Thursday, June 26, 2008

Sports TV Station

It is an open secret that Malaysia is going to have its own Sports TV Station which will appear over cable network Astro and not over free TV in the likes of RTM, TV3, TV9, NTV7.
There was an uproar recently over KBS paying a figure ranging from RM8 million to RM14 million for a 30 minute show over ESPN. Interestingly it will cost KBS RM20 million to showcase Malaysian Sports over 5 hours per week in the new Sports TV Station, should the deal go through. Something does not add up here I must say, the figures obviously and why do we have to pay to watch what the Ministry is paying to show. Huh, do not get it, well Malaysian sports has always had ingredients of "foul" in it.

CYC - INTERESTING DEVELOPMENT

Please read article that was published in NST today with regards to the CYC. It is interesting as all along some facts were hidden and now we are coming nearer to the truth. The question is was someone misleading others on the question of sanction all along? Time for Dato Nik Mahmud to set the record straight I guess. Read my posting on the unanswered questions so as to get an insight. If KBS hs nothing to hide, then make the minutes of all meetings held from December last year public and then we can see who hid th truth. Berita Harian has been proven right, yet again, for they were the first to reveal what it will cost KBS to call off the CYC.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Beijing 2008

Will our wait for the elusive gold medal come to an end at the Beijing Olympics this August?
I was fortunate to be at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, largely due to the unrecorded leave granted by the then NSC DG Dato Wira Mazlan Ahmad and Mustapha Kamil, the Director of YNS who made the trip possible, as a token of appreciation for winning the treble in Malaysian Hockey.
Before someone says it, I best clarify that I bought tickets to watch the Malaysian Hockey Team in action and did not request for any accreditation. Four of us, namely Yang Siow Meng, Colin Sta Maria and Soon Mustafa shared a room at a motel that was a good 30 minutes train ride from the City Centre.
The reason I am writing this is to encourage fans to make the trip to the Olympics for te experience is something out of the ordinary. The very fact of being at the Olympics beats the experience of being to any World Championships or other multi sports events.
So to all Malaysian sporting fans, try to make the trip to Beijing for who knows, you might bear witness to a Malaysian making history.

Monday, June 09, 2008

CLARIFICATION

It has never been my intention to question any blog or main stream media on their reporting of the issues I highlighted in my last posting. The questions I posed are really some unanswered ones that I believe could shed more light at the issues at hand. Suffice to say that the CYC matter is something that has many wondering as to what is really happening to Malaysian sports.

Monday, June 02, 2008

WHAT'S NEWS, WHAT'S NOT

Much has been reported over the past few weeks with regards to the Champions Youth Cup (CYC), the Sepang International Circuit (SIC), the cash flow problems at the National Sports Council, the Chelsea Tour with the two Jews in the Chelsea Team, the departure of Dato Punch Gunalan from WBF and not forgetting the Bribery Scandal that affects Malaysian Football.

Ironically some of the facts stated were not the truth of what actually transpired and while we applaud the exposure of wrong doings by some quarters, the facts must and out to be stated. Lets try to digest each of the issue and weigh the merits of the argument put forward with maturity.

CYC
Why is Jonathan Price so quiet after the FAM had said that they were not going to sanction the event? Is there something that he is not telling us yet? Was there an approval of 3 years granted in the first place? Is it true that what FIFA gave was tournament rights and not sanction? Did the former FAM office bearers sign any document to state a three year sanction was granted? Has this got to do with the fact that someone is not telling the truth? Why are the Cabinet Committee being implicated when their Terms of Reference does not cater for approvals on hosting events?

SIC
Why did the Minister of Youth and Sports not decline the invite in the first place? Could he have delegated the matter to his Deputy if it was a party issue? Why has Dato Mokhzani not quit as a gentleman? Why give an undated letter of resignation to the PM if the issue today is that the post is not a party matter?

NSC
Is there an agenda to remove Dato Zolkples Embong as NSC DG because he is not playing to the tune of some quarters? How is it that confidential information from NSC is being leaked out? Is it true that a Director harbours the hope of replacing Dato Zolkples hence the revelation of these so called expenditure? Why is the finger being pointed at Dato Dr. Ramlan? Remember the Kennedy assassination - the guilty ones hide in the misty woods...

Chelsea Tour
Will the group of the 21 Muslim Associations now turn up for the match since the two Jews are no longer in the team? Will Chelsea have Mancini on the bench when they play in Malaysia? Why is the match not being played at the Bukit Jalil Stadium?

Dato Punch Gunalan
Et Tu Brutus? Dato Punch has fallen victim to the Indian Crab Syndromme as his exit was planned by Malaysians? If he has done so many wrongs, why has he not being sent to face the DB?

Cabinet Committee
Why has no one published the Terms of Reference of the Committee in the first place when it was made public after the first meeting hed on November 8 at Putrajaya? Why blame the DPM when the truth as to who is behind it in the first place being ignored?

So there goes, so many unanswered questions and one day hopefully the truth will prevail, it always does.

FOOTBALL DATES TO REMEMBER

June 21 - FA Cup Final
Venue : Shah Alam Stadium

July 27 - Chelsea Tour

July 29 - Chelsea v Malaysia
Venue : Shah Alam Stadium

August 23 - Malaysia Cup Final
Venue To Be Determined

SUKMA

The coverage of Sukma by our main stream media has been quite lukewarm to say the least. A tabloid uses stories from Bernama while a TV Station is bent on giving more time to EURO 2008 then Sukma that used to grab the headlines in the past. So what is happening here, do we blame the media or has Sukma this year failed to live up to its billing as in the past the newspapers used to carry news items at least two months in advance. The stories used to be centered around the venues and the sports, but sadly with most of the venues being completed at the 11th hour, this has not been the case.