Foul!

Anugerah Persatuan Penulis-Penulis Sukan Malaysia (SAM) bukan sekadar meraikan hasil laporan-laporan media terbaik setiap tahun. Ianya juga merupakan medan untuk para pengamal media sukan Malaysia berjumpa antara satu sama lain, mengeratkan lagi silaturahim sesama kita. Acara-acara sebegini juga merupakan "timely reminder" betapa pentingnya semangat persaudaraan dikalangan organisasi-organisasi and petugas-petugas media.  Malang sekali, saya tidak dapat hadir ke Hotel Seri Pacific, Kuala Lumpur pada malam Khamis lalu disebabkan hal yang tidak dapat dielakkan. Namun, tahniah diucapkan kepada para pemenang anugerah SAM 2023. Harap kemenangan anda semua akan menyuntik semangat untuk terus melaporkan, dan memberi pandangan untuk kebaikan ekosistem sukan Malaysia. Senarai pemenang: 1. ⁠ Anugerah Siebel 2023 – Aida Adilah Mat, Mohd Firdaus Hashim, Amirul Fazli Zulkafli (Harian Metro) 2. ⁠ Pengulas Popular SAM 2023 – Suzana Basri (Astro Arena; 79,789 undi) 3. ⁠ Laporan Berita T...

Surat layang , or rather ' mesej Whatsapp (or some will pronounce as Wasup) layang '. That was what I received this afternoon from a number that is not registered on my phone. The sender identified him/herself as " ahli yg memerhati tingkah laku BAM " (Badminton Association of Malaysia). The four chapters were titled as:  'Siapa dia Tan Sri BAM "Mr P"' Perletakan Jawatan Presiden BAM 'Siapa Tengku Zafrul' Kemelut Dalaman BAM There were many allegations to which the sender justified as not " fitnah " but " hakikat apa yg berlaku ". The four chapters highlights Mr P's "connection kuat ", goes into why Tengku Zafrul was named as the incoming BAM president, and takes issue with the establishment of 'Yayasan Badminton Nasional' and Akademi Badminton Malaysia. The writer (unsure if the sender is also the writer) also wrote that ' majority in the Council dalam BAM semua tak berani buat laporan sebab tak...

Shuttlers from around the globe will be in Kuala Lumpur from Oct 31 to Nov 5 for the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Tour Super 100 tournament, BERGAMOT Kuala Lumpur Masters Malaysia Super 100 2023.  The points earned during this Super 100 circuit will not only contribute to the qualification for the year-end BWF World Tour Finals but also play a crucial role in the Race to Paris Qualification. Get ready for world-class badminton action featuring exceptional players, including our local heroes, at the Stadium Titiwangsa. Secure your tickets for this Super 100 tournament starting from today, available online at https://my.bookmyshow.com /. KLBA President & BERGAMOT KL Masters Malaysia Super 100 2023 advisor, Datuk Seri Dr Jahaberdeen Mohamard Yunoos expressed his gratitude, as he thanked the BA of Malaysia for its unwavering support and for entrusting Kuala Lumpur BA to host the tournament.  "My sincere appreciation goes to our main sponsor, Kuala Lumpur City Hall, for its...

Untuk siaran segera Buat peminat sukan negara dan pecinta wayang inilah masa yang dinanti-nantikan apabila dokumentari siri bertajuk SEPULUH akan disiarkan di Astro Arena (Saluran 801) setiap hari Jumaat pada jam 9.00 malam, bermula 24 November 2023 nanti.  Enam siri dokumentari yang dihasilkan ini nanti akan membawa anda menyusuri  perjalanan suka duka, jatuh bangun yang ditempuhi Safee dalam kerjayanya sebagai pemain bola sepak selama hampir dua dekad. Selain temubual bersama watak-watak yang memainkan peranan penting dalam kehidupan bekas bintang bola sepak ini terdapat juga rakaman dan momen-momen menarik yang tidak pernah dilihat dalam meneroka usahanya yang tidak henti untuk mencapai kejayaan.  Mengulas mengenai dokumentari ini, Safee berkata ini adalah bukti bahawa setiap kerja keras dan keazaman yang tinggi akan membuatkan segala impian menjadi kenyataan.  "Saya berharap kisah perjalanan kehidupan saya ini  akan menjadi satu cerita yang akan memberi insp...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Malaysia has qualified for the Under -23 Asian Cup football tournament in Doha, Qatar next year under the supervision of head coach, E. Elavarasan.   Malaysia qualified previously in 2018 and 2022. This is an achievement by all means, given the fact that Elavarasan only had around seven months to mould the team into a winning combination. Elavarasan, who is also the assistant to senior national team coach Kim Pan-gon, has a very successful coaching journey in the Malaysian Super League.   He has a 'midas touch' and has continuously achieved great success with many teams that he had managed in the Malaysian league. He has a knack of leading under-performing teams to get promotion to a higher league and is known to be a no-nonsense coach and disciplinarian on the field. As the head coach of the U-23 national squad, his squad won the Merlion Cup in Singapore, reached the semi-finals of the AFF U-23 Cup in in Rayong and recently achieved their target to qualif...

PRESS RELEASE The Youth and Sports Ministry of Malaysia and the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at UPM-MTDC Technology Centre III in Serdang today.  The partnership is aimed at advancing the nation's youth into the domains of Industry 4.0 and technopreneurship, marks a significant milestone in the government's commitment to foster youth development and drive technological innovation. This MoU is a continuation from the previous successful collaboration between the ministry and MTDC where a memorandum of cooperation was signed between both parties for the Transformation Of Technical, Vocational Education (TVET) programmes, in March this year at Kuala Lumpur Industrial Training Institute. This new partnership, MTDC will be supporting the ministry with advisory services and support, as well as the implementation of the teaching factory in educational deliveries to university students under the TVET programmes. The advi...

Berikut merupakan antara cadangan-cadangan Kementerian Belia dan Sukan untuk Bajet 2024 yang akan dibentangkan bulan hadapan. 1. Pengasingan sukan daripada kategori gaya hidup 2. Meneruskan dan memperluaskan inisiatif pelepasan cukai tambahan bagi aktiviti sukan berdasarkan senarai baharu 103 sukan berkuatkuasa Mac 2023 seperti berikut: 3. Pelepasan cukai tambahan sebanyak RM5,000 khusus berkaitan dengan aktiviti sukan yang dibelanjakan oleh individu bagi: • pembelian peralatan sukan untuk aktiviti sukan mengikut Akta Pembangunan Sukan 1997. • bayaran sewaan atau fi kemasukan ke mana-mana fasiliti sukan. • bayaran fi pendaftaran bagi penyertaan pertandingan sukan yang diluluskan di bawah Akta Pembangunan Sukan 1997. • Bayaran jurulatih/latihan/kelas untuk aktiviti sukan mengikut Akta Pembangunan Sukan 1997. Justifikasi: Impak kepada negara 1. Pembudayaan gaya hidup sihat dan aktif melalui aktiviti bersukan kepada semua peringkat sebagai pelaburan  kepada negara bagi mengurangkan be...

ANUGERAH SIEBEL Mohd Zulhelmi Zainal Alam & Mohd Nor Syafiq Safian (Astro Arena) LAPORAN BERITA TERBAIK (MEDIA CETAK) Pemenang : Mohd Firdaus Mohd Hashim  Agensi        : Harian Metro Tajuk          : Datuk Seri Putar Alam LAPORAN BERITA TERBAIK (MEDIA ELEKTRONIK) Pemenang : Hasnida Hanim Ahmad Kamil Agensi         : TV3 Tajuk : False Start Musnahkan Impian Azeem ULASAN BERITA TERBAIK (MEDIA CETAK) Pemenang : Mohd Saipul Adil Mohamad Agensi         : Harian Metro Tajuk : Jangan Sampai Berulang ULASAN BERITA TERBAIK (MEDIA ELEKTRONIK) Pemenang : Nur Amira Ibrahim/Abdul Rahman Zulhairy Agensi         : MFL Tajuk : P. Rajes Tetap Dikenang LAPORAN KHAS SUKAN TERBAIK (TERBUKA) Pemenang : Mohd Zulhelmi Zainal Alam/ Nor Syafiq Safian Agensi         : Astro Arena Tajuk : AAORCA FOTOGRAFI SUKAN TERBAIK  Pemenang : Amir Khal...

Siaran media Presiden Persatuan Badminton Malaysia (BAM) Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria dipilih sebagai penerima Anugerah Tokoh Kepimpinan Sukan pada Majlis Anugerah Persatuan Penulis-Penulis Sukan Malaysia (SAM)-100PLUS 2022. “Tan Sri Norza menunjukkan ketegasan yang jelas terhadap isu-isu berkaitan pentadbiran dan pengurusan badan sukan kebangsaan. Bakat kepimpinan yang dimiliki beliau tidak dapat disangkal lagi.  “Kami berharap dengan anugerah ini, akan memberikan motivasi kepada Tan Sri Norza untuk terus berusaha memartabatkan badan sukan di negara ini,” kata Naib Presiden SAM, Hazreen Mubarak.  Norza menggalas jawatan Presiden Persatuan Badminton Malaysia (BAM) bermula 2017 menggantikan Tan Sri Tengku Mahaleel Tengku Ariff yang berundur kerana faktor kesihatan. Pencapaian terbaik beliau bersama BAM adalah menamatkan penantian Malaysia untuk muncul juara di Kejohanan Dunia 2022 menerusi beregu lelaki, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik selain tiga pingat perak Sukan Olimpik Rio de Jan...

SIARAN MEDIA Pelumba muda negara Muhammad Hakim Danish Ramli dipilih oleh Persatuan Penulis-Penulis Sukan Malaysia (SAM) sebagai penerima Anugerah Atlet Muda Terbaik Anugerah SAM-100Plus 2022. Pemilihannya adalah berdasarkan aksi yang konsisten dalam setiap pertandingan yang disertai pelumba motosikal berusia 16 tahun itu sepanjang tahun 2022. Naib Presiden SAM Hazreen Mubarak berkata kejayaan Muhammad Hakim Danish bergelar juara keseluruhan perlumbaan Asia Talent Cup (ATC) 2022 di Mandalika Street Circuit di Lombok Indonesia menjadi faktor utama pemilihan sebagai penerima anugerah ini. Kejayaan itu juga menyaksikan Muhammad Hakim Danish muncul rakyat Malaysia pertama dan pelumba kedua dari Asia Tenggara bergelar juara keseluruhan sejak saingan perlumbaan itu diperkenalkan pada tahun 2014. Pelumba berusia 16 tahun itu untuk mengesahkan kejuaraannya sejurus unggul mengumpul keseluruhan 187 mata untuk mengatasi pelumba Jepun, Shinya Ezawa yang mengutip 177 mata. “Prestasi membanggakan pa...

SIARAN AKHBAR KUALA LUMPUR, 19 Februari 2023: Penganjuran Kejohanan Tenpin Boling Persatuan Penulis-Penulis Sukan Malaysia (SAM)-Yayasan Kebajikan Atlet Kebangsaan (Yakeb) 2023 berlangsung meriah dengan penyertaan seramai 108 peserta daripada 27 pasukan.  Presiden SAM, Norismadi Abdul Manap berkata, kejohanan itu berjaya mencapai objektif penganjuran untuk mengumpulkan dan mengeratkan silaturrahim antara pengamal-pengamal media sukan di Malaysia.  "Tujuan penganjuran kejohanan ini lebih kepada berkumpul dan melakukan aktiviti bersama semua media sukan dan ahli-ahli SAM.  "Kejohanan ini juga diharapkan dapat mengukuhkan kerjasama yang baik antara pengamal media dengan Yakeb. Peranan media amat penting untuk membantu menyalurkan maklumat kepada umum," katanya. Sementara itu, Pengerusi Yakeb, Datuk Noorul Ariffin Abdul Majeed berharap kejohanan tersebut dapat menjadi titik permulaan kepada lebih banyak kerjasama antara SAM dengan pihaknya pada masa depan. "Saya terharu...

Rocky Bru started his blog post with these words: "I don't mean to be rude, my zzz refers to the three Zs: Zahid Hamidi, Zafrul Abdul Aziz and Zambry Kadir. (Rafidah Aziz got the first two Zs but missed out on the third in Why Zahid, Why Zafrul?) in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's newly-formed Cabinet." Read Anwar's Cabinet: zzz ... I was attending the Methodist Boys School Sentul (MBSS) Old Boys' Association's 62nd anniversary dinner last night when Anwar named his Cabinet. The reaction among my former school mates - those who were my classmates and my seniors - were: "Tengku Zafrul masuk Kabinet?" "Zahid Hamidi is the deputy prime minister? "It's a joke. Zzzz ..." Thank God Tan Sri Azman Hashim, the AmBank big boss who is also a former MBSS student, drowned the conversations as he took the centrestage at the HSH Convention Centre Sentul, in Kuala Lumpur, singing some 10 songs.  Boy, that man can really sing! Or perhaps he was ...

"The real winner is Atok (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad), lah." "He may have lost Langkawi, but he has pretty much killed Umno and BN." My phone has been buzzing throughout the day with many sharing their views. But most of them start the conversation with a common question - so will be PM10? The 15th General Election in Malaysia on Nov 19 resulted in a hung parliament. It is an unprecedented moment in the nation's history. The battle to be the next prime minister is between Pakatan Harapan's Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Perikatan Nasional's Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Anwar is eager to fulfill his ambition of being PM. This is pretty much his last kopek.  Muhyiddin is adamant of reclaiming the top spot in Putrajaya following his brief (17 months) stint in office (between 2020 and 2021). "Dr M's move of splitting the Malay votes contributed to Perikatan Nasional making an impression in GE15." But there were those who insisted that PH, having the mo...

Malaysia Snooker and Billiards Federation president Melvin Chia had late last night informed me about Lim Kok Leong's ( main picture ) historic win at the World Amateur Snooker Championship in  Antalya, Turkey. Lim defeated Amir Sarkhosh, the former Asian Champion from Iran, 5-0. My first question to Melvin was: "So was he there alone, or with a coach?" Melvin replied: "Where got money for full time coach lah . Sam Chong is only hired on an ad hoc basis." Melvin was referring to the legendary Sam Chong, who coached the Malaysian side during the a series of world events held in Pandan Indah, Kuala Lumpur recently. So who was in Turkey? The cue artists who represented Malaysia were Lim, Moh Keen Hoo and Chooi Yew Wah. Their team manager was Iskandar Perwira Putra while another Malaysian was there as a referee. The best ever achievement by a Malaysian before this year's edition was reaching the quarter finals. Not bad for a sport that doesn't enjoy much s...

The general election fever is here. Quite a number of familiar faces in the sports scene will be trying their luck for a place in Parliament. They include Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, who was dropped by Barisan Nasional (BN), and now plans to contest against BN to defend his Arau parliamentary seat. There's also Datuk Seri Megat Zulkarnain Omardin who will be going up against Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari and Datuk Seri Azmin Ali in Gombak. Now imagine if the National Sports Council had an 'election'. Its director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail turned 59 on Sept 28. I've been hearing him say " penat lah " (tired) since Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman was Youth and Sports Minister.  It's not easy being in the hot seat - dealing with four ministers (and their four different agendas) since 2018. Then there's shortage of funds and national associations that remain overly reliant on the government's money via NSC. Regardless if Ahmad Shapawi leaves once a ...

1. Pegawai sukan dan wartawan sukan mempunyai hubungan yang istimewa. Mereka saling memerlukan satu sama lain. 2. Ada yang suka apa yang dilaporkan. Ada pula yang akan melenting. Yang pasti, laporan harus objektif dan mampu memperkasakan lagi industri sukan negara. 3. Dalam tempoh 22 tahun saya berkecimpung dalam industri kewartawanan, ada yang tidak menyukai kritikan saya. Ada pula yang berpendapat dunia kewartawanan serupa dengan perhubungan awam - sepatutnya tulis " cantik-cantik saje ye. " 4. Saya juga pernah disaman. Ada yang gembira sakan apabila saya disaman 11 tahun yang lalu. Namun, hakim membatalkan kes saman malu (defamation) tersebut dan berkata ianya " an abuse of judicial process ".  5. Pernah di Kongres Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia (FAM) lebih sedekad yang lalu, presiden FAM Allahyarham Sultan Ahmad Shah berkata kepada saya, "You ah, sometimes hit below the belt. But don't worry, I won't get angry." Ini berikutan hasil tulisan krit...

Kuala Lumpur City FC will play Oman's Al Seeb in the AFC Cup final scheduled tomorow (Oct 22; 7pm) at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur. The team has come a long way since the city boys hogged the backpages of local dailes in the 80s and 90s, But the city outfit went through troubled times. Eleven years ago, the situation was so bad that a group of fans decided to start a Save KLFA campaign. To me, it was a humiliating moment for the administrators. Today, it's a different Kuala Lumpur football team. Firstly, it's a club (note the change in name) and secondly, it has marked its presence in the region. KL City FC has home advantage. While Al Seeb may be labelled as the favourites, deep down I believe Bojan Hodak's lads could win the title.  All the best to KL City FC and Al Seeb. Here's to a spectacular show. Is KL football finally safe? I would like to see what happens after GE15. This is because we've had individuals from different political af...

"Haresh, meet S.S Dhaliwal. It's like a name of a ship." I was in the midst of typing an article when Johnson Fernandez's voice broke the silence. Standing next to the then Malay Mail sports editor was a tall man clad in a turban. His name: Satwant Singh Dhaliwal. The year was 2001. It was my early days with the daily. The introduction took place when the Malay Mail crew shared the same office space with the New Straits Times - right at the far corner on the fourth floor of Balai Berita in Jalan Riong, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. Satwant already had a reputation of sorts prior to joining the newspaper. He was a respected hockey administrator, especially during his days with Yayasan Negeri Sembilan and the Negeri Sembilan state team. As a journalist, he stayed true to his byline: S.S. Dhaliwal - where his articles were similar to that of a large ship that simply cannot be missed. He has made good friends along the way. He also made enemies. As the saying goes, in life, you ...

  Politicians just seem to love sports. MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong met ex-badminton stars Datuk Foo Kok Keong and Datuk Cheah Soon Kit at Wisma MCA in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Wee presented both the former shuttlers a plaque each and congratulated them for receiving their Datukships. Here's what Wee posted on his Facebook page: "Datuk Foo was conferred the Panglima Jasa Negara (PJN) by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong earlier this year. Datuk Cheah received his Datukship, Darjah Panglima Mahkota Wilayah (PMW), in conjunction with the Federal Territory Day celebration last year." One got his Datukship last year, the other earlier this year. Now only want to give a plaque and congratulate? Wee must be a very busy man, eh. I would congratulate somebody almost immediately, and not wait months or over a year just to do so.  I mean if Wee wins his parliamentary seat in GE15, I'm sure he would want to congratulate him almost immediately, and not months or a year later, k...

I wrote about Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker's move to contest in Kuantan on Sept 23 .  Ti, a lawyer, is MCA's vice-president and enjoys a close relationship with the Pahang royal household. Soon after, I received several phone calls from MCA folks informing me that their ex-president Tan Sri Liow Tiong Lai ( main image ) is eyeing to reclaim the Bentong Parliamentary seat. Liow was the incumbent MP for Bentong since 2008 but lost the seat to DAP’s Wong Tack in the 2018 General Election.  Nevertheless, 'Uncle Liow' seems to still be championing Bentong matters - based on what is reflected on his social media platforms. "But will MCA's top leadership allow Liow to contest in Bentong? Firstly, he lost there when he was president and secondly, certain quarters are afraid that if he wins, it will be seen as his comeback and he may then eye for the presidency post," said a ranking MCA official. Another official said: "Is he there most of his time, or his represent...