Foul!

As published in Sunday Mail Murthy looks at the ruins of his house. - Picture by Azneal Ishak (Malay Mail) By R.Loheswar loheswar@mmail.com.my KUALA LUMPUR — It will not be a Happy Deepavali for golfer S. Murthy as he woke to news of his house having burnt down in the early hours of   Thursday . Murthy was playing in the Perlis Closed which began   on Wednesday . He carded a 76 and looked in good nick to make the cut. When he awoke at   6.30am   on Thursday   he saw he had more than 40 missed calls. “I immediately called my sister and she said the house had caught fire in the wee hours of the morning,” said a dejected Murthy, who represented Malaysia from 1990 to1996.  “We (Murthy and his wife) immediately drove back to Banting.”  The source of the fire is unknown but early indications are a faulty socket might have been the cause. No one was hurt, but Murthy’s father Somasundaram Sadayan, 69, was in the hous...

As appeared in Malay Mail Afternoon E-Paper today Stumbling, fumbling, bumbling Harimau Malaysia disappoint yet again. — AFP Comment by Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my ARE we not supposed to be angry? Are we not supposed to be bitter? To concede three goals under 30 minutes is beyond embarrassment. Yet, there are those who maintain we should look at Malaysia's performance in yesterday’s football friendly against Indonesia optimistically. Why, one may ask? Because of the same excuses we often hear — that national coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee did not have enough time to train? The players are 'new'? ‎That this was merely a friendly match? It was a rubbish match, played by 11 footballers minus the defenders. Yes, the defenders hardly made an impression. The strikers? They were nowhere to be seen. It was a perfect start for Indonesia as they marked their return to the international scene since March last year following a Fifa ban. Thailand lost 2-0 to Jap...

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...

As published in today's Mailsport By Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my PETALING JAYA — The recent exploits of Khairul Hafiz Jantan prove the country has amazing talents and coaches who are capable of turning our youngsters into champions. Olympic Council of Malaysia assistant secretary-general Datuk Sieh Kok Chi also credited schools for having nurtured talented athletes. Khairul Hafiz Jantan broke the 100m national record of 10.30s after clocking 10.18s to win the gold medal at the Malaysia Games on Wednesday. He also registered a new 200m Games record after he bettered his timing from 21.14s to 21.03s — all within 24 hours. He smashed the 14-year-old Games record of 21.33s held by Nazmizan Muhammad. “We are our worst enemies. We have plenty of talents but instead of saying nice things, we often doubt their capabilities,” said Kok Chi. “The country has plenty of talents, our local coaches are capable of moulding champions. Why can’t we accept that fact and help them?” H...

As published in Sunday Mail By Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my PETALING JAYA — Datuk Lee Chong Wei has never attended the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. On Friday, he will not only be in Rio de Janeiro for the curtain-raiser but will lead the national contingent of 32 athletes as the flag bearer.   He is the 15th athlete, starting with weightlifter Tan Kim Bee leading Malaya at the Melbourne Games in 1956, to be bestowed the honour.   The Penangnite, who turns 34 on Oct 21, said: “Being the flag bearer means so much to me. This is my last Olympics and to be given such an honour … it’s something words cannot describe.   “I am very proud that I’ve been named the flag bearer, to lead our contingent of 32 excellent athletes during the opening ceremony. To hold the flag up high in front of a large crowd, it will be a memorable and emotional affair. “This will motivate me and I hope to raise the Jalur Gemilang once again when I win the gold medal.”    ...

Our national contingent Archery Haziq Kamaruddin , Khairul Anuar Mohamad, Mohd Akmal Nor Hasrin Athletics Nauraj Singh , Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli  Badminton Datuk Lee Chong We i, Goh V Shem, Tan Wee Kiong, Chan Peng Soon, Goh Liu Ying, Tee Jing Yi, Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei  Cycling Azizulhasni Awang , Fatehah Mustapa Diving Pandelela Rinong , Ooi Tze Liang, Ahmad Amsyar Azman, Cheong Jun Hoong, Nur Dhabitah Sabri, Wendy Ng Yan Yee Golf Danny Chia, Gavin Kyle Green, Kelly Tan , Michelle Koh  Sailing Khairulnizam Affendy , Nur Shazrin Mohd Latif Shooting Jonathan Wong Swimming Welson Sim , Phee Jing En, Heidi Gan  Weightlifting Mohd Hafifi Mansor