Foul!

As published in Malay Mail today Fans should just forget about football, for now, and support our heroes in Rio.   By Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my THE only thing certain in Malaysian football — is uncertainty.   Many things have been uncertain for far too long. One of them is the FA of Malaysia’s (FAM) leadership. FAM president Tengku Abdullah Shah, who turned 57 on Saturday, has made it clear he wants out from the national body. The Pahang Crown Prince had last year announced he was ready to step down following the nation’s disastrous outings in the World Cup/Asia Cup qualifiers.   However, there were those who begged him to reconsider — for reasons best known to them. Having a member of the royal family gives them the impression that FAM will not have to worry about its finances and stature, perhaps.   Having dealt with Tengku Abdullah on many occasions, he, like his father former FAM president Sultan Ahmad Shah, has always been clear about his role i...

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...

Haresh Says, as published in Malay Mail today. THOSE in power believe they have the best interests of hockey at heart when they parade mind-blowing egos, often proclaiming the “important” roles they play in charting the fortunes of the sport in Malaysia. But their boasts are actually a clamouring for glamour — with hockey being a sport loved by royalty. They need to be drag-flicked out of the hockey arena, for one. Professionalism is almost non-existent in the manner the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) operates. It borders on foolishness, which must be rather embarrassing for MHC president Tengku Abdullah Shah. The Crown Prince of Pahang must realise the importance of educated advisors who understand the sport well. Age does not translate to wisdom. Why my sudden outburst of negativity? Well, MHC is in debt. The winner of the TNB Cup, Terengganu Hockey Team, has apparently not been paid despite the final taking place a month ago on Dec 14. The team received R...

As published in Mailsport today By Vijhay Vick vijhay@mmail.com.my PETALING JAYA — Sports Commissioner Ahmad Shapawi Ismail is wondering what is taking the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) so long to submit its minutes from the Oct 13 extraordinary general meeting (EGM). The EGM was held to make changes to the constitution and the 30-day deadline to submit the minutes has lapsed. The minutes are crucial for the Sports Commissioner’s Office decide if it will approve the newly adopted constitution. MHC was supposed to hold its AGM by May 31 but Shapawi agreed to postpone it till year end to accommodate the changes to the constitution. “The national body informed us they were in the midst of sorting out a new constitution so they needed more time to conduct the AGM. We extended it until the end of the year,” he said. “ As things stand, it must be conducted this year or we will issue them a reminder. “The onus is on them to submit the necessary paperwork fo...

As published in Mailsport today. By Vijhay Vick vijhayvick@mmail.com.my PETALING JAYA — Selangor HA (SHA) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal (pic) is the front runner to be the next Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president. Former MHC general manager Maninderjit Singh is tipped to make a return as chief executive officer. According to sources within the national body, out-going MHC president Tengku Abdullah Shah has earmarked the Subahan as his replacement. Subahan’s first task would be to improved MHC’s financial standing as the association is believed to be RM2 million in debt. “Subahan will be the next president. Tengku Abdullah has already spoken to Subahan, who has agreed to come on aboard,” said a senior MHC official. “They even went to the Asian Games together and Tengku Abdullah was introducing him as the next president.” In August, Tengku Abdullah revealed he would not seek re-election as he was going for the Asian Hockey Federation’s top post. He then ...

Haresh Says as published in Mailsport today. PERHAPS the prolonged heat wave earlier this year has fried our brains, severely impairing our judgement. And it looks like our ability to think will be further handicapped as we brace for El Nino this month. It could very well last till August or September. Weeks before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, we all turned football pundits and pretended to be Joachim Low or Vicente del Bosque. Housewives and even vegetables sellers were speaking about their favourite team’s chances. Restaurateurs got their workers to wear fake jerseys while roadside burger stalls displayed mini flags of the participating teams.   And during the World Cup, the conversations strictly revolved around football.   Sadly, this is not the case this time around. Brazil — the home of football — hosts the World Cup which kicks off on Thursday (Brazil play Croatia on Friday 4am Malaysian time).   I visited several shopping ...