Mark Webber drives the Proton Savvy

After reading this review that I picked up from The Telegraph, I am of the opinion that Mark Webber will not be one of the six drivers shortlisted to drive 1Malaysia F1 car for the next F1 season. Read on Datuk Nadzmi Salleh.....

He took in the car's fine lines, the first Proton to be entirely designed in-house by the Malaysian manufacturer.

"Fair play, they've made a bit of an effort, although that spoiler's about as useful as a veggie burger. And that," he shouted, pointing at the central exhaust, "looks like a drinking straw."

Head and legroom were ample in the front but the sloping roof has a significant effect on the rear accommodation. "I wouldn't fancy sitting there," Mark said, nodding at the back seat.

So began the commentary: "Plenty of seat adjustment, but none on the steering wheel and I can't see those sporty dials. Not a disaster though, eh? We can't break the speed limit in this puppy," he grinned. "Man, that's a loose gearbox. First gear is somewhere in Oxfordshire."

When a car costs £7,995 you don't expect a walnut and leather interior, but the Savvy's plastic felt insubstantial and the overall quality got Mark's goat: "Look at that boot on the wing mirror adjuster," he said, pulling at the poorly fitted rubber cover. For a man used to F1 standards of preparation, exposed screw heads and flimsy trim don't cut it.

The engine whined as Mark nailed the revs into the red, although the noise was pretty much the only change. "I'm through the floor, mate," he said. "She's coming good though." Mark recommends ear plugs and a good book while the Savvy gets up to speed, but it did pretty well with us and a cameraman aboard. Mark wasn't as sympathetic. "You wouldn't want to do a long journey in this, eh?"

I defended the Savvy. "You've started 134 grands prix and this little car would have beaten you in 46 of them. There'd be a stereo, air-conditioning and no need to pit during the race."

Mark smiled. "You're right, I wouldn't have been slammed by Kubica [at Monza] – I'd still have been on the start/finish straight."

It certainly stopped better than it went; Mark reckoned it handled more like a boat than a car. Thailand's national newspaper ranked the Savvy in its top 10 cars, praising its kart-like handling. I mention this to Mark. "Shopping cart," he snorted.

1 MALAYSIA, NOT AT FAM

The politicians have been championing the cause of 1 Malaysia, the brainchild of Prime Minister Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak.

But at the Football Association of Malaysia, they pay scant respect to the effort to unite Malaysians.

For how can they explain holding the National Beach Soccer tournament in Kuantan from October 15 to October 19, right smack in between Deepavali.

Have they no respect for the Indian community or is this a way of telling the Indians you are not wanted in football?

Well, maybe we ought to get the likes of Hindraf or Makkal Sakhti to organise a special event for the Indians.

FREE TV RULES

As the penultimate round of qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup approaches this weekend, a special survey by EurodataTV Worldwide and TV Sports Markets analysing live free-to-air coverage of international football shows qualification matches are still a sure-fire guarantee of big television audiences, despite the difficulties some agencies and federations are currently having selling the rights.

The French football federation has yet to agree a new television deal, three months after putting the rights on the market, and no UK broadcaster was willing to show England’s final 2010 World Cup qualifier against the Ukraine this weekend.

However the survey shows that 2010 World Cup qualifiers draw average audience shares of close to 35 per cent in the top five European markets, the kind of shares matched only by top soaps and reality television programmes.

Audiences for 2010 World Cup qualifying matches so far, up to this weekend’s penultimate round of fixtures, have nonetheless fallen in four of the five markets in comparison to the Euro 2008 qualifying campaigns. Audiences in Germany are down 12 per cent, Italy 10 per cent, France seven per cent and the UK two per cent. The exception is Spain, where audiences have increased nine per cent, no doubt boosted by the national team’s status as European Champions.

In the US, ESPN's coverage of 10 USA World Cup qualifiers has drawn an average 677,000 viewers, with a top audience of one million for the away game against Honduras in June. The reverse fixture, however, will only be shown in Latin American bars and restaurants after the Mediapro agency failed to reach a deal for the match.

In Japan, national team qualifiers have slightly less pull, drawing an average 3.5 million viewers and 27 per cent audience share for commercial channel TV Asahi. These shares are nonetheless more than double its average prime time audience share of 12 per cent.

THE WISEST OF THE WISE MAY ERR

KL Dragons may have noble intentions to develop basketball in the country, but they are not prepared for the politics that may surround their entry into the sport.

Set to make their debut in the inaugural Asean Basketball League, the three joint owners of the club have made one resolve, that they will not stomach any interference with regards as to how they manage their "investment" in the all professional outfit.

And as to underline their commitment towards running the outfit in a professional manner, the trio, Datuk Robin Tan, Datuk Wira Naim Daim and Ruben Emir Gnanlingam were unified in saying that they were on the lookout for a professional sports personality for employment as the Chief Executive Officer for KL Dragons and take the club to the next level.

This came about after the trio were asked on how they would maintain sustained interest in the club and sport given that all three of them are busy in running their multi million ringgit businesses.

"We realise that it will need a professional person to run the club once the season is underway and that we may not have much time to be involved in the day to day running of the club," admitted Ruben.

"Hence we are on the lookout for someone who will be able to run the outfit professionally and run it as a business, able to sustain itself over the next few years."

And Datuk Robin was quick to add that as co-owners, they were committed towards ensuring the success of the club and that sponsorship was not an issue for the club as they had laid out plans to ensure the club will be able to contribute effectively towards the promotion and development of basketball in the country.

"There should not be interference from ny party as we are well aware of what is required and we have held discussions on this matter," said Robin.

"We believe that basketball has the potential and I personally have played the sport as a youngster and followed its developments closely over the years."

But the enthusiastic owners maybe groping in the dark so as to say as it was stated in their press release that KL Dragons will be organising an Under 14 and Under 17 league with the objective of nurturing Malaysian youth in basketball and developing them into professional players.

However when asked when they leagues were to commence and what was the form of development that KL Dragons were looking at, the trio were lost for words.

"We will be talking to the Sports Ministry and plan to hold clinics throughout the country so as to generate interest in the sport," said Datuk Wira Naim.

"We have yet to determine when the leagues will commence but suffice to say that it will be within Kuala Lumpur only."

And as a parting word, Ruben said that their intention was to make basketball the second most watched spectator sport over TV, after the EPL.

Wishful thinking some may say, but the three "who's who" of Malaysian business have some tricks up their sleeves, but just kept the cards close to their chest.

Every sale has five basic obstacles, no need, no money, no hurry, no desire and no trust. And something tells me thatthe trio have just got over three obstacles, what they are, your guess is as good as mine.

EVEN MALDIVES HAS A PLAYER SHORTLISTED

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced the first shortlist of 15 players who are in contention for the prestigious AFC Player of the Year 2009 award.

Japan have three players in the list, which will be revised after each match day until the award is given out in late November.


Two Saudi and DPR Korea players have also made the cut. Bahrain, Iran, Syria, China, Indonesia, Qatar, Uzbekistan and Maldives have one nominee for the award, which goes to the best player in Asia, at this stage.

Making the initial list are Japanese internationals Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka) and AFC Champions League semi-finalists Nagoya Grampus defender Yoshida Maya.

Though, Kawasaki and Gamba are no longer in the AFC Champions League fray, Nakamura and Endo have chances to earn valuable points when Japan meet Hong Kong on Thursday and on November 18 in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.

Sayed Mohamed Adnan, whose heroics at the back earned Bahrain an inter-continental play-off berth, also made it to the list along side Iran and Sepahan defender Hadi Aghily.

Saudi Arabia’s Nasser Al Shamrani and Mohammed Noor, DPR Korea’s Hong Yong-jo and Ri Myong-guk, Syrian Firas Al Khatib, China’s Li Weifeng, Indonesian Markus Rihihina, Qatar and Umm Salal goalkeeper Baba Malick, Uzbekistan’s Alexander Geynrikh and Maldives’ Ali Ashgaq are also on the roster.

The winner is chosen on the basis of a weighted ranking system which takes into account Most Valuable Player nominations at key AFC and FIFA tournaments (see below). Server Djeparov (Bunyodkor and Uzbekistan) is the reigning AFC Player of the Year.

The Nominees:

Alexander Geynrikh (Uzbekistan) Pakhtakor
Ali Ashfaq (Maldives) VB
Baba Malick (Qatar) Umm Salal
Firas Al Khatib (Syria) Al Arabi/Al Qadsiya
Hadi Aghily (Iran) Sepahan
Hong Yong Jo (North Korea) Rostov, Russia
Kengo Nakamura, (Japan) Kawasaki Frontale
Li Weifeng (China) Suwon Bluewings, Korea
Markus Rihihina (Indonesia) PSMS Medan
Maya Yoshida, (Japan) Nagoya Grampus
Mohammed Noor, (Saudi Arabia) Al Ittihad
Nassir Al Shamrani, (Saudi Arabia) Al Shabab
Ri Myong Guk (North Korea) Pyongyang Athletics Club
Sayed Mohamed Adnan (Bahrain) Al Khor
Yasuhito Endo, (Japan) Gamba Osaka,

SLAP SLAP SLAP

Word has it that four players of a team representing Malaysia overseas were slapped by their coach.

And when 15 players went to seek justice from the national body, not only were they told to go back to camp but were warned not to open their mouth. And the coach is foreignor.

Let's await more info from the main stream media.

GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE

October 14 will see the first ever appearance of KL Dragons, Malaysia’s first professional basketball team at the inaugural ASEAN Basketball League (ABL). The stellar cast of basketball players, which is the brainchild of three of Malaysia’s very own young successful entrepreneurs: Mr. Ruben Emir Gnanalingam, Dato’ Wira Dani Daim and Dato’ Robin Tan Yeong Ching, who all share a passion for sports and the expansion of basketball in Malaysia.

Dato' Robin Tan, on forming KL Dragons said, “Basketball has and continues to be a passion of mine. I have been playing the game since my teenage years and am still actively playing whenever I get the time. When this opportunity to participate in the ABL and the Dragons was presented to me I jumped at the chance as I felt that such an endeavor would expose the sport that I love to many more people in the country and the region. Hopefully the ABL will see this sport gaining the exposure it deserves.”

The KL Dragons aims to create regional platforms of high performance sports and will also be building facilities, infrastructure and developing players’ skills.

“We hope to create an alternative avenue for kids to participate in a healthy lifestyle and fuel their passion in striving to be the best by giving them opportunities to become professional players,” Dato’ Wira Dani Daim says, who envisions a future where youths chooses basketball as a profession.

For a start, KL Dragons would be organizing an Under-14 and Under-17 league with the objective of nurturing the youth in basketball, developing them into professional players. With teams from five other different countries such as Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Philippines, KL Dragons sees this as a good opportunity to bring international experience in developing the youth of Kuala Lumpur and also Malaysia.

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“The ABL through the KL Dragons provide a great opportunity to promote KL, Malaysia, and Malaysian brands. We hope to bring all 600 million people of ASEAN together by showcasing the spirit of the teamwork and sports to overcome any barriers. As a result, we also hope to see an increase in tourists visiting KL and the rest of Malaysia as well,” Mr. Ruben Emir Gnanalingam says.

As the sole team participating from Malaysia, the team has vowed to perform their best and do their nation proud. The public is more than welcome to lend their support by watching KL Dragons play at the ABL; lucky participants may even win amazing prizes during half-times.

ABL’s first season will run from this October until February 2010, starting from the 11^th October ‘09, and KL Dragon's first game would be held at the MABA Stadium, KL on the 14^th of October ‘09 at 7pm till 10pm. Tickets are available via ticket hotline outlets and on their website www.tickethotline.com.my. Alternatively tickets also can be bought through their call centre at 03-77251177 or 03-77251166. Ticket price at RM25 for adult and RM20 for student (below 22years old).

WIN THIS MATCH PLEASE DOLLAH

AS FOOTBALL great Dollah Kassim fights for his life in hospital, I am reminded of his contribution to Singapore.

Close your eyes and try to imagine Dollah standing before a ball in the National Stadium, about to take a free kick.

If you cannot picture him in his classic arms-akimbo pose, I can bet that you were not at any Malaysia Cup match of the 1970s.

Boys of my vintage derived immense pleasure from thronging Kallang Stadium weekend after weekend to watch the likes of Dollah whip the minnows of Malaysia in the only sports event that mattered - the Malaysia Cup.

Perlis, Johor, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan were cannon fodder for Dollah and the gang.

Only Selangor and, occasionally, Penang, were any match for us.

If my memory does not fail me, the gang comprised Eric Paine (goalie); Hasli Ibrahim and Syed Mutalib (both capable of breaking legs); Seak Poh Leong (captain); Robert Sim; Samad Allapitchay; "Camel" S. Rajagopal; Quah Kim Song; Quah Kim Lye; "Babyface" Mohammad Noh and, of course, Dollah.

Their Malaysian nemeses were giants such as "Spiderman" R. Arumugam; Santokh Singh; "Datuk" Soh Chin Aun; Mokhtar Dahari; Shukor Salleh and Isa Bakar.

Filling the Kallang cauldron with 50,000 or more ardent fans was a given every weekend.

The coach was Choo Seng Quee, who would start each training session with the National Anthem.

Dollah, thanks for the memories.

Our prayers are with you and we hope that you can overcome your biggest "match" yet.

You beat the odds before and you can do it again.

Dr Huang Shoou Chyuan

SLOW DECISION ON CARDIFF FC

THE Malaysian property magnate who has had extensive talks on Cardiff City investment has returned to Kuala Lumpur.

Dato Chan Tien Ghee watched City smash 10 goals in two Championship matches and had three days of talks with club chairman Peter Ridsdale in London.

He flew home to the Far East yesterday and Ridsdale would only say: “The talks we had went well.

“That’s all there is to be said at the moment.”

Ridsdale has twice flown to Malaysia to meet Dato Chan, who is keen on becoming involved with the Bluebirds.

He was at Cardiff City Stadium to watch Derby thrashed 6-1 and went into the home dressing room to meet the players after the final whistle.

He was also at Watford for Cardiff’s 4-0 win which lifted the Bluebirds into fourth place in the Championship.

Ridsdale has also been to America twice where he had talks with big-hitters in the financial sector about restructuring Cardiff’s £24m debt to Langston and possible investment in the football club.

But the growing relationship with potential investors in Malaysia looks to have increasing promise.

Ridsdale remains in regular contact with Sam Hammam, the former Cardiff owner who is the only known representative of Langston.

Hammam is currently back in the UK from the Lebanon and has contacted a number of Bluebirds’ fans.

CARDIFF IMPRESS MALAYSIAN TYCOON

CARDIFF City served up a football feast against Derby County in front of the Malaysian property tycoon who is having talks on possible investment in the club.

Wealthy Dato Chan Tien Ghee, nicknamed TG, took his seat alongside Bluebirds chairman Peter Ridsdale and marvelled at Michael Chopra’s four-goal blast in the 6-1 Championship win on Tuesday.

The man from Kuala Lumpur went into the home dressing room after the match and manager Dave Jones said: “He seems a lovely man. I hope a lovely man agrees some lovely investment!”

Dato Chan is now back in London along with City chairman Peter Ridsdale for further investment talks.

“We have a busy few days ahead,” said Ridsdale, who has twice visited Dato Chan in Malaysia.

Jones was delighted with his Bluebirds team and picked out three key players – Chopra, Stephen McPhail and Jay Bothroyd for praise.

Chopra has now netted 12 goals this season, including two hat-tricks, and Jones said: “His movement and finishing was superb. Derby defenders could not handle him.”

On McPhail, Jones said: “Stephen made three of Michael’s goals, slipping the ball through their defence – and his fourth goal showed what we are capable of.

“The service to our strikers was top drawer.”

Chopra’s fourth came when McPhail slid a low pass through the heart of the Rams’ back four and the Geordie striker spun away from a defender before finishing in style.

And on Bothroyd, the City boss said: “He deserved a goal because of his workrate and movement.”

City travel to Watford on Saturday before the two-week international break.