Foul!

Picture from Hafiz Hashim's Facebook National shuttler Hafiz Hashim said he is willing to give up playing and turn to coaching if the deal with the BA of Malaysia (BAM) is right. The 2003 All-England men’s singles champion met BAM technical director Morten Frost this morning over the possibility of coaching the national women’s singles team. "I just met Frost and everything went well. It sounded positive," said Hafiz. "I've not accepted anything yet. There are still several details to look into, especially my salary and sponsorship deals. As you know I'm still playing and have obligations. "I'm willing to give up playing, if the deal is right," he added. Hafiz, 34, said there will be another meeting between him and Frost "soon". "If the terms are right, then I'll be looking at joining BAM after the SEA Games, by September perhaps." Hafiz has been playing for Petaling Jaya Badminton Club in the Purple L...

As published in Mailsport today By Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my KUALA LUMPUR — It has been a long agonising wait for Datuk Ong Kim Swee but his dream finally came true after he was named national football coach by FA of Malaysia (FAM) yesterday.   The first person he called to share the good news was his 66-year-old mother, Lee Wee Neo. “She was happy, really happy for me but she quickly reminded me it is not going to be easy and people will have plenty of expectations,” said Kim Swee.   “My family has been my pillar of strength. When things are good, everyone will want to be associated with you but when things don’t go well, the only people you can count on are family.”   The former international, who turned 45 on Dec 11, said it has been a worthwhile wait.  He was kept in limbo for months after FAM remained mum as his contract as the Harimau Muda coach expired last year.   “Yes, I deserve this job. I know some peopl...

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) have today confirmed the appointment of Dollah Salleh as the new head coach of the Malaysia national team. Fresh from leading Premier League side PDRM to top-flight promotion, the Malacca-born coach, who played for the national team between 1985 and 1996, was reportedly handed a two-year contract to replicate his local football success on the international scene. That was reported on June 28, 2014, as seen here . Bernama reported this today:      Meanwhile, Dollah said he had still not obtained any information from the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) on his appointment as the new chief coach of Harimau Malaya.              He only got to know about the matter through several press reports today, and said the decision was made at the first FAM 2014-2018 exco meeting, chaired by FAM president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah yesterday. ...

Former national coach K. Rajagobal could end up plotting the downfall of his former team in upcoming tournaments if he accepts Vietnam's offer to train their national senior and youth squads. Rajagobal and former World Cup winner Marcel Desailly are among the six shortlisted candidates for the Vietnam's national coaching job. And the Malaysian former international is said to be the favourite. After the bitter end to his coaching career in Malaysia last year, Rajagobal is now ready to take up a bigger challenge and is keen to help another nation with his coaching expertise. The 58-year-old has helped to revitalise Malaysian football by guiding the national team to the 2009 Sea Games gold and the 2010 AFF Cup title. Rajagobal was the longest serving national coach, having served FA of Malaysia (FAM) for four and a half years. Appointed as coach in Apr...

It was a pleasant surprise meeting with a former national basketball player while having lunch at the famous Yong Tau Foo restaurant in the heart of Pudu yesterday. Immediately after exchanging pleasantries with the player, who is now part of the national team coaching staff, the conversation naturally went to the national basketball scene. "We are preparing for the (year-end) SEA Games (in Myanmar). Other than that it is a quiet year," the coach said. "Sadly, we are really tight with funds. Basketball has no money...no funding." What about the Petronas deal, I asked. "Petronas is only sponsoring the junior programme. The senior teams (men and women) are left to scout for their own funding." Just before I left, I assured the former player-who-turned-coach that I will visit Maba House soon. Petronas has been pumping in money since the Rakan Sukan programme in the 1990s. While the programme is no longer in existence, the oil giants have con...

It's the time of the year where we see players are scouting for new teams. It's also the time of the year where coaches leave for better opportunities elsewhere. However, we often seen the same faces hopping from one team to another. This certainly does not paint a pretty picture despite the fact there are more than 100 A-licence coaches in the country. I'm also sure we do have local coaches who possess the AFC Pro-Diploma which is equivalent to the UEFA's Pro-Diploma . So where are the other coaches? Apparently some coaches just quit the scene despite their impressive resumes, some have personality issues with the officials that run the FAs. Others claim teams are hesitant to try out a fresh face. But a coach said this to me; "Why would a coach waste his time being part of a state FA that is not well organised? And working with officials who are clueless about football is even worse...a coach will be sacked even if he provides results. Just look at wh...