to engage lah". It's just basic courtesy and respect. Separately, this 2020 article by The Guardian revealed two-thirds of w...

Bekas Timbalan Presiden FAM, Datuk Seri Ridzuan Sheikh Ahmad berpandangan sebaliknya apabila melihat kerusi penting itu wajar diisi oleh 'orang bola' dengan satu daripada timbalan presiden FAM ketika ini sepatutnya menerajui organisasi itu. "Saya berpandangan eloklah jawatan Presiden MFL itu dipegang oleh satu daripada timbalan presiden sedia ada khususnya timbalan presiden yang senior. 'Kepala' mestilah dari FAM kerana badan induk itu pun memang berkait rapat dengan MFL. "Kepala' yang baru itu nanti bolehlah kalau mahu memilih mana-mana individu yang difikirkan boleh menyumbang untuk membantu, tiada masalah untuk ambil orang luar menyertai mereka dalam kabinet MFL selepas itu." This was part of an article that was published in Berita Harian today. My initial reaction to the statement - Nope! In an ideal world, a professional would be best suited to run Malaysia Football League (MFL). This is because a professional, with experience in finance and/or...

Most of the conversations regarding the Premier League will surely be about Manchester United and Liverpool. Nevermind if both the English teams are currently not even placed at the top of the standings.  Sometimes I wonder if deep down inside fans from the two teams actually love both clubs equally but are just darn shy to admit it. Here comes Twentytwo13's executive editor Graig Nunis - a Liverpool fan who has been hunting down fans from teams who support team other than Man United and Liverpool. His latest article was about Burnley fan  Izham Hassan . Yes, Malaysian has a Burnley fan! He has also spoken to Newcastle supporter,  Victor William , Leicester City fan Asraf Dahari , West Ham fan Hazrin Yeob Men Shah and Everton fan Izhar Shazly Pakhorarazi . So if you want to read about fans from other teams (besides Man Utd and Liverpool), do give Graig's weekly Premier League preview a read. It's published every Friday on Twentytwo13 .

Tan Sri Annuar Musa ( pic: right ) and Kuala Lumpur football - these two subjects kept cropping up during my series of meetings with senior Umno leaders and politicians over the past week. While the conversations were mainly about Umno's preperation ahead of the looming GE, as published in Twentytwo13 today, those I met kept saying that Annuar Musa is keen to have a stake in Kuala Lumpur football. But it's a rather 'messy' affair. Kuala Lumpur Football Association's president is Khalid Samad - one time FT Minister who lost his job following the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan-led government. Khalid remains as the head of the association. But replacing Khalid as FT Minister is Annuar Musa - an Umno man who has pledged his alliance to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin despite constant threats by Umno leaders to pull out from the ruling, yet fragile, Perikatan Nasional coalition. Annuar Musa is also president of Kuala Lumpur United FC - the team that plays in the M-League - an...

Gladys Chai Ng Mei represented Malaysia in the 1972 Olympics and 1974 Commonwealth Games. In 1970 she was named the national sportswoman of the year. The high jumper won five SEA Games gold medal. Today, she is known as Gladys Chai von der Laage. She is based in Germany is a sports photographer. “Sport has given me the chance to travel and see the world, to meet new people and athletes from every corner of this planet, and I am very pleased to share their beautiful and emotional moments in pictures. I am so thankful. For me, sports photography was a way to stay in touch with my passion," Gladys said, as quoted by World Athletics. Yes, World Athletics had recently paid tribute to Gladys. I suggest you read the article. I wonder if the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) or any other Malaysian sports entity remembers her.

I miss Ee Hong. I seriously do. She was the former head at the Education Ministry's Sports Unit. And she would answer any query of mine. Here's an example of how she responded to a question I asked her in 2013 during my time in The Malay Mail. Dear Haresh, You are right regarding students aged 18-21 can participate in zone and state level tournaments. MSSM rule3.1.1.4, it states that, “Murid yang berumur lebih daripada 18 tahun tetapi kurang daripada 21 tahun boleh mengambil bahagian di peringkat sekolah, daerah, dan negeri sahaja”. We have contacted our counterpart in MSSKL and informed them about this rule. Read the full article here. Subsequent unit heads, Dr Mahendar Singh and Zainal Abas were also forthcoming with their comments. They were pretty much just a phone call away. So recently I decided to send the acting unit head Razuki A. Rahim about the plans this year as I was planning to do a write-up about sports in schools on news website Twentytwo13 . An email was sent t...

FA of Malaysia president Datuk Hamidin Amin has been named Malaysia's chef de mission (CDM) for the 2021 Vietnam SEA Games. Being the CDM at the SEA Games is no small matter. Just look at the number of athletes and officials from the Malaysian contingent in the previous editions compared to other multi-sports events. What will be equally important is to see how Malaysia fares at the regional Games.  There were those who celebrated like the nation won multiple Olympic gold medals when Malaysia was crowned the overall champions at the 2017 SEA Games.  At the 2019 SEA Games .... So let's see what happens later this year.  And to blame Hamidin, if the contingent fails to perform, will be wrong lah . Can blame Covid-19, blame MCO, blame the fact we never read any of the post mortem reports when we fail, etc .... After all, even the national football team - yes, the team that represents Malaysia's No. 1 sport - can't perform consistently at the regional Games.    All ...

The headline is a summary of a message I received over the weekend. I believe it has something to do with this article that was published on Twentytwo13 yesterday -   It’s back to schools for society promoting Olympism . I replied, asking: Why aren't athletes giving back to the sport once they retire?  My arguement is that some of our ex-elite stars whine but don't seem to make an effort to give back to the sport once they retire. And when someone else, including non-athletes, tries to promote sports, these former athletes whine again. So how do we really move forward?  I remember asking a "legendary" footballer once why isn't he going back to schools to inspire our youths? His reply - he should be paid for doing so. Now this is the same former footballer who goes around saying athletes his generation didn't play for money but for the love of the sport. Personally, I would love to see our former athletes being part of sports in some way or another. And giving...

MCA did what the Malaysia Karate Federation (Makaf) has been struggling to do for the longest time ever - make karate "popular". Even at the grassroots, taekwondo seem to be a more popular choice than karate. But I'm sure the karate folks will beg to differ and I hope they have the numbers to show. Yesterday, Wanita MCA said it will be organising an online karate course for domestic abuse victims. But certain quarters don't think it's a good idea. “Karate is fun to watch on TV and exciting to learn as a form of self-defence – but Wanita MCA has totally missed the mark if they think that it will prevent domestic abuse.” Read  Karate is fun but no cure for domestic abuse, says DAP . If you are into martial arts, you know nothing beats physical practice. Learning martial arts online does not work. And training for months or even years in a controlled environment will never be enough to prepare you for the real deal in an uncontrolled environment. Right or wrong, Wa...

President Anil Murthy insisted the club owner Peter Lim has no plans to sell Valencia despite reports that a sale had been agreed with the Prince of Johor. It follows on from a report in A Punt on Tuesday that said an agreement had been reached which would see control of the club moved away from Lim. This was reported by Football Espana on March 2 . It was in response to what the Crown Prince of Johor Tunku Ismail Ibrahim had posted on his Instagram . Perhaps we got the wrong Valencia ... Mungkin Valencia sini pic.twitter.com/qr9v0BfPFz — Zaid (@hidup_sihat) March 3, 2021 Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. As the famous saying goes: " Bola itu bulat ". Things can happen overnight.

This was taken from page 30 of Berjaya Sports Toto 2020 Annual Report :  Sports Toto views sports development as a key element in nation-building and fostering national unity. Since its inception in 1983, Sports Toto has contributed substantial annual contributions to the National Sports Council, playing a pivotal role in helping the nation to groom sports’ talents over the past 37 years. Fact 1: Sports Toto is a gaming and lottery company.  Fact 2: It contributes between RM30 million and RM40 million to the National Sports Council (NSC or better known as MSN) annually. Today, PAS Pahang was reported as saying that the federal government should not be supportive of gambling "tauke" or companies, regardless of the tax contributions from the industry. This reminds me of my 2018 article, Fewer ‘special draws’ may impact funding for sports , that was published on news website Twentytwo13 . Here are two paragraphs from the article: [Paragraph 8]  NSC has been receiving f...

This was published on  Twentytwo13 earlier today: Is it because: of the hard-hitting 23 executive summaries highlighting severe leadership and management woes which certain quarters cannot stomach? the task force recommended the realignment of staff from government agencies? the task force suggested that a forensic audit be conducted on the Podium Programme audit report? Click Have we forgotten about the Podium Programme Enhancement Task Force report? to read the article. I wonder if anyone has gone through the report, page by page. Baca lah. Dah enam bulan, sure berhabuk by now. Some names were mentioned in the report too. I also wonder who from the government agencies should be "realigned". Just make the report public la. Let it be an education process.  What the committee said is based on their series of interviews - kalau betul, just tambah baik and, if required, remove certain people some their positions. Kalau tak betul,  just explain to the committee why it was had...

  Big just got bigger? Massive... pic.twitter.com/b51Glgx0Wz — Vijhay Vick (@vijhayvick) March 2, 2021 Fuyoh! 

RM33,428,000. That's the total sponsorship in broadcasting rights, sponsors and in kind received by the Malaysian Football League, as announced during the launch of the M-League yesterday. FA of Malaysia president Datuk Hamidin Amin also revealed that more sponsors would be named soon. That's good news, right? This morning I was on Kool FM and was asked about marketing and the M-League. The hosts also highlighted yesterday's event. Covid-19 certainly disrupted plans worldwide. Some teams were forced to call it quits. Others are in the red. It's no different in Malaysia and to be honest, the close to RM34 million sponsorship isn't enough to run the league throughout the season. Also, it's not all cold hard cash.  As I mentioned on the radio show, the teams would need to bank heavily on digital to reach out with its fans. Data is vital as this can target a specific demographic and convince potential sponsors of the possible reach and eyeballs. It's about knowi...