Foul!

"Sepatutnya semua pemain yang berpotensi hendaklah disenaraikan terutama yang masih muda. Yang terbaik tidak kira di bawah naungan BAM atau kelab, hendaklah diberi keutamaan untuk mewakili negara. Cuma Zulfadli mungkin tidak berada di bawah Program BAM kerana memilih untuk berada di bawah KLRC. MSN mengalu-alukan semua pihak yang ingin membantu untuk membangun dan memajukan bakat atlet. Cuma harus dipastikan program latihan dan pendedahan yang mereka sediakan baik dan berkualiti. Zulfadli telah membuktikan yang beliau adalah pemain yang amat berpotensi dgn menjuarai Kej Remaja Dunia dan beberapa kej yg lain. Tapi apakah pembangunan pemain ini sekarang ini selaras atau mencapai tahap sebagaimana yg diperlukan. Kegagalan untuk maju dalam beberapa kej peringkat antarabangsa akhir-akhir ini agak membimbangkan. Juara Sukan Malaysia di Pahang baru-baru ini bukan ukuran kemampuan beliau kerana beliau seharusnya jadi juara di Melaka 2010 tapi beliau tidak mengambil bahagian. Sud...

I was with The Star's Rajes Paul at Wisma OCM this morning as the both of us were invited to mark and select the winner for the Asian Games Youth Reporter essay writing competition by school children in KL. It is part of the Olympic Council of Asia's programme which is facilitated by the Olympic Council of Malaysia here. Naturally we spoke about the pictures splashed on the back page of most dailies today - pictures of world No 1 shuttler Lee Chong Wei and National Sports Council director general Zolkples Embong shaking hands. Both Chong Wei and Zolkples apologised for their outbursts and decided to kiss and make up. Read here , here and here . Do refer to my earlier postings pertaining the outbursts as seen here and here . After the meeting, Zolkples was quoted saying; " I was also under pressure from the media and I said jokingly that we have to offer RM200,000 to make sure Chong Wei attends the function. I even said sorry to him during our discussion ...

UPDATE 2.59pm: Was informed a meeting between Chong Wei and Zolkples, arranged by a third party (not from BAM), was held earlier this morning followed by a press conference. Both parties have kissed and made up. ----- That is the backpage of today's Mailsport. I knew Lee Chong Wei's absences would be an issue as per my piece - Chong Wei "sakit" hati - posted minutes after the National Sports Award ceremony ended on Tuesday. Harian Metro quoted National Sports Council director general Zolkples Embong as saying; “Mungkin hadiah RM20,000 itu tidak bernilai bagi orang yang berpendapatan RM2 atau RM3 juta setahun tapi bagi atlet lain seperti Pandelela Rinong yang pendapatannya kurang daripada RM50,000 setahun, nilai itu cukup besar. Mungkin kita kena naikkan nilai hadiah menjadi RM200,000 baru Chong Wei mahu hadir." Berita Harian said Zolkples had "...menghantar khidmat pesanan ringkas (SMS) kepada Chong Wei dan juga pegawai kanan Persatuan Badminton Mal...