Foul!

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...

Is it right for the national team to don the colours of another even for a one-off friendly match? That seems to be the question raised by many after watching Frenz United FC Under-16 team play Liverpool Under-17 at the Selayang Stadium on Saturday. Liverpool won 2-1 as Najumuddin Samad scored the solitary goal for Frenz United. The match, aired live on TV1 and by regional broadcasters Fox Sports, saw a bulk of the national youth players donning Frenz United colours. Even national Under-16 coach S. Balachandran wore a Frenz United jersey. Many, including those within the FA of Malaysia (FAM), were unable to comprehend the arrangement while the Education Ministry’s sports unit held discussions about the matter. Any programmes involving school children must obtain the approval of the ministry. Insiders claimed the ministry were unaware the team would play as Frenz United. “I’m liaising with FAM to sort this matter out as we only deal with the national body,” said sports unit head Ee Hon...