Foul!

I JUST don't understand the hype over Despacito . I really don't. I first heard the song after it made it No. 1 in the US and quickly became a global hit. Despacito , which means 'slowly', has set a new global streaming record of 4.6 billion streams in only six months and has been declared the official song of the summer. To me, it sounds like any other Latin American song. Ok, to give it a little more credit, it's a perfect Zumba song. That's it. Then again, music is subjective. RTM has banned Despacito from its radio and television stations. It's not like their radio and television stations enjoy great ratings compared to their privately-owned counterparts. Some quarters, such as the women's wing of Parti Amanah Negara (Awan), have called for the broadcast of the song to be stopped, alleging obscene lyrics. Ban an afterthought? Didn't anyone check the lyrics before they started singing or airing it? Also, how many people ou...

UPDATE 8.40pm: City Hall has agreed to meet KLBA "soon" over the status of the badminton stadium in Cheras. The development of the land was also reported by Astro Arena during its evening bulletin.  BADMINTON enthusiasts hope those involved in the redevelopment project at Jalan Cheras will honour their promise in reconstructing the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium. Kuala Lumpur Badminton Association (KLBA) also hopes an alternative training venue will be provided during the reconstruction process. This comes following news Mah Sing Group Bhd had bought the land housing the 27-year-old stadium that has a capacity of 4,500. Mah Sing told Bursa Malaysia on July 3 it signed a share sale agreement with Hazreeq Putra Hasman and Maslinda Othman for their shareholding in Cordova Land Sdn Bhd,a company which has secured the acceptance of Kuala Lumpur City Hall for the purchase of an 11.233-acre piece of land in the area for RM82.127 million. Mah Sing’s gro...

The back pages of the English dailies today.  ON Wednesday, six out of 26 national Under-22 players turned up for centralised training. Yesterday, only two remained as the other four were recalled by their teams for this week's M-League matches. And it looks like former national Under-22 coach Frank Bernhardt is being made the scapegoat for this fiasco. Why? Apparently, the German did not priorities the AFC Under-23 qualifiers which begin on July 19 in Bangkok. As his KPI was SEA Games, he was gunning for a good showing at the regional event instead. And why did his bosses in FAM give in to this? ... (I hope FAM would be able to fill in the blanks) .... So is it safe to say those responsible in ensuring the progress and success of Malaysian football saw it fit to just think of SEA Games and not the AFC competition? Why? - Because we are hosting the SEA Games and must make a good impression? - Because we will be humiliated in the AFC tournament? As I wrote ...

It was all over the Internet yesterday and hogged the backpages of most dailies today. Only six footballers turned up on the first day of centralised training yesterday, ahead of the AFC Under23 Championship scheduled to start on July 19 in Bangkok. The remaining 20 players who were called up by coach Ong Kim Swee (pic) will come in batches. Teams who did not release their players yesterday have created the presumption it is they who call the shots and not the national body. 1. National coaches met late last year to discuss the 2017 calendar. All were aware of tournaments scheduled for 2017. Why: - didn't the guardians of the domestic league take into account our international obligations? For the record, AFC generally prepares its calendar two years in advance. 2. Kim Swee, his assistants and the six players who reported for duty pretty much wasted their time yesterday. Why: - should the six players and coaches continue to waste their time? They might as well gathe...

MALAYSIA is keen on mending ties with North Korea though the Asian Cup qualifier between both nations after diplomatic relations between Putrajaya and Pyongyang soured following Kim Jong-nam's murder at klia2 on Feb 13. It is learnt a "very senior government official" would like for the match to carry on at the Kim Il-sung Stadium on Oct 5, after it was postponed twice from its original date of March 28 due to geo-political tensions. Malaysia and North Korea withdrew their representatives from their respective embassies following the saga. The Malaysian Embassy in Pyongyang is being operated by the locals. None of the Malaysian staff have returned to the isolated nation. It is also understood officials from North Korea, had during the Fifa Congress in Bahrain in May, invited the FA of Malaysia (FAM) to visit the country and its stadium ahead of the match.  It remains unclear if FAM will take up the offer. But as far as the Asian Football Confederati...

Saloma Bistro at MaTiC Questions have been raised over the fate of Saloma Bistro &Theater Restaurant at the Malaysia Tourism Centre (MaTiC) in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur following plans to redevelop the area. It is learnt the management was recently told their 15 year lease, awarded in 2002, will not be renewed in August. The restaurant, with a staff strength of over 30, is no longer accepting reservations for events after Sept 1. It remains unclear if the restaurant will operate else where. Saloma has been a venue for various national-level events and concerts, the most recent being the Ben Nathan Kasih dan Harapan concert. The 82-year-old colonial building, located next to Saloma, and Dewan Tunku Abdul Rahman had their  heritage status removed  last December, barely six months after it was gazetted as "Warisan" on the National Heritage Register. Badan Warisan Malaysia was among those critical of the move to revoke the heritage status. In a  state...

Picture from Hafiz Hashim's Facebook National shuttler Hafiz Hashim said he is willing to give up playing and turn to coaching if the deal with the BA of Malaysia (BAM) is right. The 2003 All-England men’s singles champion met BAM technical director Morten Frost this morning over the possibility of coaching the national women’s singles team. "I just met Frost and everything went well. It sounded positive," said Hafiz. "I've not accepted anything yet. There are still several details to look into, especially my salary and sponsorship deals. As you know I'm still playing and have obligations. "I'm willing to give up playing, if the deal is right," he added. Hafiz, 34, said there will be another meeting between him and Frost "soon". "If the terms are right, then I'll be looking at joining BAM after the SEA Games, by September perhaps." Hafiz has been playing for Petaling Jaya Badminton Club in the Purple L...