Foul!

As published in Malay Mail today By Haresh Deol and Wan Noriza Meor Idris mmnews@mmail.com.my KUALA LUMPUR  — The FA of Malaysia (FAM) will “exhaust all options” after it was decided the national team will play North Korea in the 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers in Pyongyang next month. The decision, made by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Monday, sent jitters down the spines of several parties as this will be the nation’s first official visit to the hermit kingdom following a diplomatic row between both countries. China, South Korea and the United States were also at the edge of their seats following threats of nuclear missile tests by the rogue state. FAM general secretary Datuk Hamidin Amin, who was in Bahrain for the annual Fifa Congress, said he would speak to FAM president Tunku Ismail Ibrahim on their next move ahead of the match. “We are concerned. The first thing I’ll do when I get back is to meet Tunku Ismail and get his views. We will exhaust all optio...

As published in Mailsport today Double contracts illegal, say FAM By Nicolas Anil nicolas@mmail.com.my PETALING JAYA — The FA of Malaysia (FAM) said an M-League team cannot offer two contracts to a footballer, deeming the practice illegal. “We have informed all teams and clubs they must only have one official contract recognised by FAM. To offer two contracts to the same player is illegal,” said FAM general-secretary Datuk Hamidin Amin. “This cannot and must not be condoned.” Hamidin also chided the Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia (PFAM) after their chief executive officer Izham Ismail, had on Tuesday said it is not illegal to sign two contracts with one team. Izham said this after revealing 21 players, mostly from Armed Forces, had not been paid wages amounting to RM4.3 million and teams made their players sign two contracts to pay lower income tax, Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Social Security Organisation (Socso) contributions. PF...

As published in Malay Mail today HARESH SAYS By Haresh Deol A NASTY pothole in Section 13, Petaling Jaya, did more than just create a loud thud on my way back from work on Saturday. It dented my rim pretty bad. I had arranged a series of meetings on Monday and they had to be cancelled as I had to visit a service centre nearby to get the rim inspected. I could have taken my car to my regular tyre shop but I did not want to jeopardise the vehicle’s warranty. Such paranoia stems from reading letters sent to Malay Mail Hotline by those taking issue with car manufacturers that cancel warranties over minor jobs carried out by third-party workshops. I drove to the service centre, parked my car, obtained a number and waited for my turn. A young chap attended to me and I showed him the rim. He said: “Sorry sir, but we don’t repair rims here. I suggest you take it to a tyre shop to get it fixed.” I looked at my watch. Thirty minutes wasted. I went to my regular tyre...

As published in Mailsport today By Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my        KUALA LUMPUR — FA of Malaysia (FAM) will write to Fifa for a third time to request the World Cup qualifier against Palestine in Hebron on Nov 12 be played at a neutral venue. This follows recent reports of shootings between security forces and Palestinians recently. Fifa rejected FAM’s two earlier appeals, insisting the match will proceed at Dura Stadium. Saudi Arabia, who meet Palestine in another World Cup qualifier on Thursday, raised concerns of playing in the West Bank in their letter to Fifa on Friday. The teams were scheduled to play in Ramallah on Oct 13 but that was postponed after the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) invoked a case of force majeure preventing their team from travelling to the Palestinian territories. ”We are aware of the situation and will write to Fifa (today) to express our concerns. We have written to them before but that will n...

As published in Mailsport today      By Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my PETALING JAYA — A "Malaysian All Stars" are scheduled to play Indonesian club Persib in Bandung tonight — a match FA of Malaysia (FAM) know nothing about.   FAM general secretary Datuk Hamidin Amin said the national body were in the dark about the game at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium which kicks off at 7pm local time.   "I know nothing and the match has nothing to do with FAM," Hamidin said.   "I don't know who the Malaysian All Stars team are, their players or their officials. Who is behind them ... I don't know."   He added the national body would not send any of their teams to the Republic as the Indonesian FA (PSSI) have been suspended by Fifa due to government interference.   "They can't organise any matches, even their clubs. We can't engage with them, the FA and their clubs. Our teams are well aware of the situation. ...

The article below appeared on the backpage of Sunday Mail . The words in red are strictly my views. By Vijhay Vick PETALING JAYA, July 12 — Perception matters and the FA of Malaysia (FAM) failed miserably at the executive committee (exco) meeting at Wisma FAM yesterday. Perception is known as persepsi in Bahasa Malaysia. Menurut Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Malaysia, persepsi bermaksud bayangan, gambaran atau tanggapan. This comes despite president Tengku Abdullah Shah pledging to the exco, via a letter read by general-secretary Datuk Hamidin Amin, he would step down if Malaysia fail to qualify for the 2019 Asian Cup. Really?  This is what The Star's K. Rajan wrote in his article today: " He has pulled off a similar stunt before. Tengku Abdullah had resigned as FAM deputy president in 2007 after the national team crashed out from the group stage of the 2007 Asian Cup – without a single win. Three years later, in 2010, he was b...

As published in Mailsport today By Nicolas Anil  nicolas@mmail.com.my PETALING JAYA — FA of Malaysia (FAM) secretary-general Datuk Hamidin Amin has promised to resolve the Terengganu fiasco as soon possible. The Turtles could face disciplinary action after their fans clashed with police following referee Amirul Izwan Yaacob’s decision to disallow a last minute goal against LionsXII in the FA Cup semifinals on Saturday.  Two Terengganu players were also sent off, which led to fans taking their frustrations out on the police. Four vehicles were destroyed — including an ambulance — which was torched. “We received the match report from the general coordinator and the match officials on Monday.  Our legal department will send a letter to Terengganu FA (TFA) requesting an explanation before the disciplinary board decides on the matter,” said Hamidin.  The fracas also left the visiting team and its 199 fans stranded at the Sultan Mizan Z...

As published in Mailsport today By Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my KUALA LUMPUR — Its anti-hooliganism campaign has clearly failed as the FA of Malaysia (FAM) wants to introduce tough penalties including forcing teams to play in empty stadiums to combat rioting on the stands. FAM general secretary Datuk Hamidin Amin said the Kuala Terengganu incident last Saturday had dented efforts to educate supporters about respect and sportsmanship and it was high time tough decisions were made. Fans went wild at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium as they torched an ambulance and destroyed a police vehicle after referee Amirul Izwan Yaacob disallowed a goal by the home team in the FA Cup return leg semifinal, allowing LionsXII to play Kelantan in Saturday’s final. “We are tired of talking and must make a stand now. We cannot tolerate violence and must put an end to this,” said Hamidin. “There are provisions for the disciplinary committee to instruct teams to play in empty st...

As published in Mailsport today By Vijhay Vick vijhay@mmail.com.my PETALING JAYA - The FA of Malaysia (FAM) are keeping mum over talks that the national body is contemplating paying between RM400,000 and RM1.2 million to a third party to evaluate three potential sponsorship deals for the coming season. FAM deputy president Datuk Mokhtar Ahmad ( pic) , tasked to conduct the assessment, refused to comment over the matter. "I do not have the mandate to comment on this. It is best if these questions were directed to the president (Tengku Abdullah Shah)," he said. "We are still in the midst of evaluating the three deals. There is a need to be meticulous as it must be in the best interest of Malaysian football." Efforts to contact FAM general-secretary Datuk Hamidin Amin proved futile. Malay Mail, in its column Haresh Says yesterday, revealed there were efforts of getting a third party to make the decision on behalf of FAM. The article quoted an i...

As published in Malay Mail today By Vijhay Vick vijhayvick@mmail.com.my PETALING JAYA — FA of Malaysia (FAM) general secretary Datuk Hamidin Amin conceded there was a miscommunication between the national body and the Malaysian Stadium Corporation (MSC), the guardians of the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. The Malaysia Cup final between Pahang and Johor Darul Takzim, the Lan Berambeh Anak Sarawak 2014 Carnival and a Buddhist prayers event all take place in and around the National Stadium tomorrow. Mayhem is expected as more than 150,000 people are likely to converge  on the vicinity of the 100,000 capacity stadium. Further, carparks A and B are closed for the Sarawakian event while the prayers take place at the Putra Stadium. “It was a miscommunication. For them (MSC) the stadium is in good condition and able to host the final. Only later, we realised about the other two events,” said Hamidin. However, Hamidin insisted the National Stadium ...

Haresh Says as published in Mailsport today. Jeremy Matthew Danker started his career with Public Bank FC in 2003 and made his break with the now defunct UPB-MyTeam in 2007. He donned KL’s colours for a brief period before featuring for Sabah FA and Johor United. He returned to Kuala Lumpur in 2012 but that marked the end of his career. Jeremy and four others — Khairul Anuar, Hafizi Roslee, Fadhulah Yunsiar and Phoo Kai Lun — were slapped with life bans by the FA of Malaysia (FAM) last year following allegations of match-fixing. He left the sport for good and now works as a personal trainer. But Jeremy is a “victim” too. He is owed wages amounting to RM50,000 by Sabah FA. After numerous phone calls and letters to Sabah FA and FAM, the national body’s players’ status committee made a decision requiring Sabah FA to pay him the monies owed within 14 days of a letter dated January 24, 2014. It has been almost eight months since the letter was issued. Yet, Jeremy has not ...

The FA of Malaysia (FAM) are taking steps to curb match-fixing activities, including syndicates flying in teams to play dubious matches in Malaysia. “We have learnt from the Zimbabwe saga and there will not be a repeat under my watch, that I assure you,” said FAM general-secretary Datuk Hamidin Amin (pic), referring to a Zimbabwe club side that masqueraded as its national team in 2009. “We have had meetings with our integrity committee. All I can say is the authorities will act against any Malaysian suspected of fixing matches.” Read more in The Malay Mail today. HD says: Here's hoping we will not be 'conned' by bookies in the future.

I had on Tuesday highlighted about the national Under-16 team playing as Frenz United FC in a friendly match against Liverpool Under-17 team in my column Haresh Says, published in The Malay Mail . Having read the commentary, The Malay Mail correspondent SS Dhaliwal checked with FA of Malaysia (FAM) general-secretary Hamidin Amin as tweeted by Dhaliwal: On Thursday, Hamidin painted a different picture as he was quoted by Mailsport saying: “We endorsed the idea of using the Frenz jersey. It is not a big deal. FAM and Frenz have an agreement should any untoward incidents occur too." Read the full report here . While FAM may think it is "not a big deal", their other stakeholders - the Education Ministry - are not impressed at all. And those in the ministry are also not amused with the name dropping, as some quarters had been using, or rather misusing, deputy prime minister cum education minister Muhyiddin Yassin's name. I wonder if Muhyiddin knows abou...

Here are some paragraphs from Vijhay Vick's article in The Malay Mail today: 1. The national body also prematurely decided on increasing the M-League foreign quota to four players, leaving Super League and Premier League teams in a mad rush to sign players 11 days before the Dec 4 Fifa deadline. 2. National coach K.Rajagobal refused to comment on the decision, opting to wait until FAM officially informs him. 3. When asked about (Harimau Muda A) Ong's (Kim Swee) contract extension, (FAM general secretary) Hamidin  (Amin) would only say that “it would be discussed soon’’. It would be interesting to see Ong as interim coach in addition to overseeing the National Under-23 squad when FAM have yet to even tie him down with a contract. 4. FAM will be hoping that Fifa’s Transfer Matching System (TMS) would allow an extension beyond to the Dec 4 transfer window deadline for foreigners. Increase quota of players with only 11 days before deadline? Did not inform Rajagobal that FAM ...

I was wrong in my 'ramalan'. Based on their current form and the team's build up especially throughout the Malaysia Cup, I thought Kelantan would defeat Pahang 2-0 in the final. Instead, Pahang's Argentinean star Matias Conti ( pic ) scored the solitary goal of the match and it was enough for Pahang to clinch the title they last won in 1992. It was a different Kelantan on the field, especially in the last 15 minutes of the match. Pahang clearly had more fire compared to the Red Warriors. 'Tok Gajah tamat kemarau 21 tahun' as reported by Harian Metro and Pahang ends 21-year wait, as reported in The Malay Mail today. This marks the end of the 2013 season which, sadly, has been plagued with the same problems - players not being paid wages on time, claims of match-fixing, horrible playing ground, ticketing issues and fans lighting up flares at the stands. It also saw changes within the FA of Malaysia - mainly Hamidin Amin replacing Azzudin Ahmad as the g...

FA of Malaysia (FAM) general secretary Hamidin Amin is seeking for capable deputy after Ahmad Fuad Daud ( pic ) tendered his resignation last month. Currently serving his one month notice which ends on Aug 30, Ahmad Fuad is set to join Felda. "I will need to interview some candidates for the post first. Hopefully I'll be able to make an announcement by September," said Hamidin. Meanwhile, Total Sports Asia confirmed Liverpool are "highly unlikely" to play PKNS FC next year in conjunction with PKNS' 50th anniversary. Liverpool will most likely head to US for their pre-season tour. However, PKNS will still play a "big team" and together with Total Sports Asia are in the midst of compiling a list of teams that could fly to Kuala Lumpur, despite the World Cup in Brazil. One team that could head here is Real Madrid as PKNS and the Spanish club established ties after signing an MoU earlier this year. Read all this and more in The Malay Ma...

Semua pemain, pegawai pasukan dan pemain import yang terlibat dalam Liga Malaysia diwajibkan untuk mengisytiharkan harta masing-masing berkuatkuasa mulai musim depan. Setiausaha Agung Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia (FAM), Datuk Hamidin Mohd. Amin berkata, langkah tersebut perlu sebagai usaha untuk mengekang gejala mengatur perlawanan yang kembali menular dalam liga tempatan. Baca laporan penuh di sini . Ini merupakan satu langkah proaktif dari FAM untuk membendung gejala bookie yang berleluasa sejak zaman 90-an lagi. Singapura dan beberapa negara yang lain juga mengamalkan proses yang sama buat pegawai dan pemain bola sepak mereka. Apa yang penting sekarang adalah untuk memastikan bahawa peraturan ini diamalkan oleh pihak-pihak yang berkenaan. FAM juga harus berani mengambil tindakan jika ada pihak yang tidak mengikut peraturan yang ditetapkan. Tidak lama dahulu, FAM mengenakan syarat bahawa pasukan (kelab mahupun persatuan negeri) yang tidak membayar gaji, KWSP or Socso p...

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...