TRANSPARENT INVESTIGATION SAYS FAM

 The Football Association of Malaysia were reminded to conduct a transparent investigation with regards to the fracas that occurred in the abandoned FA Cup match between Johor Darul Takzim and Terengganu t-Team last Saturday.

And the reminder came from the head honcho of FAM, Sultan Ahmad Shah who is the president of FAM on Tuesday morning.

FAM Secretary General Dato Hamidin Mohd Amin had an audience with the Sultan to brief him on the Larkin incident as well as the Disciplinary Board findings against alleged bribery of the Kuala Lumpur team.

“Tuanku reminded FAM to conduct investigations based on the regulations governing the sport as adopted by FAM,” said Hamidon.

“He reminded us not to show fear or favour to any party and conduct any investigation required within our purview to get to the truth of the matter.

“Tuanku also viewed the bribery allegations with concern and asked that no stone be left unturned in order to get to the bottom of the matter.”

Hamidin said that he has held discussions with the Chairman of the Competitions Committee Dato Apandi Hamzah as well as the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee Dato Taufik Abdul Razak.

The Competitions Committee will meet on Thursday morning to go through the various reports submitted.

“We have received reports from the two teams, the match commissioner, the general coordinator as well as the match officials,” said Hamidin.

“We intend to call all parties to the meeting and hear their side of the story besides reviewing video footage that is provided to FAM.

“We have to areas that we need to look at. Firstly to decide on the outcome of the match, whether to award it to any of the teams or order a reply.

“Next is the question of the incident in the tunnel which has received a lot of publicity and I am told that police reports were also lodged.

“We will leave it to the police to look into the alleged incidents as we are only confoning ourselves to footballing matters as well as incidents that come under our purview with regards to the rules and regulations governing the M-League.”

Hamidin added that if there were any party that were found guilty of contravening the regulations, they will then be referred to the Disciplinary Board.

“Thus I do hope that all speculations be stopped and let the relevant committees so their job in accordance with the set regulations,” added Hamidin.

TOUGH OPENER AT THE HAGUE

TUN SARJI HEADS SAP AS KHAIRY NAMES MAZLAN AS WELL

Former National Sports Council Director General Dato Wira Mazlan Ahmad was the surprise inclusion as a member of the Sports Advisory Panel in the list released by Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

Khairy also named for Chief Secretary to the government Tun Ahmad Sarji as the Chairman of the SAP, an all powerful panel that is provided for an an advisory panel under the Sports Development Act 1997.

Others named in the panel is veteran sports writer and current Malay Mail Group Editor Dato Syed Nadzri Syed Harun, KLRC owner Dato Sri Andrew Kam, national hockey team manager George Koshy, Olympic Council of Malaysia Deputy President Tan Sri Mohd Noor Rahim and OCM Vice President Dato Low Beng Choo.

Also to be included is a representative each from Sabah and Sarawak as provided for in the Sports Development Act 1997.

The appointment of Mazlan will surely be a jolt for some top officials at the National Sports Council who have failed to use his expertise in providing input to help arrest the declining standards of sports of late.

" I hand picked those appointed based on their ability and knowledge both in sports as well as in their respective professions, " said Khairy.

"They will play an important role in helping me draw up guidelines and policies as well as look into issues plaguing sports in the country.

" I believe that with the formation of the SAP, things will move faster as now I can draw on experienced officials like Tun and Mazlan to help me."

They are appointed for a two year term. The last SAP was headed by Dato Nik Mahmud.

"I am honoured to have been picked by the Minister to serve on this committee. I was a bit surprised when the Minister himself contacted me to ask me if I was keen to serve," said Mazlan,

"The Panel comprises professionals in several fields, all with vast knowledge in sports.

"By appointing Tun Ahmad Sarji as Chairman I must say that Khairy has uplifted the status of the SAP."

Koshy and Andrew are credited with running successfully their clubs, KLHC and KLRC respectively.

While KLHC have dominated the Malaysian hockey scene, KLRC produced Malaysia's first World Junior Champion Zulfadli Zulkifli.

Koshy is a Chartered Accountant and joint partner of Ernest & Young, while Andrew is a barrister at law and also Director of Peninsular Gold Sdn Bhd.

Syed Nadzri has vast knowledge in sports as he was a top notch sports journalist in the 70's and has kept abreast with the current happenings in sports.

IS THIS LETTER A FAKE KENNY?

Yes I admit that I allowed myself to be used by an unscrupulous official for his own gain so much so I have since stopped writing for a tabloid effective today.

Now I have a question for the GREAT Kenny GOH who today denied having submitted the letter below which is a formal letter of resignation. And he has effectively made me a fool by highlighting his resignation.

If you have any scrotal gumption, come out and DENY that this is a genuine letter.

REV QUITS

National coach Paul Revington has done it once again.

For he has quit as coach of the team, four months before the World Cup scheduled for May 31 till June 15 at The Hague.

Revington had shocked the nation by resigning two weeks before the World League Semis in Johor Baru in June.

However he rescinded the resignation following a meeting with Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

He then led Malaysia to qualify for the World Cup, a feat last achieved in 2002.

The Malaysian Hockey Confederation will hold a Press Conference on Monday where Revington is to outline his reasons for quitting.

A meeting between coaches and Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah was held on Sunday afternoon where the resignation of Revington via a letter dated last Friday was discussed.

Present at the meeting were NSC Director General Dato Seri Zolkples Embong, national team manager George Koshy and MHC Secretary Dato Johari Abdul Aziz.

Revington when contacted by Mailsports confirmed his resignation.

"Yes I have quit. It has to do with health reasons. I cannot reveal more until the press conference," was all the South African was willing to reveal.

" I am heading back to Cape Town eventually (at the end of the notice period) to have some downtime and reassess my path as a coach.

"But with Sandy due in March (with twins) she will deliver here before we depart.

" The final decision to resign was made last week."

MHC is expected to announce the appointment of K.Dharmaraj as the Chief Coach and Arul Selvaraj will move to the National Juniors as Chief Coach.

Besides the World Cup, Malaysia will play in the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh fromMarch 13-22, the Champions Challenge in Kuantan from April 26 to May 4 as well as two 4 Nation Tournaments in Europe prior to the World Cup.

KJ SMASHES BAM

Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin lambasted the Badminton Association of Malaysia as not doing enough to uplift the standard of badminton in the country.

 

And he also questioned the BAM President Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tg Arif  as to why he was taking over all the committees when the load should be shared amongst the Council.

 

Not mincing his words Khairy said that he was disappointed with the overall performances of the players in the Malaysian Open but felt that BAM needed to do more for the players.

 

“Rightfully we should do better but we are not and I am really concerned about the present scenario,” said Khairy to journalist at the sidelines of the tournament.

 

“In the past we used to send more players for international exposure yet the new committee has sought to cut down on this aspect.

 

“Then there is also an issue of overdependence on the Bukit Jalail Sports School for development when rightfully BAM should embark on a nationwide plan that can produce players.

 

“It looks like they are contend with depending on Lee Chong Wei, and he is ageing. Do not take it the wrong way as Chong Wei is my friend, but how long can we continue to rely on him alone for success.”

 

Khairy said that Mahaleel had met him a couple of months ago and spoke about new plans and changes to be made in BAM.

 

“It has not materialised and I want BAM to come see me with what their plans are and how to ensure badminton recovers from its slide,” added Khairy.

 

“For example, they talk about an academy, but now I ask them in return, why is the academy not running yet? There is no need to wait if it’s a good plan, just do it.

 

“On domestic competitions I feel that not enough is being done to provide players with a competetive platform to excel hence we cannot get quality players.”

 

The Minister said that he was not peeved with Mahaleel not being around during his visit.

 

“I was to come earlier but had to reschedule so I am an hour late. I really do not care for protocol. I needed to address the issue and have done it, and that matters.”

 

Khairy said that he expects BAM to revert to him with a proper solution to overcome the issues and is willing to meet the BAM heirachy to discuss the issues at hand.

SILENT FAM WORRY FOR KHAIRY

The Football Association of Malaysia are seemingly cold towards the National Football Development Plan initiated by Sports Minister Khairy Jamaludfin.

For the FAM have yet to revert with a proposed date for the Minister to present the proposal in person to the national body.

And this has the Minister perplexed as to what is holdings this up as this could derail plans to launch the NFDP in Kuantan later this month.

Khairy had written a letter to FAM Deputy President Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah in mid November seeking a platform to present the plan.

Yet one and the half months later, Khairy has yet to receive a reply yet alone a date.

"I had written to Tengku Abdullah seeking for a suitable time and date to present the whole plan for FAM to provide their impetus," said Khairy when met at his office in Putrajaya.

"This is somewhat awkward as we hope to launch the program at the end of January.

"Their continued silence is disrupting the plans."

It is an open secret that FAM are u easy with Khairy's criticism over some issues relating to FAM after he assumed office in May last year.

And matters were further strained when Khairy appointed Tan Sri Annuar Musa into the committee overlooking the NFDP as he was still serving a 30 month suspension meted out by FAM.

Subsequent to that Annuar relinquished all his positions in FAM as well as the Kelantan FA so as to enable Khairy to work with FAM to fulfill the national agenda.

However the cold shoulder treatment being meted by FAM sends the wrong signal to the Minister.

FAM should decide on a suitable date and revert, if they at all interested in the development of football in the country.

CARDIFF AND QPR QUIET ON HELPING MALAYSIAN FOOTBALL

Despite making waves, for better or worse, the two Malaysian owned clubs in the Barclays Premier League and Division One have yet to open their doors to transfer technology to the Malaysian national football team.

Tan Sri Vencent Tan who owns Cardiff City and Tan Sri Tony Fernandes who runs Queens Park Rangers have yet to make available attachment programs for coaches of the various national teams.

Being understudies to the likes of Harry Redknapp (QPR) and Ole Gunnar Solksjear ( Cardiff ) could well be an enlightening experience for Malaysian coaches.

Coach of Harimau Muda and caretaker of the National Team Dato Ong Kim Swee said that he would readily grab a chance to learn from the duo, making it no secret that Redknapp was someone he looked up to.

Kim Swee said that as a coach, he always believed that each day was a learning process.

"I would certainly jump at the opportunity of an attachment with any of the Premier League clubs if given the opportunity," said Kim Swee.

"However I doubt any approach has been made to the two clubs.

"It is not within my jurisdiction to seek such an attachment but I must add that I will be honored to go."

Dato K. Rajagobal benefitted in training at Carrington, the training ground of Manchester United when he took charge of the first Harimau Muda.

They managed to watch Sir Alex Ferguson putting his through their paces and also defeated a Brian Maclair coached Man Utd U18 squad 4-1.

Former national coach B. Sathianathan was promised a stint at Chelsea but that never materialized.

FAM should take the first step towards such a stint by approaching the two Tan Sri"s.

And they should target the pre-season preparation stage from now.

OCM, NSC UNDER CLOSE WATCH

The National Sports Council and Olympic Council of Malaysia have been given two weeks to conduct a post mortem and report their findings to the Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

And the Minister expects the two bodies to be thorough with their report as he expects them to provide findings that will be address any shortcomings and at the same time ensure that the preparations for the multi sports events are not affected.

And Khairy is prepared to go one step further, for he is quite prepared to let the soon to be appointed Sports Advisory Panel dissect the report and look at areas that were not addressed and let them come up with recommendations.

"I am in the midst of short listing candidates for the Sports Advisory Panel. And I will not hesitate to hand the task of the SEA Games post mortem to the panel should I find the report submitted by OCM and NSC not up to the mark" warned Khairy.

"I believe that OCM and NSC will be detailed in their findings and provide fresh impetus on how to address any weakness in our system especially when we have the Commonwealth Games and Asian games this year.

"Let me make it clear that it is not a fault finding mission, but one that requires transparency and honesty if we want to improve on our sporting fortunes."

Khairy said that he will be announcing the Chairman and members of the Sports Advisory Panel next week and intends to get them involved in charting the course in improving the quality of Malaysian sports.

"While achieving the 40 gold medal target is commendable, we must also find out why some projected gold medals prospects failed to deliver," added Khairy.

"Thus I call on OCM and NSC to be honest and transparent in their post mortem and not attempt to paint a rosy picture," warned Khairy.

SEA GAMES REVIEW

 

For all intent and purpose, Malaysian sports officials, be it from the Olympic Council of Malaysia and the National Sports Council will be giving themselves a pat on the back for surpassing the gold medal target of 4- to return home with 43 gold medals from the Myanmar SEA Games.

 

But in reality if we are to take a hard look at the performances against the millions spent, there is really not much to rejoice but rather it goes on to show our sports scenario is either sliding or stagnated.

 

True there are heroes, some household names amongst the young who will look at the star performers at the SEA Games as their idols, but we must take into perspective several sports or athletes that did nopt deliver.

 

When targets are set, they are an indication that the particular sport or athlete will deliver the goal medal at the regional games.

 

The 40 gold medal haul was set a month ago, a relatively low and safe target as NSC and OCM opted to to give a true reflection on the state of sports in the country, thus the target released was based on sports, not by athlete as was the case when Dato Wira Mazlan Ahmad was the Director general of the NSC.

 

In case many may have forgotten, the 40 gold medals were to come as following  swimming (3), diving (8), cycling (1), bodybulding (1), football (1), hockey (2), karate (6), archery (3), shooting (1), muaythai (1), athletics (1), sailing (2)si;at (3) and wushu (3).

 

So one just has to compare the target to the gold medals won to realise that it was not a proper target and NSC should take the blame as they gave false hopes, only for some outstanding performers to save the day.

 

Another argument put forward by the National Sports Council was that 25 gold medals came from Olympic sports.

 

Let’s take a closer look at the Olympic sports that delivered gold medals. diving accounted for eight with archery recurve two, athletics (4), hockey (2), swimming (4),  shooting (1), sailing (2) and badminton (1).

 

Though endurance and archery are Olympic sports the disciplines we won gold are not in Olympics while karate that delivered six golds is not contested at Olympics.

 

Besides hockey, badminton, archery, diving and shooting, the others can hardly make a mark at the Asiad what more the Olympics.

 

Truth be told there were star performers who did the nation pround and they must be acknowledged.

 

The likes of Phoon Eyin from wushu who secured the nationas 1,000 gold medal but was left to fend for herself. Who can gorget Mohd Irgfan Shamsuddin who took gold in discuss, rewriting the national record five times in his six throws.

 

The two muaythai exponents also deserve special mention, Mohd faizal Ramli and Lokman Akimi Mat Roji who both secired gold against all odds, Lim Chee Wei who registered comprehensive wins on his way to gold in the individiual kata category.

 

While some rejoiced at Malaysia winning the womens hockey match 36-0 against Cambodia thus creating a world record, it was in bad taste.

 

In the kingdom of the blind, those with one eye rule, hence Malaysia which is a world poweer in hockey should really have not rubbed salt into the wounds of teams like Cambodia and such scoreline goes on to show their “Jagauh Kampung: mentality and killed the promotion of the sport in the region.

 

What was more amusing was the statement by mens coach tai Beng Hai who was quoted as saying that Malaysia did well to retain the gold medal despite the absence of some senior players. For gods sake Beng Hai, you had 10 World Cup training squad members.

 

Badminton is another sport that failed despite the gold medal as did cycling which in reality is being run by the NSC directly.

 

So what next, give each other pats on the back, nevermind we only won only 43 golds as opposed to 59 two years ago, but then again that was the only item going down as all other stuff will go up come January.