Foul!

This article was written by current Sportswriters Association of Malaysia president Ahmad Khawari Isa during his time at Berita Harian. The article below was written by News Straits Times sports editor Vijesh Rai when he was covering football as a journalist. Both articles appeared on July 30, 1999. It says a lot. It also comes to no surprise to why some fans left the Shah Alam Stadium disgruntled after Malaysia lost 1-0 to Qatar in an Asian Cup qualifying match. HD says: When will we be serious? When will we ever start a major revamp?

Trust should never be compromised — be it in the handling of tickets or the distribution of sponsor money. Breach of trust — no matter how small — will turn people off. Trust comes from all ends — from people who need to place their trust in Malaysian football to the guardians who must realise trust is a valuable commodity. And trust me when I say that the Malaysian football industry is alive and kicking. Read more in Haresh Says . HD says: I trust some may have differing views about this commentary.

FIFA has ordered Ukraine to play its next World Cup qualifier in an empty stadium after its fans hurled racist abuse during its match against San Marino. FIFA said in a statement Friday that "several racist and discriminatory incidents were apparently perpetrated by local supporters during the match, in particular by displaying neo-Nazi banners and by making 'monkey noises and gestures' as well as Nazi salutes." Read more here . Pic: Ukrainian supporters of Karpaty Lviv hold a Nazi flag at a match in 2007, as published here . HD says: No place for racism and politics in sports.

Security was lax, as Ultras Malaya supporters entered the  hockey stadium at 6pm, while waiting for the Johor and  Pahang FA Cup semi-finals to start at 8.45pm at the adjacent  soccer stadium.    The soccer fans were, at first, supporting the hockey  players with drums and constant singing and chanting.      However, with nine minutes left in the match, a group of  the soccer fans went close to the sideline and started taunting  the Korean coach Kim who also double up as an umpire.      They shouted racist words and showed him the index  finger, which angered the coach and he ran to the sidelined to  confront them. ............    There were no Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC)  officials watching the match, and the Malaysian players as  well as officials were the ones who had to defuse the situation  all by themselves. Read the full article on Jugj...

It was certainly a heartbreak for many on Valentine's Day. Malaysia continued to slip down the Fifa rankings as they are now at 159 - a spot below compared to last month. And do expect the team to slip even further based on the upcoming matches (especially the 2015 Asian Cup qualifiers). I had last month written this; Malaysia di tangga 158 Fifa; ranking tidak penting? While K.Rajagobal's lads continue to find their footing, a small portion of fans are beginning to shy away from the stands. There are those who constantly criticise the national team, often comparing the standard of play to the days of Santokh Singh, the late Mokhtar Dahari and Soh Chin Aun. There are also those who are ultra fanatic, supporting the team during good times and bad times. But a majority are giving up their passion towards local football as the same excitement when Malaysia won the AFF Cup in 2010 is fading away. It also doesn't help that despite having a 'professional leag...