Foul!

UPDATE 12.44pm: Here is the podcast of the show 'Pressing Matters' that I was on this morning. --- ORIGINAL POST I will be on BFM this morning (9.30am) to speak about the stand off between Selangor FA and the state government. For those in the dark over the nauseating episode (or those who lost track on how the whole fiasco started), here's my 'Selangor FA v State Government Saga for Dummies': Main actors: i. Datuk Seri Azmin Ali (Selangor Menteri Besar & PKR deputy president) ii. Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal (Selangor FA president, was vice president when Azmin was Selangor FA president, Umno man, former state assemblyman for Taman Templer and now a businessman) Supporting actors: i. Amirudin Shari ( Selangor Youth, Culture and Entrepreneur Development Committee chairman) ii. Rosman Ibrahim (Selangor FA general secretary) iii. Datuk S. Sivasundram (Selangor FA treasurer) Plot Azmin quit s as Selangor FA president in December 2016, claimi...

“Ini janji kita kalau BN menang, hari ini kita menang, esok kita akan berikan stadium kepada FAS. Menteri besar Selangor perlu hormati pasukan ‘The Red Giant’. “Pasukan ini sudah puluhan tahun mencipta nama. Bayangkan kalau pasukan bola yang mempunyai ribuan penyokong, akhirnya dikecewakan kerana ada unsur politik." Those were the words of Selangor Umno chief Noh Omar. Read the full article ' Hari ini menang, esok serah Stadium Shah Alam, kata Noh '. And this was my immediate respond to the article on Twitter : I don't know if Noh Omar will claim he was misconstrued. Such 'U-turns' occur quiet often among politicians. But following his views, as reported by the online portal, Noh Omar joins a list of politicians who love scoring own goals. We all know the politics revolving Selangor FA even before Noh Omar jumped on the Shah Alam Stadium bandwagon. And it's sickening. PKR's Azmin Ali, the man who has blocked me from Twitter, i...

As published in Malay Mail today. HARESH SAYS By Haresh Deol   THEY gathered at the Stade de France, eager to see two world class football teams in action. France hosted Germany in an international friendly in Paris last Friday, as 80,000 fans chanted, took selfies and cheered for their favourite players in action. But the smiles quickly turned into panic, and for some, tears. Those at the stands, including French President Francois Hollande, were jolted following terror attacks that hit various parts of the French capital. They later learnt one of the three bombs set off near the arena was supposed to be detonated inside the stadium. Authorities said an explosion at the terrace would have triggered a deadly stampede. The death toll of 129 could have increased to thousands. Bodies would be seen all over the field as some of the best footballers in the world would have also been killed. Those in the stadium have one man to thank — an unidentified security personnel. Secu...

As published in Malay Mail today HARESH SAYS By Haresh Deol BLOODIED faces, tears of fear. That is not the picture one would expect after Áo Đỏ (the nickname of Vietnam’s national football team which means Red Jersey) edged Harimau Malaya 2-1 in the AFF Cup first leg semi final at Shah Alam Stadium on Sunday. Kicks and punches flew soon as the final whistle was blown. It was an ugly sight that marred the beautiful game. Hooligans tainted the sport, as their stupidity went against fair play, respect and sportsmanship. Apologies, and plenty of it, emerged as sympathisers pacified Vietnamese supporters hoping our foreign guests do not paint a dark image on Malaysian football supporters. As the Malay saying goes, kerana nila setitik, rosak susu sebelanga (One bad apple spoils the whole barrel). We can take issue in so many ways. For starters, the FA of Malaysia’s anti-hooliganism campaign launched in February had failed big time. To put it ...

Barcelona, without its famous Lionel Messi, defeated Malaysia 3-1 in an exhibition match at the Shah Alam Stadium yesterday. Some paid RM688 to watch the Spanish team play as Messi, who is reportedly "nursing an injury" sat by the sidelines. Several interesting incidents happened throughout the run-up to the match and on match day. Share your 'valuable' experience - may it be the "polite" conversation you had with the security folks, if getting to Shah Alam, instead of Bukit Jalil after being told at the 11th hour, was an "enjoyable" experience, if any Barcelona players waved at you or if you paid top Ringgit but "preferred" to stand throughout the match - all for the love of Barcelona FC. Would LOVE to hear from the Barcelona fans out there. HD says: Barcelona is a fun city.

“Anyhow, even if we do not win, we still have to be positive." Why so negative K.Rajagobal? The quote, as published by Sports247 , indeed raised eyebrows for why would a national coach admit defeat, to a certain extent, even before the match begins? Malaysia host Yemen in the 2015 Asian Cup qualifiers,a match that could seriously go either way. In fact, the Harimau Malaya squad could have the upper hand playing in their own den. However, Rajagobal is pressured to obtain results. He needs to pacify the fans and certain quarters who are beginning to chart the former international's exit from the national set up. It must be made clear - that the quote above aside - Rajagobal's ultimatum is qualifying for the Asian Cup and the qualifying rounds have only entered into its second match. There are those who continue to question the selection of players and the tactics employed by Rajagobal and his coaching staff. It is only natural for coaches to select players that ...

...Trent Milton scoring a goal in the dying minutes as Australia bagged the Azlan Shah Cup with the final score of 3-2. However, the Malaysians were the first to start the ball rolling thanks to Faizal Saari. Australia equalised through Nicholas Budgeon and later took the lead through Carig Boyne's effort. Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin made it 2-2 for the host team but it wasn't enough as the team from Down Under stole the limelight in front of a packed stadium in the final minutes of the match. This is Malaysia's fourth appearance in the final but they have yet to win the tournament. It was also painful to watch the friendly (football) match between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia at the Shah Alam Stadium yesterday. The Harimau Malaya hardly threatened the visitors as the Saudis were two goals up at half time courtesy of Yousef Alsalem and Yahya Alshehri. K.Rajagobal's lads put on a better show in the second half and were rewarded with a goal thanks to Safiq Rahim. N...

It is named after the ruler of a state. He is also the longest serving president of the national football association. Yet, no pride was seen during the Sultan Ahmad Cup Shah match at the Shah Alam Stadium last night. The prize giving ceremony turned out to be more of a "have to" instead of a "want to" situation. Players were quickly handed their medals, more of a rushed situation as those in the stadium and viewers out there wondered if the organisers wanted to get the whole ceremony over and done with in a jiffy. The turnout wasn't great but perhaps it is the start of the season and to host a match at the 80,000 capacity stadium would certainly make a small turn look really minute.  And there is nothing charitable about the match as the FA of Malaysia calls it the Sultan Ahmad Shah Cup and not the Charity Shield. It can only be called a charity shield if the proceeds of the match goes to charity. That aside, congratulations to the Armed Forces (A...

Vietnam's Nguyen Trong Hoang ( pic ) scored the solitary goal of the match as the host team managed a 1-0 win over Malaysia at the My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi. This is Malaysia's second defeat to the Vietnamese as the former lost 2-0 in an earlier clash at the Shah Alam Stadium (Sept 11). The national team are set to play Thailand in another friendly match at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Chiang Mai on Wednesday before hosting Hong Kong at the Shah Alam Stadium on Nov 14 in their final friendly match ahead of the AFF Suzuki Cup. Some believe winning friendly matches are important to boost the morale of the team. Others stress that friendly matches should only be treated as friendly matches as what is important is to peak during the tournament. Let's give the national team the benefit of the doubt and only judge them when the tournament begins. HD says: Still got time....

An epic battle awaits Armed Forces (ATM) and Kelantan at the Shah Alam Stadium come October 20. Having brushed aside LionsXII on Thursday, ATM are in the midst of working their tactics while The Red Warriors are still celebrating after having managed a 2-0 win over Selangor in the return leg of the semi final yesterday (aggregate 3-0). Mohammad Ghaddar drew first blood with by chipping the ball past Selangor's goalkeeper while Badri Radzi sealed the deal in the dying minutes to ensure Kelantan continue their hunt for another trophy. Both ATM coach B.Satianathan and Kelantan coach Boyan Hodak know each other well enough - so well that they will still end up having a beer or two despite the result on October 20. Will the disciplined ATM side steal the thunder or could the Red Warriors - full of soul and character - add another silverware in their trophy cabinet? All will be answered come Oct 20. HD says: It was a really good match. Lot's of great runs, passes, shots ...