Incumbent president Datuk Mohd Nadzmi Salleh will continue to head Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) until 2013 after being returned unopposed at the association's Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Shah Alam, Wednesday.
Mohd Nadzmi who took over from Datuk Dr Abdullah Fadzil Che Wan in 2000 said there was still much work to be done and success achieved although the sport of badminton had already achieved success in major competitions.
"In years to come, there are still many targets to be achieved," he told reporters after the AGM.
Badminton is among four sports identified and placed under the "Road To London 2012" programme, aimed at winning the country's first Olympic gold medal. Eight shuttlers are included in the programme, including world number one and 2008 Beijing Olympics silver medallist Datuk Lee Chong Wei.
Mohd Nadzmi said is would not be easy to become a world power in badminton due to the number of players in Malaysia and the financial constraints compared with China.
"We managed to win a silver in Beijing and the next is to set a higher target. Malaysia will also host the Thomas Cup next year and hopes remain high for Malaysia to recapture past glory," he said.
He added that shuttlers would also be facing a number of major competitions next year, including the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi (Oct), Asian Games in Guangzhou, China (Nov) and the World Championships.
Meanwhile, Tengku Kamil Tengku Idris Shah replaced Datuk Roland Wong as the deputy president while Ganga Rao remained as the Honorary Secretary although he had earlier hinted of relinquishing his post. - Bernama.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
PKBM perlu jawab
28 Disember 200911 Muharam 1431H
Tuan Hj. Abu Samah Bin Hj. Abd. Wahab
Presiden,
Persekutuan Kebangsaan Berbasikal Malaysia (PKBM)
No. 3-24, Jalan PM9, Plaza Mahkota,
75000 Melaka.
Tuan,
BENARKAH PEMBANGUNAN PELUMBA 'ROAD RACES' DITAKUK LAMA
'MNCF CYCLING TEAM' UCI CONTINENTAL TAHUN 2009 DIMANIPULASIKAN
Dengan hormatnya, saya menarik perhatian tuan perkara diatas adalah dirujuk.
2. Sehubungan itu, saya menyeru agar pihak PKBM mengrespons kepada surat-surat PBKL terdahulu bukannya 'membisu' seolah-olah Badan Sukan Kebangsaan beranggapan perkara dibangkitkan oleh 'Ahli Gabungan' tidak penting dilayani sama sekali. Namun, 'kritikkan' yang berterusan seharusnya diterima dari aspek realiti mahupun 'politiking dalaman' bahkan pemimpin-pemimpin tertentu disaran memikirkan 'hala tuju' Sukan Berbasikal tanah air seperti isu-isu berikut:-
2.1 SUKAN SEA XXV Laos 2009
Apa yang kelihatan pencapaian pelumba-pelumba 'Road Races' amat mengecewakan 1 Perak (Wanita) dan 1 Gansa (Lelaki) walhal sasaran 2 Emas diauraurkan. Adakah PKBM komited sepenuhnya dalam program 'pembangunan' acara ini berbanding 'Trek' dibawah kelolaan projek Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) sejak 9 tahun lalu yang terbukti berhasil jika dibandingkan Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) sudah 14 edisi (14 tahun) tetapi pencapaian pelumba masih ditakuk lama entahlah, mungkin edisi ke-15 (2010) mempamerkan 'kejutan' nanti.
2.2 'MNCF CYCLING TEAM' UCI CONTINENTAL TAHUN 2009
Isu penubuhan Pasukan ini telah dipertikaikan apabila pelumba PBKL tersenarai dalam pendaftarannya. Ini jelas 'manipulasi' tujuan penyertaan LTdL 2009 tanpa mengkaji 'implikasi' pelumba terlibat khusus menyertai mana-mana Kejohanan Kalender UCI yang bertentangan peraturan teknikalnya. Soal 'Pelumba Continental' pada LTdL dan Jelajah Malaysia 2009 telah pun menimbulkan pemasalahan sebaliknya pihak tuan dan En. Jamaluddin Mahmood (UCI Komisar) enggan perjelaskan 'halal-haram' statusnya. Kenapa 'mendiamkan diri'? Jawablah, semua pihak ingin ketahui 'cara' dilaksanakan. (Rujuk surat-surat bertarikh 18&27 April 2009).
3. Seperkara lagi, saya memohon jasabaik pihak tuan supaya arahkan Setiausaha Kehormat PKBM (Hj. Ibrahim Mustapha) menjawab surat-surat 'ditandatangani' setelah menyedari 'input' diperoleh melalui 'cakap-cakap Kedai Kopi' antara Datuk Naim Datuk Mohamad (politikkan maklumat) dengan penyampainnya En. Jamaluddin Mahmood bersama En. Adnan Abdullah dan En. Firdaus Arshad (Ahli Majlis) yang dilabelkan Hantu Raya PBKL sebelum ini. Dulu komplot tapi sekarang dah ada yang belot! Bagaimanapun, individu-individu dimaksudkan dilihat sendiri di Velodrom kendenderaan-kenderaan tersebut. Kenapa bersemuka 'pengecut' dan lain pula ceritanya dikaitkan. Ini isu 'fitnah' atau 'pertuduhan palsu' motif disebaliknya. Beginilah, cara hendak hidup dalam Sukan Berbasikal dengan sikap berpura-pura atau 'hipokrit' lazimnya.
4. Sepertimana pihak tuan maklumi, saya telah melibatkan diri dalam Sukan Berbasikal sejak tahun 1979 selaku 'Pengasas' kepada PLBWP/ PLBKL. PBKL manakala PKLBM/PKBM tahun 1981 kini,menghadapi senario 'politiking' yang melibatkan '2 orang Komisar Antarabangsa UCI' iaitu En. Jamaluddin Mahmood dan Hj. Fazin Hj. Saad atas niat keua-duanya menyertai PBKL sebagai 'platform' dalam memenuhi matlamat agenda peribadi masing-masing. Lihat sajalah, 'memporak-perandakan' kerharmonian dan imej organisasi sedangkan terdapat '3 orang Komisar Antarabangsa UCI' di negara ini. Sebagai contoh, Hj. Fazin Hj. Saad baru 6 bulan telah pun rancang 'rampasan kuasa' dan 'taktik kotor' manakala En. Jamaluddin Mahmood berjaya 'sabotaj' undangan Pasukan Kuala Lumpur ke 'Tour de Singkarak' Sumatera Barat, Indonesia dengan mempengaruhi pihak penaja utama ketika itu. Sesungguhnya dilantik 'Pengarah Teknikal' pada LTdL 2010 tidak hairanlah sebilangan tenaga kerja adalah 'kroninya' semata-mata.
5. Isu penganjuran LTdL 2010 dipahamkan, penawaran PKBM dan Ten Speed Events Sdn. Bhd. ditolak oleh Kementerian Belia dan Sukan tetapi penglibatan En. Jamaluddin Mahmood dikatakan 'pakar' dalam undang-undang 'UCI Cycling Regulations' tanpa ambil kira insiden-insiden teknikal telah berlaku semasa PTdL dan Jelajah Malaysia 2009 lalu. Oleh hal demikian, pihak PKBM perlu mengesahkan sama ada perlumbaan 'Criterium' sebahagian dari acara 'Road Races' atau 'Tour' memandangkan tahun ini LTdL dan Jelajah Malaysia wujud acaranya. Begitu juga, isu 'Criterium' jika tidak didaftarkan dalam Kalendar UCI bolehkah 'Pelumba Continental' menyertainya? Ini peraturan penting, makanya semua pihak termasuk pelumba patut dimaklumkan terlebih dahulu.
6. Akhir kata, saya sarankan semoga kepimpinan PKBM bertindak serius dalam isu 'pembangunan' acara 'Road Races' demi menegakkan imej Sukan Berbasikal dan negara amnya.
Sekian, terima kasih.
KE ARAH KECEMERLANGAN SUKAN BERBASIKAL NEGARA
Saya yang ikhlas,
(DAUD ABU KASSIM) (Gambar)
Timbalan Presiden, PBKL
Reward for football team
Here is an sms forwarded to me by Jaiho.
"Hye rakan2 media...Salam dr London. Tuanku sampaikan ucapan Selamat Tahun Baru 2010 moga banyak kejayaan akan di tempa lagi. Tuanku ingin umumkan "winning bonus' untuk U23 team.. sebanyak RM10K setiap pemain. Bonus ini akan dibyr esok, ari Isnin 28 Dis. So total k'sluruhn brbyr ada lah hampir RM30K sebagai winning bonus pd setiap pemain. Tuanku titah akan sentiasa berikan prhatian yang penuh pd team ini. Mohon rakan2 media dapat hebahkan maklumat ini."
Tq. Fm Col Azhar peg khas kpd KDYMM Prsdnt FAM.
"Hye rakan2 media...Salam dr London. Tuanku sampaikan ucapan Selamat Tahun Baru 2010 moga banyak kejayaan akan di tempa lagi. Tuanku ingin umumkan "winning bonus' untuk U23 team.. sebanyak RM10K setiap pemain. Bonus ini akan dibyr esok, ari Isnin 28 Dis. So total k'sluruhn brbyr ada lah hampir RM30K sebagai winning bonus pd setiap pemain. Tuanku titah akan sentiasa berikan prhatian yang penuh pd team ini. Mohon rakan2 media dapat hebahkan maklumat ini."
Tq. Fm Col Azhar peg khas kpd KDYMM Prsdnt FAM.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Robert Alberts threatenes to quit
Arema Malang may appear secure atop the Indonesian Super League, having lost just once in 12 matches and boasting the league’s best defense with a paltry three goals allowed.
Dig beneath the surface, though, and it is clear there is something rotten in the state of East Java.
Head coach Robert Rene Alberts and several star players threatened to quit the club on Wednesday, accusing Arema management of breaking promises it made to its staff.
“[Management] had promised to give us a win bonus, as stated in our contracts, but they have yet to give that until now. We don’t want to beg for that because we’re not beggars,” Alberts said during a news conference.
The Dutchman, who moved to Arema from Malaysia’s Serawak FA, poured out his heart and aired all of the club’s problems after a 3-0 defeat of Sriwijaya FC at Kanjuruhan Stadium on Wednesday.
He also said he was nearly evicted from the hotel where he was staying because club management had yet to pay his bills.
“We’ve been trying to be professionals,” Alberts said. “We won our games and are at the top right now despite those internal problems. Now we ask the management to also be professional.”
Alberts said he and five foreign players — Noh Alam Shah, Roman Chmelo, Pierre Njanka, Muhammad Ridhuan and Landry Poulangoye — had yet to receive a 25 percent down payment on their contracts, as was promised when they signed with the club.
Alam Shah, Ridhuan, Njanka and Alberts said they would not return to Arema after the holiday break if management did not settle its debts. Chmelo and Poulangoye refused to comment on the matter.
“We’re No. 1 right now and all the fans think that we’re in a great condition. But we’re really hurt inside because of the management,” Alam Shah told the Web site of Aremania, Arema’s supporters’ club. “If they don’t resolve this problem until after the holidays, perhaps I won’t be coming back here.”
Goalkeeper Markus Haris Maulana, who spoke on behalf of the local players, said management promised to give bonuses after wins over Bontang FC and Persisam Samarinda but had yet to deliver.
Arema director Gunadi Handoko acknowledged the club had encountered financial problems but rejected Alberts’ accusations. He said there were late salary payments in October, but they were paid in early November.
Gunadi said he regretted that Alberts and the players had taken their grievances public.
“If they have a problem, then it’d be better if they speak to us first so we can sit down and talk,” he said.
Gunadi said the club’s cash flow was in the red but that management was trying to overcome the problem without making the team suffer.
He said last season’s club sponsor, tobacco company Bentoel, still owed Rp 3 billion ($318,000) and planned to pay its debt in installments through March.
The club says it earns Rp 600 million to Rp 700 million per match in gate receipts.
The director said management would talk with the squad after the holiday to settle the problem, adding that he was confident the club could resolve the problems before a walkout threatened the club’s Super League prospects.
Hundreds of Aremania members held a rally outside the club’s offices on Thursday, demanding management solve the problems so none of the squad walks away.
Arema is idle until it plays local rival Persema in the Malang derby on Jan. 10. - JG.
Dig beneath the surface, though, and it is clear there is something rotten in the state of East Java.
Head coach Robert Rene Alberts and several star players threatened to quit the club on Wednesday, accusing Arema management of breaking promises it made to its staff.
“[Management] had promised to give us a win bonus, as stated in our contracts, but they have yet to give that until now. We don’t want to beg for that because we’re not beggars,” Alberts said during a news conference.
The Dutchman, who moved to Arema from Malaysia’s Serawak FA, poured out his heart and aired all of the club’s problems after a 3-0 defeat of Sriwijaya FC at Kanjuruhan Stadium on Wednesday.
He also said he was nearly evicted from the hotel where he was staying because club management had yet to pay his bills.
“We’ve been trying to be professionals,” Alberts said. “We won our games and are at the top right now despite those internal problems. Now we ask the management to also be professional.”
Alberts said he and five foreign players — Noh Alam Shah, Roman Chmelo, Pierre Njanka, Muhammad Ridhuan and Landry Poulangoye — had yet to receive a 25 percent down payment on their contracts, as was promised when they signed with the club.
Alam Shah, Ridhuan, Njanka and Alberts said they would not return to Arema after the holiday break if management did not settle its debts. Chmelo and Poulangoye refused to comment on the matter.
“We’re No. 1 right now and all the fans think that we’re in a great condition. But we’re really hurt inside because of the management,” Alam Shah told the Web site of Aremania, Arema’s supporters’ club. “If they don’t resolve this problem until after the holidays, perhaps I won’t be coming back here.”
Goalkeeper Markus Haris Maulana, who spoke on behalf of the local players, said management promised to give bonuses after wins over Bontang FC and Persisam Samarinda but had yet to deliver.
Arema director Gunadi Handoko acknowledged the club had encountered financial problems but rejected Alberts’ accusations. He said there were late salary payments in October, but they were paid in early November.
Gunadi said he regretted that Alberts and the players had taken their grievances public.
“If they have a problem, then it’d be better if they speak to us first so we can sit down and talk,” he said.
Gunadi said the club’s cash flow was in the red but that management was trying to overcome the problem without making the team suffer.
He said last season’s club sponsor, tobacco company Bentoel, still owed Rp 3 billion ($318,000) and planned to pay its debt in installments through March.
The club says it earns Rp 600 million to Rp 700 million per match in gate receipts.
The director said management would talk with the squad after the holiday to settle the problem, adding that he was confident the club could resolve the problems before a walkout threatened the club’s Super League prospects.
Hundreds of Aremania members held a rally outside the club’s offices on Thursday, demanding management solve the problems so none of the squad walks away.
Arema is idle until it plays local rival Persema in the Malang derby on Jan. 10. - JG.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
HK wants to host 2019 Asian Games
Hong Kong is keen to stage the Asian Games in 10 years’ time, a top official said recently, after the city hosted its first international multi-sports event this month.
“Personally, I am very confident that Hong Kong has the ability to host the Asian Games in 2019,” secretary for home affairs Tsang Tak-sing said.
“You can see the benefits that it will bring to Hong Kong, but we have to listen to the people and we would have to devote a substantial amount of resources to it.”
His remarks came after the East Asian Games ended in Hong Kong on last Sunday after 12 days of competition.
Tsang said the East Asian Games, which featured nine countries, had been “a success in promoting the sporting culture in Hong Kong.”
Before the Games opened, there had been concern that they had failed to ignite the interest of the Hong Kong public, and preliminary events played out to half-full crowds.
However, major competitions such as athletics and swimming were sold out, albeit in small arenas, and nearly 40,000 people packed into Hong Kong Stadium on Saturday to see the host surprisingly take the football gold medal.
The win on penalties over Japan’s under-20 team, which had been among the favorites to win in football, was “like having a dream,” Hong Kong captain Au Yeung Yiu-chung said.
“The team still can’t believe that we’ve won the gold medal,” he added.
China finished with a gold medal haul of 113, followed by Japan with 62 and South Korea’s 39.
Hong Kong made the best of home advantage, winning 26 golds, its highest tally at the Games, which take place next in the Chinese city of Tianjin in 2013.
The next Asian Games will be held from Nov. 12-27 next year in Guangzhou, China, and in 2014 in the South Korean port city of Incheon. However, it was decided to change the date of the following Games to be one year ahead of the 2020 Olympics.
Manila, Dubai and Taipei are reportedly among other potential bidders for the 2019 event.
“Personally, I am very confident that Hong Kong has the ability to host the Asian Games in 2019,” secretary for home affairs Tsang Tak-sing said.
“You can see the benefits that it will bring to Hong Kong, but we have to listen to the people and we would have to devote a substantial amount of resources to it.”
His remarks came after the East Asian Games ended in Hong Kong on last Sunday after 12 days of competition.
Tsang said the East Asian Games, which featured nine countries, had been “a success in promoting the sporting culture in Hong Kong.”
Before the Games opened, there had been concern that they had failed to ignite the interest of the Hong Kong public, and preliminary events played out to half-full crowds.
However, major competitions such as athletics and swimming were sold out, albeit in small arenas, and nearly 40,000 people packed into Hong Kong Stadium on Saturday to see the host surprisingly take the football gold medal.
The win on penalties over Japan’s under-20 team, which had been among the favorites to win in football, was “like having a dream,” Hong Kong captain Au Yeung Yiu-chung said.
“The team still can’t believe that we’ve won the gold medal,” he added.
China finished with a gold medal haul of 113, followed by Japan with 62 and South Korea’s 39.
Hong Kong made the best of home advantage, winning 26 golds, its highest tally at the Games, which take place next in the Chinese city of Tianjin in 2013.
The next Asian Games will be held from Nov. 12-27 next year in Guangzhou, China, and in 2014 in the South Korean port city of Incheon. However, it was decided to change the date of the following Games to be one year ahead of the 2020 Olympics.
Manila, Dubai and Taipei are reportedly among other potential bidders for the 2019 event.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Football reality check
Almost a week ago the national U-23 team defeated Vietnam 1-0 in the finals of the SEA Games men's football tournament. The win, courtesy of an own goal, ended a 20 year wait for Malaysia to become champions.
A lot is being said about the victory and probably the whole football fraternity are either claiming credit or claiming to be a part of the celebration. People walking along the corridors of Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) are smiling and in a joyful mood. For them, Santa was in Vientiane last Thursday.
The win caused people to react in different ways, some even saying that with this win, Malaysia's ranking will improve! Here I would like to just put some facts before us so that we do not get carried away and, in the process, cause soccer to further decline.
The first fact, of course is that the team won the gold medal and obviously the have to be congratulated on that. The second, is that this is a South East Asian tournament and by winning, our team has proven to be of that level. Let's remember that.
The third fact is, the result would be different if the same teams play again next month. Therefore, the Malaysian team peaked at that time while the others are not far behind, or many be in front.
This is a U-23 tournament, and the rankings would not be effected.
However, the reality is that, this win should inspire the people in power to move ahead with proper planning and making the necessary drastic changes, especially in the mentality of officials in football.
This win should be seen as an encouragement to change, not a victory to talk about for too long. FAM has to make an study of the performance of the national U-23 team and the players and see if they can become strong contenders at Asian level. Do we have a system to see our footballers succeed at Asian level? We have to stop lying to ourselves.
Lets accept this fact, SEA Games level is nothing to shout about. It can become a wonderful thing if the sleeping machinery is awakened. The next tournaments on the list are pre-Asian Cup and of the course the Asian Games.
Let's hope FAM will see the need to think "out of the box" and make sure that soccer continues to enjoy fans support.
And, let's not forget, soon Laos, Vietnam and Thailand and possibly Singapore would be top contenders in Asia. Why? Because they have shed their old image and now are willing to change for the sake of football. Politics will have to move aside.
In 18 months time, the next SEA Games will be held in Indonesia. Do we have a team to defend the gold medal? As expected, the U-23 were upgraded to national team. What tournaments will they play in?
If we want to go above the South East Asian level, we need to have a high profile foreign coach, at least for now. The coach should lead the team and oversee the development of other age group teams.
A lot is being said about the victory and probably the whole football fraternity are either claiming credit or claiming to be a part of the celebration. People walking along the corridors of Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) are smiling and in a joyful mood. For them, Santa was in Vientiane last Thursday.
The win caused people to react in different ways, some even saying that with this win, Malaysia's ranking will improve! Here I would like to just put some facts before us so that we do not get carried away and, in the process, cause soccer to further decline.
The first fact, of course is that the team won the gold medal and obviously the have to be congratulated on that. The second, is that this is a South East Asian tournament and by winning, our team has proven to be of that level. Let's remember that.
The third fact is, the result would be different if the same teams play again next month. Therefore, the Malaysian team peaked at that time while the others are not far behind, or many be in front.
This is a U-23 tournament, and the rankings would not be effected.
However, the reality is that, this win should inspire the people in power to move ahead with proper planning and making the necessary drastic changes, especially in the mentality of officials in football.
This win should be seen as an encouragement to change, not a victory to talk about for too long. FAM has to make an study of the performance of the national U-23 team and the players and see if they can become strong contenders at Asian level. Do we have a system to see our footballers succeed at Asian level? We have to stop lying to ourselves.
Lets accept this fact, SEA Games level is nothing to shout about. It can become a wonderful thing if the sleeping machinery is awakened. The next tournaments on the list are pre-Asian Cup and of the course the Asian Games.
Let's hope FAM will see the need to think "out of the box" and make sure that soccer continues to enjoy fans support.
And, let's not forget, soon Laos, Vietnam and Thailand and possibly Singapore would be top contenders in Asia. Why? Because they have shed their old image and now are willing to change for the sake of football. Politics will have to move aside.
In 18 months time, the next SEA Games will be held in Indonesia. Do we have a team to defend the gold medal? As expected, the U-23 were upgraded to national team. What tournaments will they play in?
If we want to go above the South East Asian level, we need to have a high profile foreign coach, at least for now. The coach should lead the team and oversee the development of other age group teams.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Travel problems..........again
The victorious national football team's return from Laos this Friday afternoon was delayed due to a technical problem in the Hercules C-130 Royal Malaysian Armed Forces (RMAF) aircraft.
RMAF Public Relations Officer Major Kamarulzaman Ali said a replacement aircraft to bring back the players, had already left the Subang RMAF base at 8pm, Friday.
"RMAF has sent an aircraft to replace the one that faced a technical problem and the players are expected to arrive at 6.30am Saturday," he told Bernama when contacted here.
The National squad that won the gold medal after beating Vietnam 1-0 Thursday, was supposed to arrive at the RMAF base in Subang this afternoon.
The team encountered travel problems on the day they were supposed to leave for Laos. Apparently their chartered flight did not get the clearance to land in Laos. But that matter was resolved and they took off a day later.
RMAF Public Relations Officer Major Kamarulzaman Ali said a replacement aircraft to bring back the players, had already left the Subang RMAF base at 8pm, Friday.
"RMAF has sent an aircraft to replace the one that faced a technical problem and the players are expected to arrive at 6.30am Saturday," he told Bernama when contacted here.
The National squad that won the gold medal after beating Vietnam 1-0 Thursday, was supposed to arrive at the RMAF base in Subang this afternoon.
The team encountered travel problems on the day they were supposed to leave for Laos. Apparently their chartered flight did not get the clearance to land in Laos. But that matter was resolved and they took off a day later.
The never ending circus
The Malaysian contingent will be back soon from Laos and naturally the "good news" would be trumpetted to cover the true picture.
The talk would be of the gold medal tally which exceeded the conservatively-minumum target set by some people and also of football team's success in winning the gold medal after a 20 year wait.
Soon the seasonal post-office in Jalan Hang Jebat will close for a while and the "grand post-master" prepares the plot for the Asian Games, in Guangzhou, China.
The political talk has already started with a suggestion that the prize money for SEA Games winners be revised. While I am not questioning the need for a reward system, but common sense would tell us that reward for victory at this low level should be in the form of oppurtunities to have better trainning and exposure.
But, there are many questions that need to be answered. They have not been amswered before and I believe it may never be answered for a long time, untill people realise their desire to get free trips in exchanges for votes, has destroyed sports.
The first question which many have asked is how come there are so many non performing Category A athletes in Laos and other games before this. How were they selected? Did anyone query the figures and statistics used by the National Associations (NSAs)?
And, will National Sports Council (NSC) continue to pay for the expenses even when the selection process is "loose"?
NSC officials when contacted, admitted they do not have the figures of how many of the Category A athletes/ teams are not up to the mark but they too pointed out that Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM)'s selection has always been "loose"
If that is the case, why pay for the many "loosely selected" contingents? Who are the managers going with the teams? Do they know anything about the sport concerned? One can point the finger at NSAs but the fingers points back to the selectors and the party that bears the costs.
The Category B was introduced to open the door for potential and young athletes to gain exposure in these meets. Why are national athletes who fail to qualify given a Category B status? Who are you trying to please?
And, the big question would be why are there so many officials in Laos? There is the official officials list, there is a technical officials list, then there is the non official officials lists and some mysterious appearances by some.
There are many types of passes - A, B, C and E, babysitter passes and passes for babysitters and personal and exchangeable passes and so on. I am not going to as how walker Yuan Yu Fang got to Laos.
We all know of some people who go around blowing their trumpets and claiming "I am the most transparent person in the world". Maybe now is the time to see how transparent can "the most transparent person be."
Anyway, after being in sports for almost three decades, I do not expect any truths anymore. I just write with the hope that one day things would change and this "I scratch your back you vote for me" would be stopped once and for all.
I just hope the NSC would play a more argessive role and not a follower's role. Say no to nonsense. Malaysian sports needs a guardian. There are none now.
The talk would be of the gold medal tally which exceeded the conservatively-minumum target set by some people and also of football team's success in winning the gold medal after a 20 year wait.
Soon the seasonal post-office in Jalan Hang Jebat will close for a while and the "grand post-master" prepares the plot for the Asian Games, in Guangzhou, China.
The political talk has already started with a suggestion that the prize money for SEA Games winners be revised. While I am not questioning the need for a reward system, but common sense would tell us that reward for victory at this low level should be in the form of oppurtunities to have better trainning and exposure.
But, there are many questions that need to be answered. They have not been amswered before and I believe it may never be answered for a long time, untill people realise their desire to get free trips in exchanges for votes, has destroyed sports.
The first question which many have asked is how come there are so many non performing Category A athletes in Laos and other games before this. How were they selected? Did anyone query the figures and statistics used by the National Associations (NSAs)?
And, will National Sports Council (NSC) continue to pay for the expenses even when the selection process is "loose"?
NSC officials when contacted, admitted they do not have the figures of how many of the Category A athletes/ teams are not up to the mark but they too pointed out that Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM)'s selection has always been "loose"
If that is the case, why pay for the many "loosely selected" contingents? Who are the managers going with the teams? Do they know anything about the sport concerned? One can point the finger at NSAs but the fingers points back to the selectors and the party that bears the costs.
The Category B was introduced to open the door for potential and young athletes to gain exposure in these meets. Why are national athletes who fail to qualify given a Category B status? Who are you trying to please?
And, the big question would be why are there so many officials in Laos? There is the official officials list, there is a technical officials list, then there is the non official officials lists and some mysterious appearances by some.
There are many types of passes - A, B, C and E, babysitter passes and passes for babysitters and personal and exchangeable passes and so on. I am not going to as how walker Yuan Yu Fang got to Laos.
We all know of some people who go around blowing their trumpets and claiming "I am the most transparent person in the world". Maybe now is the time to see how transparent can "the most transparent person be."
Anyway, after being in sports for almost three decades, I do not expect any truths anymore. I just write with the hope that one day things would change and this "I scratch your back you vote for me" would be stopped once and for all.
I just hope the NSC would play a more argessive role and not a follower's role. Say no to nonsense. Malaysian sports needs a guardian. There are none now.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Own goal ends 20 year drought
It took an own goal from a Vietnam defender to end Malaysia's 20-year gold drought in the SEA Games football tournament at the Main Stadium in Vientiane, Thursday night. Malaysia won 1-0.
With just seven minutes remaining on the clock and Vietnam piling on the pressure as they look to complete the double in football, the Malaysians launched an attack that ended disastrously for the favourites.
Midfielder Safiq Rahim, who has been a menace all night long, crashed in a cross from the left but in his haste to clear the ball, defender Mai Xuan Hop delivered it into his own net.
It was a cruel way for the final to be decided but we've seen worse in football these days. Just ask the Irish who lost out to a slippery sleight of hand from Thierry Henry.
Xuan Hop could only look to the gods in disbelief while his goalkeeper, the lanky Bai Tran Truong screamed in vain as the Malaysians reeled away in delight for the well-deserved lead.
For Malaysia, the dream of gold and money must have instantly filled the heads of the young Tigers who were never expected to even make it to the semi-finals after a sputtering start in the first round.
Still, they knew they were on the verge of providing Malaysia with their most glorious moment in football for two decades and quickly took up their places to defend the goal.
Vietnam refused to give up and with the referee generously adding on six minutes, the fight was clearly on for the gold.
The strikers charged furiously forward and two minutes into extra time, Vietnam should have equalised when striker Mai Tien Thanh was provided with a golden opportunity after evading marker Mohd Sabre Mat Abu.
In all honesty, it was easier to score the chance than to blow it but that's just what Mai Tien Thanh did.
Tranh Dinh Dong picked out Tien Thanh from the left and sent in a near-perfect cross to his compatriot at the top of the six-yard box.
The 15,000 Vietnamese fans were utterly dismayed when Tien Thanh, who just needed to stab the ball in, blasted into oblivion. That shot also ended Vietnam's hopes of landing their first ever SEA Games gold.
Vietnam were aiming to pick up their second biggest silverware in as many years after sensationally wresting the AFF Suzuki Cup in Hanoi last year.
And they were also chasing the men’s football gold to complete their grand double following the victory by the women’s team just the day before.
For Malaysia, the gold medal tonight marked an end of 20-years of despair and pain for millions of fans in the country who last saw gold in the 1989 Games held in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia then beat Singapore 3-1 in the final while the last time Malaysia claimed the SEA Games gold away from home was in the 1979 Jakarta Games.
In the meantime, in the battle for the bronze medal, Singapore defeated hosts Laos 3-1. The goals were scored by Mohd Khairulnizam Mohd Kamal (23rd), Mohd Fazli Ayob (53rd) and Mohd Fadhil Noh (87th) while Lamnao Singto scored for the hosts in the 89th minute. -AFF.
With just seven minutes remaining on the clock and Vietnam piling on the pressure as they look to complete the double in football, the Malaysians launched an attack that ended disastrously for the favourites.
Midfielder Safiq Rahim, who has been a menace all night long, crashed in a cross from the left but in his haste to clear the ball, defender Mai Xuan Hop delivered it into his own net.
It was a cruel way for the final to be decided but we've seen worse in football these days. Just ask the Irish who lost out to a slippery sleight of hand from Thierry Henry.
Xuan Hop could only look to the gods in disbelief while his goalkeeper, the lanky Bai Tran Truong screamed in vain as the Malaysians reeled away in delight for the well-deserved lead.
For Malaysia, the dream of gold and money must have instantly filled the heads of the young Tigers who were never expected to even make it to the semi-finals after a sputtering start in the first round.
Still, they knew they were on the verge of providing Malaysia with their most glorious moment in football for two decades and quickly took up their places to defend the goal.
Vietnam refused to give up and with the referee generously adding on six minutes, the fight was clearly on for the gold.
The strikers charged furiously forward and two minutes into extra time, Vietnam should have equalised when striker Mai Tien Thanh was provided with a golden opportunity after evading marker Mohd Sabre Mat Abu.
In all honesty, it was easier to score the chance than to blow it but that's just what Mai Tien Thanh did.
Tranh Dinh Dong picked out Tien Thanh from the left and sent in a near-perfect cross to his compatriot at the top of the six-yard box.
The 15,000 Vietnamese fans were utterly dismayed when Tien Thanh, who just needed to stab the ball in, blasted into oblivion. That shot also ended Vietnam's hopes of landing their first ever SEA Games gold.
Vietnam were aiming to pick up their second biggest silverware in as many years after sensationally wresting the AFF Suzuki Cup in Hanoi last year.
And they were also chasing the men’s football gold to complete their grand double following the victory by the women’s team just the day before.
For Malaysia, the gold medal tonight marked an end of 20-years of despair and pain for millions of fans in the country who last saw gold in the 1989 Games held in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia then beat Singapore 3-1 in the final while the last time Malaysia claimed the SEA Games gold away from home was in the 1979 Jakarta Games.
In the meantime, in the battle for the bronze medal, Singapore defeated hosts Laos 3-1. The goals were scored by Mohd Khairulnizam Mohd Kamal (23rd), Mohd Fazli Ayob (53rd) and Mohd Fadhil Noh (87th) while Lamnao Singto scored for the hosts in the 89th minute. -AFF.
Indonesia fighting for third place
Indonesia leapfrogged Malaysia and pulled even with Singapore as it moved up to third in the Southeast Asian Games medal tally after bagging seven gold medals, nine silvers and 12 bronzes.
Having languished in the middle of the table for much of the Games after targeting a third-place finish, Indonesia won seven gold medals, nine silver and 12 bronze on Wednesday. It must finish strong in the final two days in order to hold off Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines for third place.
Indonesia has 32 golds, 37 silvers and 60 bronzes, and it holds the tiebreaker over Singapore (32-23-33) with more silver medals. Malaysia (29-36-51) and the Philippines (29-24-41) are fifth.
A late run of gold medals on Wednesday allowed Vietnam (61-55-47) to pull level with Thailand (61-68-79) atop the table.
Suryo Agung Wibowo (picture) lived up to his title of SEA Games sprint king, winning the men’s 200-meter dash in 20.85 seconds to add to his SEA Games record-setting performance in the 100 meters.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Worawi ready to step down
Worawi Makudi, president of the FA of Thailand, said that he is ready to step down from his post if the majority voice would like him to go following the U23 team's disastrous exit in men's football of the 25th SEA Games."This failure's the most disappointment to all Thais. We'd high expectation before the tournament that we would win the gold for ninth successive time. But, the competition in the Games is not easy as anyone thought. All other teams wanted to beat us,” said Worawi (picture).
"I'd tried to remind the players that every second in the game is critical. We needed to keep our focus until the end. It's a costly experience for us.
"Regarding on the call from some group who wanted me to resign, I'm a kind of person who wasn't attached to the position. So, I'm willing to consider myself if the majority of fans want me to leave or deem that I'm not suitable for the job.”
Thailand’s reign as eight consecutive champions of the SEA Games came crashing down last week when the team conceded a 2-1 loss to Malaysia in a crucial game of Group A which saw their exit from the tournament.
It was the first time in 36 years that the Thais had failed to reach the semi-finals stage.
Following the loss in Laos, the Thai team is now preparing for the 2011 Asian Cup qualifiers next month.
"Initially, we would have a training camp after the Games as several members of the team played for the Under23 side in Laos,” he added.
"Now, we've to move forward our training programme. Tomorrow, (national coach Bryan) Robson would return to the country, so the preparation might start right away. I'm still confident we could score at least four points from the remaining two Cup qualifiers.”- AFF.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Cycling: NSC please take over
It was a disastrous outing for cycling at the Laos SEA Games and the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) should admit failure and surrender the road development programme to the National Sports Council (NSC).
Not only the team failed to win any gold medals, but the games showed that neighbouring countries like Vietnam and Thailand have already developed a team of young and fast riders that look set to challenge the best in the continent for the next few years, including at the Asian Games in Guangzhou.
The target was two golds but the team came back with only two bronze and a silver from women cyclist, Noor Azian Alias. Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia were the strong successful teams while the Phillippines did not participate because of some internal problems in the federation.
By right, the OlympicCouncil of Malaysia (OCM) should come out and say that because of this failure the road team cannot go to Guangzhou. But that would not happen because OCM is all about staying in office and all support is needed, even though it will destroy the sport.
In fact, OCM might even allow the team to go through "other doors" like results of trials held somewhere and of course there is the Category B thing, which should be stopped once and for all. (I will write about that later)
After the 1998 Commonwealth Games, former NSC Director General, Datuk Wira Mazlan Ahmad put the track development under the government agencies' wings and left the road programme in the hands of the national body.
The move has become a success story for cycling who now have internationally renowned track riders like Azizulhasni Awang and Rizal Tisin.
But what was left in the hands of MNCF failed miserably. The Le Tour de Langkawi has failed to inspire the development of domestic road cyclist and many are surprised that the local riders cannot do well even though the races are on our own territory, which the riders should be familiar with and by now should have mastered them.
Since 1998, MNCF would come to NSC for funds to send the road teams for tournaments and other stints and the NSC mostly helps out. But, the helping period is over, and now the NSC should take over and develop the road racing team, which is totally dependent on government funding.
And, obviously, the MNCF leadership must take responsibility and step down. Now is the best time to do so and in the best interest of sports move aside and let others take cycling to greater heights.
The reasons for failure is obviously the lack of proper coaching and preparation besides lack of any serious efforts to identify and trainlope potential riders for the future.
Based on the UCI registered code, Vietnamese riders are between 20 to 22 years old while Indonesia has the oldest riders with Malaysian riders slightly younger.
Bui Minh Thuy (Vie), the winner of 160.3km Massed Start Race and his compatriot Mai Nguyen Hung showed speed and strength in the race and older riders could not match them. Malaysia's Mohd Zamri Saleh only managed a bronze while 24 year old Annuar Manan came in 16th, almost 15 minutes behind.
Malaysia's other road riders are age-ing and lose out on speed, again due mostly to lack of proper coaching and preparation. Ahmad Pallani Ali, Zamri Saleh and Razif Mohd Salleh are all 26 years old while Ng Yong Li is 24.
Indonesia's older rider were more successful than our riders. Ryan Ariehaan (30 years old) won the gold medal in the 40km Individual Time Trial while his older teammate, veteran Tonton Susanto (36) won the silver. Another Vietnamese, Mai Cong Hieu took the bronze.
The sad story of road cycling in Malaysia is that the riders have not proven themselves since the LTdl started in 1996. The MNCF is thinking of putting up more than one team for the tour but what good is that if even with one team, we have failed miserably.
One silver and two bronze from eight events - that is failure and if you cannot accept and admit it, than we are heading for bigger problems in the future.
I hope the MNCF leadership would do the right thing and let NSC take over the road programmes and they (the leadership) themselves give way to new leaders to lead the sport. For so long you have been going on trips even though your own state does not even have one rider in the national team.
No need to talk about national team, some don't even have one rider. But, they want to go as Team Managers and officials to as many meets as possible. Now is the time to change.
Not only the team failed to win any gold medals, but the games showed that neighbouring countries like Vietnam and Thailand have already developed a team of young and fast riders that look set to challenge the best in the continent for the next few years, including at the Asian Games in Guangzhou.
The target was two golds but the team came back with only two bronze and a silver from women cyclist, Noor Azian Alias. Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia were the strong successful teams while the Phillippines did not participate because of some internal problems in the federation.
By right, the OlympicCouncil of Malaysia (OCM) should come out and say that because of this failure the road team cannot go to Guangzhou. But that would not happen because OCM is all about staying in office and all support is needed, even though it will destroy the sport.
In fact, OCM might even allow the team to go through "other doors" like results of trials held somewhere and of course there is the Category B thing, which should be stopped once and for all. (I will write about that later)
After the 1998 Commonwealth Games, former NSC Director General, Datuk Wira Mazlan Ahmad put the track development under the government agencies' wings and left the road programme in the hands of the national body.
The move has become a success story for cycling who now have internationally renowned track riders like Azizulhasni Awang and Rizal Tisin.
But what was left in the hands of MNCF failed miserably. The Le Tour de Langkawi has failed to inspire the development of domestic road cyclist and many are surprised that the local riders cannot do well even though the races are on our own territory, which the riders should be familiar with and by now should have mastered them.
Since 1998, MNCF would come to NSC for funds to send the road teams for tournaments and other stints and the NSC mostly helps out. But, the helping period is over, and now the NSC should take over and develop the road racing team, which is totally dependent on government funding.
And, obviously, the MNCF leadership must take responsibility and step down. Now is the best time to do so and in the best interest of sports move aside and let others take cycling to greater heights.
The reasons for failure is obviously the lack of proper coaching and preparation besides lack of any serious efforts to identify and trainlope potential riders for the future.
Based on the UCI registered code, Vietnamese riders are between 20 to 22 years old while Indonesia has the oldest riders with Malaysian riders slightly younger.
Bui Minh Thuy (Vie), the winner of 160.3km Massed Start Race and his compatriot Mai Nguyen Hung showed speed and strength in the race and older riders could not match them. Malaysia's Mohd Zamri Saleh only managed a bronze while 24 year old Annuar Manan came in 16th, almost 15 minutes behind.
Malaysia's other road riders are age-ing and lose out on speed, again due mostly to lack of proper coaching and preparation. Ahmad Pallani Ali, Zamri Saleh and Razif Mohd Salleh are all 26 years old while Ng Yong Li is 24.
Indonesia's older rider were more successful than our riders. Ryan Ariehaan (30 years old) won the gold medal in the 40km Individual Time Trial while his older teammate, veteran Tonton Susanto (36) won the silver. Another Vietnamese, Mai Cong Hieu took the bronze.
The sad story of road cycling in Malaysia is that the riders have not proven themselves since the LTdl started in 1996. The MNCF is thinking of putting up more than one team for the tour but what good is that if even with one team, we have failed miserably.
One silver and two bronze from eight events - that is failure and if you cannot accept and admit it, than we are heading for bigger problems in the future.
I hope the MNCF leadership would do the right thing and let NSC take over the road programmes and they (the leadership) themselves give way to new leaders to lead the sport. For so long you have been going on trips even though your own state does not even have one rider in the national team.
No need to talk about national team, some don't even have one rider. But, they want to go as Team Managers and officials to as many meets as possible. Now is the time to change.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Malaysia to play Vietnam in final
Malaysia rallied to beat hosts Laos 3-1 in the second semi-final Monday to book their place in the final against Vietnam which will be played at the same venue of the Main Stadium on Dec 17.
The final appearance is the first for the Malaysians in eight years since 2001 when they lost to Thailand in Kuala Lumpur.
And Monday evening with the expectant fans heavily backing the home team to make their debut in the final of the SEA Games, it was to be the Malaysians who pinned their opponents in their own half at the start of the game.
In the second minute, Abdul Manaf Mamat tested Laos keeper Souvanpheng Panthavong with a rifling shot from 20metre out while several minutes later, striker Norshahrul Idlan Talaha’s attempt with placing shot was parried.
Laos put pressure in the midfield through the hard work of Lamnao Singto and Kampheng Sayyavuthi but they just could not get past the Malaysian backline marshalled by Zafuan Adha Abdul Razak.
In the 13th minute, a blanket of silence fell on the Laos fans when off a cross from Manaf Mamat on the right, Badrol Bakhtiar rose high for an overhead kick which went straight into goal.
As the small Malaysian supporters began chanting, Laos came close with a free kick from Kaysone Soukhavong but his attempt was well received by Malaysian custodian Sharbinee Allawee.
Malaysia were a little slower going into the second half and as they laid back to protect their lead, a seemingly innocuous dipping shot from distance in the 72nd minute beat Sharbinee for the first time in the game - much to the jubilation of the home fans.
But in their eagerness to look for their second goal and the lead, Laos left gaps at the back and this allowed Malaysia to capitalise on in the 78th minute when Badrol picked a pass from S. Kunalan to blast home.
And sixth minutes later, Safiq Rahim made it beyond Laos’ reach with the third goal from inside the penalty box to put Malaysia through.
Malaysia’s appearance in the final will allow them the chance for a re-match against Vietnam, whom they lost to in the group stage with a 3-1 score line.
The final appearance is the first for the Malaysians in eight years since 2001 when they lost to Thailand in Kuala Lumpur.
And Monday evening with the expectant fans heavily backing the home team to make their debut in the final of the SEA Games, it was to be the Malaysians who pinned their opponents in their own half at the start of the game.
In the second minute, Abdul Manaf Mamat tested Laos keeper Souvanpheng Panthavong with a rifling shot from 20metre out while several minutes later, striker Norshahrul Idlan Talaha’s attempt with placing shot was parried.
Laos put pressure in the midfield through the hard work of Lamnao Singto and Kampheng Sayyavuthi but they just could not get past the Malaysian backline marshalled by Zafuan Adha Abdul Razak.
In the 13th minute, a blanket of silence fell on the Laos fans when off a cross from Manaf Mamat on the right, Badrol Bakhtiar rose high for an overhead kick which went straight into goal.
As the small Malaysian supporters began chanting, Laos came close with a free kick from Kaysone Soukhavong but his attempt was well received by Malaysian custodian Sharbinee Allawee.
Malaysia were a little slower going into the second half and as they laid back to protect their lead, a seemingly innocuous dipping shot from distance in the 72nd minute beat Sharbinee for the first time in the game - much to the jubilation of the home fans.
But in their eagerness to look for their second goal and the lead, Laos left gaps at the back and this allowed Malaysia to capitalise on in the 78th minute when Badrol picked a pass from S. Kunalan to blast home.
And sixth minutes later, Safiq Rahim made it beyond Laos’ reach with the third goal from inside the penalty box to put Malaysia through.
Malaysia’s appearance in the final will allow them the chance for a re-match against Vietnam, whom they lost to in the group stage with a 3-1 score line.
Kovalainen, Trulli, Fairuz to drive for Lotus F1 team
Malaysian Formula One (F1) outfit, Lotus F1 Racing on Monday announced Italian Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen from Finland as their two main drivers for next season.
Apart from the two, local boy Mohamed Fairuz Mohamed Fauzy, was announced as the third driver for the team.
"The selection of the drivers, especially Trulli, was a perfect choice as the 35-year-old driver is vastly experienced," Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek who represented Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak told reporters after making the announcements.
Ahmad Shabery said a new team like Lotus F1 Racing would naturally need an experienced driver to gauge the performance of the team.
"The feedback from the driver (Trulli) who has featured in about 200 F1 races will be vital for the technical and mechanical technological aspects of the team," he said.
Trulli who represented the Toyota F1 team in the just concluded season, has seen action in 216 races since 1997 under a number of teams like Minardi, Jordan and Renault.
The Italian scored his maiden Grand Prix win in Monaco back in 2004 and has since stood on the podium 11 times throughout his career.
As for the selection of Mohamed Fairuz as the third driver, Ahmad Shabery in time to come, Lotus F1 Racing aspires to have a Malaysia driver as the main driver for the team.
"It will not only be position of the drivers that will be filled up by Malaysians, because even the other posts will be occupied by Malaysians and currently we already have about 20 percent of the team's workforce featuring locals," he said.
Meanwhile, Lotus F1 Team Principal Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes said the announcement of drivers today was actually an attractive combination of experience, age and passion.
"Kovalainen, 28 also has vast experience as a driver with teams like Renault and McLaren and last year he featured together with 2008 World champion Lewis Hamilton," he said.
Tony also reiterated that the target or objective of Lotus F1 Racing was to finish as the best among the three new teams participating in the F1 next season.
The 2010 F1 season would feature 19 races and kick off with the Bahrain F1 Grand Prix from March 12-14. The Lotus F1 Racing would be managed by 1Malaysia Racing Team (1MRT) Sdn Bhd. -- BERNAMA
Friday, December 11, 2009
Malaysia makes it to the semis
A 2-1 win over Thailand in their final Group A match this evening at the Main Stadium was enough to give Malaysia a place in the semi-finals of the men’s football event at the SEA Games.
The loss for Thailand meant that this is the first time since 1993 they will not make an appearance in the semi-finals in an event which they have dominated with eight gold medals since then.
The Malaysian team realised what was at stake where they needed to win the full points or they will be on the next flight home.
While for the Thais, they knew they were in the driver’s seat going into the match where they only needed to pick up the one point for them to make the final four of the championship this year.
But it would seem that the Thais did not pay heed to head coach Steve Darby’s warning against playing it defensive and not taking any chances as this might backfired on them.
Malaysia created their first real chance of the game in the 28th minute of play when Norsharul Idlan Talaha played the ball short to Safiq Rahim but the latter just could not find the target.
Thailand finished the first half with their best chance of the afternoon in the 41st minute but striker Kirati Keawsombut missed the far post by inches.
With the score levelled at the half, Thailand came out stronger after the break and after putting some pressure on the Malaysians, their win of a free kick in the 52nd minute saw them scoring their first goal of the game.
Arthit Sunthornphit fired in from some 20metres out to beat Malaysian keeper Mohd Sharbinee Allawee to put the Thais on the advantage.
But their failure to sustain the pressure allowed Malaysia to be more daring and after a failed one-to-one from Norshahrul, the Malaysians finally carved out the equaliser in the 80th minute when Mohd Nashriq Baharom slammed home latching to a cross from substitute Mohamad Azmi Muslim.
The equalising goal did not seem to push Thailand into action and this prodded Malaysia to be more brazen and deep in injury time, they scored the winner off Ahmad Fakri Saarni to put themselves in the semi-finals of the championship where they will face hosts Laos on December 14.
In the meantime Vietnam took Group A after beating Cambodia 6-1 in the other match of the afternoon.
The Vietnamese, who are chasing their first ever gold medal in the event, scored the first goal of the game in the 11th minute through Phan Thanh Luong before Phan Thanh Hung scored the second goal of the afternoon in the 42nd minute to put them 2-0 in front at the half.
Two quick goals from Thang Luong (62nd minute) and Hoang Dinh Tung (65th minute) put Vietnam comfortably 4-0 ahead before Cambodia scored their one and only goal of the game in the 68th minute through Khim Borey.
Vietnam then completed the rout with two further goals from Dinh Tung (83rd minute) and Tran Manh Dung (89th minute) to set-up a semi-final clash against Singapore in two days.
Yu Fang will travel
The presence of walker Yuan Yu Fang in Vientiane, despite being dropped by the Malaysian Amateur Athletics Union (MAAU) from the SEA Games athletics squad, was a major talking point in Laos.
Yu Fang, 33, who was initially expected to contribute a gold medal from the 20km walk event, was dropped by the MAAU after she had claimed that she was pregnant.
Even National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Zolkples Embong confirmed that the walker had withdrawn from the Laos SEA Games after complaining of stomach pain.
"Yu Fang met me and claimed she was pregnant and NSC accepted her reason," he said.
Meanwhile, MAAU deputy president Karim Ibrahim who arrived here on Thursday with the athletics team, said he does not know why Yu Fang was in Laos.
"She was initially a gold medal prospect but when she claimed that she was pregnant, we dropped her from the list," said Karim.
However, Karim said based on the accreditation that Yu Fang was wearing, it was possible that she came to Laos with the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM).
"Although she came in the same flight with us, I did not want to know why or how she arrived in Laos because my job is to take care of the athletics who are competing here," he said. -Bernama.
Yu Fang, 33, who was initially expected to contribute a gold medal from the 20km walk event, was dropped by the MAAU after she had claimed that she was pregnant.
Even National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Zolkples Embong confirmed that the walker had withdrawn from the Laos SEA Games after complaining of stomach pain.
"Yu Fang met me and claimed she was pregnant and NSC accepted her reason," he said.
Meanwhile, MAAU deputy president Karim Ibrahim who arrived here on Thursday with the athletics team, said he does not know why Yu Fang was in Laos.
"She was initially a gold medal prospect but when she claimed that she was pregnant, we dropped her from the list," said Karim.
However, Karim said based on the accreditation that Yu Fang was wearing, it was possible that she came to Laos with the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM).
"Although she came in the same flight with us, I did not want to know why or how she arrived in Laos because my job is to take care of the athletics who are competing here," he said. -Bernama.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Laos the new force in Asean
Hosts Laos tore up the form book to progress to the semi-finals of the 2009 SEA Games ahead of 2007 bronze medallists Myanmar and highly-fancied Indonesia, following a goalless draw with Singapore on Thursday.
Guided by former Vietnam coach Alfred Riedl, Laos opened their Group B campaign with an creditable 1-1 draw with Myanmar before stunning Indonesia in their next match as two second-half goals from Thailand-based striker Lamnao Singto (pictured in action against Singapore) saw the competition outsiders defeat one of the pre-tournament favourites.
With four points in the bag Laos needed only a draw to top the group on goal difference which they achieved at the packed National Stadium by shutting out Singapore, who also advanced to the last four as Group B runners-up.
Laos, whose only medal success was a shared bronze in 1969 when the tournament was known as the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games, will play the runners-up of Group A, which concludes on Friday, with defending champions Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Indonesia crashed out of the Southeast Asian Games football tournament with a 3-1 defeat to 2007 runners-up Myanmar, leaving them rooted at the bottom of Group B with just a single point after three matches.
Thailand, gunning for their ninth consecutive success in the under-23 competition, are in action in Group A Friday. They currently top the standings.
Chong Wei's withdrawal not due to money
World's number one shuttler Datuk Lee Chong Wei's withdrawal from the 25th South-east Asian (SEA) Games in Laos is not due to the fact that there is no cash prize given to medal winners at the meet, the Dewan Rakyat was told on Wednesday.
Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Razali Ibrahim said Chong Wei withdrew from the meet which was officially opened today because he had a recurring injury on his left knee.
"We were also surprised at Chong Wei's decision, but the withdrawal was due to the knee injury he sustained and the panel of orthopaedic specialist doctors from the National Sports Institute gave the opinion that he could not participate in the SEA games," he said when winding up the debate on the Supply Bill 2010 at the committee stage for the ministry at the Dewan Rakyat.
Razali said the knee injury sustained by the Olympic Games silver medalist was quite serious after winning the Final of the Super Masters Series where Chong Wei walked away with the US$40,000 (RM135,260) cash prize in Johor Baharu recently.
Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Razali Ibrahim said Chong Wei withdrew from the meet which was officially opened today because he had a recurring injury on his left knee.
"We were also surprised at Chong Wei's decision, but the withdrawal was due to the knee injury he sustained and the panel of orthopaedic specialist doctors from the National Sports Institute gave the opinion that he could not participate in the SEA games," he said when winding up the debate on the Supply Bill 2010 at the committee stage for the ministry at the Dewan Rakyat.
Razali said the knee injury sustained by the Olympic Games silver medalist was quite serious after winning the Final of the Super Masters Series where Chong Wei walked away with the US$40,000 (RM135,260) cash prize in Johor Baharu recently.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Malaysia 4 Cambodia 0
Malaysia seem determined to put their bad episode with the South Korean referee behind them when they beat Cambodia 4-0 in a Group B encounter of the SEA Games football tournament at Chao Anuvong Stadium in Vientiane, Tuesday.
Following several clear misses at the start, the Malaysians finally carved out their first goal of the game in the 34th minute when Manaf Mamat capitalised on a hesitant Cambodian backline to slot the ball home.
But Cambodia got the chance to draw level in the 52nd minute only to see Kouch Sokumpheak’s attempt going straight to Malaysian keeper Farizal Marlias after his first attempt was disallowed for an infringement.
And in their eagerness to go forward, Cambodia fell further behind in the 75th minute when Norshahrul Idlan Talaha latched on to a cross from S. Kunalan to give the Malaysians a 2-0 lead.
Six minutes later, Kunalan made it 3-0 off a rebound before Safiq Rahim converted a penalty five minutes to the end to give the Malaysians the win.
Meanwhile, Thailand made it a walk in the park with a 9-0 thumping of Timor Leste in an earlier match at the same venue.
The win has set up a crucial clash in the group between Thailand and Malaysia with the victor winning a ticket to the semi-finals of this year’s competition.
Needing just the three points from the match, Thailand rested their stars like Teerasil Dangda and captain Kiatprawut Saiwaew as they tried out several of their reserves at the start of the tie.
But even that was a handful for Timor Leste as striker Sompong Soleb nailed a hat-trick with goals in the 3rd, 32nd and 76th minute to lead the defending champions over their hapless opponents.
In between, Anawin Jujeen were on target for Thailand with goals in the 37th and 86th minute as Apipoo Sunthornpanavej (46th and 60th), Kriangkrai Pimrat (44th) and Piyachart Harahan (49th) scored the other goals for the Thais.
Following several clear misses at the start, the Malaysians finally carved out their first goal of the game in the 34th minute when Manaf Mamat capitalised on a hesitant Cambodian backline to slot the ball home.
But Cambodia got the chance to draw level in the 52nd minute only to see Kouch Sokumpheak’s attempt going straight to Malaysian keeper Farizal Marlias after his first attempt was disallowed for an infringement.
And in their eagerness to go forward, Cambodia fell further behind in the 75th minute when Norshahrul Idlan Talaha latched on to a cross from S. Kunalan to give the Malaysians a 2-0 lead.
Six minutes later, Kunalan made it 3-0 off a rebound before Safiq Rahim converted a penalty five minutes to the end to give the Malaysians the win.
Meanwhile, Thailand made it a walk in the park with a 9-0 thumping of Timor Leste in an earlier match at the same venue.
The win has set up a crucial clash in the group between Thailand and Malaysia with the victor winning a ticket to the semi-finals of this year’s competition.
Needing just the three points from the match, Thailand rested their stars like Teerasil Dangda and captain Kiatprawut Saiwaew as they tried out several of their reserves at the start of the tie.
But even that was a handful for Timor Leste as striker Sompong Soleb nailed a hat-trick with goals in the 3rd, 32nd and 76th minute to lead the defending champions over their hapless opponents.
In between, Anawin Jujeen were on target for Thailand with goals in the 37th and 86th minute as Apipoo Sunthornpanavej (46th and 60th), Kriangkrai Pimrat (44th) and Piyachart Harahan (49th) scored the other goals for the Thais.
FAM saves Pahang
While the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is struggling to "do and say" the right things, a handful of Asian countries are expected to begin preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaigns.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers start on October 8, 2010 with Match Day 1 of the first round. MD2 is on October 12, 2010.
The AFC Competitions Department has yet to announce the qualification format for the 2014 finals, to be held in Brazil.
FAM at its council meeting decided to keep Pahang in the top flight while the new look Harimau B would play in the premier league. Only recently, the Competitions Committee announced that Harimau Muda would play in the Super League while Pahang would be relegated.
But, the council, at its meeting Monday, changed that. Well, to tell you the truth, I expected that decision and I believe many others also has the same feeling as me.
I wonder if they discussed about the 2014 qualifying tournament and the national team's preparation.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers start on October 8, 2010 with Match Day 1 of the first round. MD2 is on October 12, 2010.
The AFC Competitions Department has yet to announce the qualification format for the 2014 finals, to be held in Brazil.
FAM at its council meeting decided to keep Pahang in the top flight while the new look Harimau B would play in the premier league. Only recently, the Competitions Committee announced that Harimau Muda would play in the Super League while Pahang would be relegated.
But, the council, at its meeting Monday, changed that. Well, to tell you the truth, I expected that decision and I believe many others also has the same feeling as me.
I wonder if they discussed about the 2014 qualifying tournament and the national team's preparation.
No more outings for the ladies
The FA of Malaysia (FAM) have frozen their women’s football team from taking part in further international competitions following the latest round of defeats sustained by the squad.
The ban also applies to the national women’s Futsal team.
The Malaysian national Under-16 squad were drummed out of the AFF Championship in Myanmar in October after conceding 33 goals and scoring just twice.
And at the SEA Games in Vientiane this week, the squad had already conceded a total of 22 goals after just two matches - a 14-0 drubbing at the hands of Thailand and then an 8-0 thrashing by Vietnam.
They still have two more matches to play for which is against hosts Laos on 11 December and then Myanmar two days later.
“Following the two losses (against Thailand and Vietnam) which were embarrassing, the FAM have decided not to allow the women’s team in taking part in any international competitions,“ said FAM deputy president Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar.
“The priority now is for development where we will need to strengthen the squad including the Futsal team. However, they can still play friendlies.”
The ban also applies to the national women’s Futsal team.
The Malaysian national Under-16 squad were drummed out of the AFF Championship in Myanmar in October after conceding 33 goals and scoring just twice.
And at the SEA Games in Vientiane this week, the squad had already conceded a total of 22 goals after just two matches - a 14-0 drubbing at the hands of Thailand and then an 8-0 thrashing by Vietnam.
They still have two more matches to play for which is against hosts Laos on 11 December and then Myanmar two days later.
“Following the two losses (against Thailand and Vietnam) which were embarrassing, the FAM have decided not to allow the women’s team in taking part in any international competitions,“ said FAM deputy president Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar.
“The priority now is for development where we will need to strengthen the squad including the Futsal team. However, they can still play friendlies.”
Well done, Laos
Hosts Laos beat Indonesia 2-0 to take the lead in Group B as Singapore kept up the pressure for a place in the semi-finals with a 2-1 win over Myanmar in the two matches that were played at the Chao Anuvong Stadium in Vientiane, Monday.
Buoyed by a capacity crowd, Laos did not pull back any punches against the defending silver medallists Myanmar as the action swung from end to end to put the spectators at the edge of their seats.
With neither team able to find the back of the net, the score stood all tied at the half as Laos head coach Alfred Riedl look to put further pressure on the Indonesians after the break.
And while Indonesia tried to look for their own goal through the partnership of Boaz Salossa and Engel Bert Sani after the restart, the duo just can’t seem to work in tandem as their offensive play often breaks down even before they get into the Laotian box.
Laos’ reliance on Lamnao Singto was not unfounded when in the 66th minute, he picked up a long pass from midfield before unleashing a stiff grounder which Indonesian keeper Frenky Irawan tried in vain to stop as it went between his legs for the lead.
Indonesia went forward to look for the equaliser gamely and just when they were making headway, Lamnao was again in his element as he punished the Indonesian defence for a defensive lapse to blast the ball into an empty goal.
In the meantime, Singapore dumped defending SEA Games silver medallists Myanmar 2-1 in the other group match.
Defender Mohd Safuwan Baharuddin gave the Young Lions the lead in the seventh minute when he nodded home the corner from Mohd Shaiful Esah Nain.
Three minutes later, Myanmar fought back with a shot from Pai Soe from the edge of the box but was cleared on the line by Mohd Afiq Yunos.
But Singapore grabbed their second goal of the afternoon in the 29th minute when Hariss Harun headed the ball in off a similar corner to put the pressure on Myanmar.
A flurry of attempts came from Myanmar where in the 35th minute, a Han Win Aung’s free kick went straight to Singapore keeper Mohd Hyrulnizam Jumaat while four minutes later, a short pass from Yaza Win Thein was blasted into the side netting by striker Kyaw Thi Ha.
Myanmar’s frustration drifted into the second half but in spite of their hard work, Singapore custodian Mohd Hyrulnizam just stood his ground with several excellent saves.
With seconds remaining on the clock, Myanmar finally broke the Singapore cagey defence when Soe Min Oo found the space and time to slot home from the edge of the Singapore box for their first goal.
But by then, it was already a little too late as referee Vo Minh Tri then blew the final whistle not too long afterwards. -AFF.
Buoyed by a capacity crowd, Laos did not pull back any punches against the defending silver medallists Myanmar as the action swung from end to end to put the spectators at the edge of their seats.
With neither team able to find the back of the net, the score stood all tied at the half as Laos head coach Alfred Riedl look to put further pressure on the Indonesians after the break.
And while Indonesia tried to look for their own goal through the partnership of Boaz Salossa and Engel Bert Sani after the restart, the duo just can’t seem to work in tandem as their offensive play often breaks down even before they get into the Laotian box.
Laos’ reliance on Lamnao Singto was not unfounded when in the 66th minute, he picked up a long pass from midfield before unleashing a stiff grounder which Indonesian keeper Frenky Irawan tried in vain to stop as it went between his legs for the lead.
Indonesia went forward to look for the equaliser gamely and just when they were making headway, Lamnao was again in his element as he punished the Indonesian defence for a defensive lapse to blast the ball into an empty goal.
In the meantime, Singapore dumped defending SEA Games silver medallists Myanmar 2-1 in the other group match.
Defender Mohd Safuwan Baharuddin gave the Young Lions the lead in the seventh minute when he nodded home the corner from Mohd Shaiful Esah Nain.
Three minutes later, Myanmar fought back with a shot from Pai Soe from the edge of the box but was cleared on the line by Mohd Afiq Yunos.
But Singapore grabbed their second goal of the afternoon in the 29th minute when Hariss Harun headed the ball in off a similar corner to put the pressure on Myanmar.
A flurry of attempts came from Myanmar where in the 35th minute, a Han Win Aung’s free kick went straight to Singapore keeper Mohd Hyrulnizam Jumaat while four minutes later, a short pass from Yaza Win Thein was blasted into the side netting by striker Kyaw Thi Ha.
Myanmar’s frustration drifted into the second half but in spite of their hard work, Singapore custodian Mohd Hyrulnizam just stood his ground with several excellent saves.
With seconds remaining on the clock, Myanmar finally broke the Singapore cagey defence when Soe Min Oo found the space and time to slot home from the edge of the Singapore box for their first goal.
But by then, it was already a little too late as referee Vo Minh Tri then blew the final whistle not too long afterwards. -AFF.
Monday, December 7, 2009
The Laos Debacle
National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Zolkples Embong described the action of the men's football team to manhandle match officials after their 1-3 loss to Vietnam, as a disgrace to the country.
He added that the reason offered by head coach K. Rajagobal that the incident was triggered by bias and controversial decisions made by the referee against Malaysia, cannot be accepted. And, surely many fans would be upset with that "childish" behavior of the players.
"To me, the referee was fair and indeed a number of decisions made by him favoured the Malaysian team," said Zolkples who was among those who watched the match on Sunday.
The duty of any coach is not only to prepare the team tactically but also to teach his or her players that the referees decision is final.
In the match held at the Main Stadium of the Laos National Sports Complex, Malaysia lost 1-3 to Vietnam, a result that put Malaysian semifinal hopes on tender hooks.
According to Bernama, when South Korean referee Kim Jong Hyeok blew the final whistle, some of the Malaysian players charged at the referee to register their protest after the South Korean had dismissed substitute Mohd Zaquan Adha Abd Radzak for a second bookable offence.
Players had also retorted to throwing water bottles aimlessly at the match official before security officials from Laos intervened and prevented the situation from getting out of hand.
Zolkples also blamed all the Malaysian team officials for further provoking the players, with the exception of Tan Cheng Hoe (coach) who sat calm on the bench.
He added that Malaysia should have just accepted the result because the Vietnam players played better as they were fitter and faster.
"From my observation, our players played below their capabilities and paid too much respect to their opponent," he said.
He added that the reason offered by head coach K. Rajagobal that the incident was triggered by bias and controversial decisions made by the referee against Malaysia, cannot be accepted. And, surely many fans would be upset with that "childish" behavior of the players.
"To me, the referee was fair and indeed a number of decisions made by him favoured the Malaysian team," said Zolkples who was among those who watched the match on Sunday.
The duty of any coach is not only to prepare the team tactically but also to teach his or her players that the referees decision is final.
In the match held at the Main Stadium of the Laos National Sports Complex, Malaysia lost 1-3 to Vietnam, a result that put Malaysian semifinal hopes on tender hooks.
According to Bernama, when South Korean referee Kim Jong Hyeok blew the final whistle, some of the Malaysian players charged at the referee to register their protest after the South Korean had dismissed substitute Mohd Zaquan Adha Abd Radzak for a second bookable offence.
Players had also retorted to throwing water bottles aimlessly at the match official before security officials from Laos intervened and prevented the situation from getting out of hand.
Zolkples also blamed all the Malaysian team officials for further provoking the players, with the exception of Tan Cheng Hoe (coach) who sat calm on the bench.
He added that Malaysia should have just accepted the result because the Vietnam players played better as they were fitter and faster.
"From my observation, our players played below their capabilities and paid too much respect to their opponent," he said.
Another trashing for women's team
The Malaysian women's football team suffered their second consecutive big defeat in the SEA Games football competition after losing 0-8 to Vietnam in their round robin match at the Laos National University Stadium in Vientiene, Sunday.
Malaysia who suffered a 0-14 loss to defending gold medallist Thailand on Friday, conceded another eight goals today as Nguyen Thi Muon (20th, 68th min), Doan Kim Chi (17th, 85th), Tran Kim Hong (29th), Ng T Minh Nguyet (63rd), Van Thi Thanh (72nd) and Lee Thi Oanh (80th) did the damage.
Malaysia will next meet host Laos on Friday, before completing their fixture against Myanmar on Sunday, in the five-team round robin competition.
Malaysia who suffered a 0-14 loss to defending gold medallist Thailand on Friday, conceded another eight goals today as Nguyen Thi Muon (20th, 68th min), Doan Kim Chi (17th, 85th), Tran Kim Hong (29th), Ng T Minh Nguyet (63rd), Van Thi Thanh (72nd) and Lee Thi Oanh (80th) did the damage.
Malaysia will next meet host Laos on Friday, before completing their fixture against Myanmar on Sunday, in the five-team round robin competition.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Easy win for Vietnam
It was a match which both teams desperately needed the points but in the end, it was Vietnam who emerged victorious as they beat Malaysia 3-1 in a crucial tie of Group A at the Main Stadium in Vientiane, Sunday afternoon.
Vietnam had held defending champions Thailand 1-1 in their first group game while for the Malaysians, they had overwhelmed Timor Leste 14-0 two days earlier.
The early pressure from Vietnam put the Malaysian defence under a lot of pressure and they duly won a penalty due a handball in the 13th minute which was converted by Phan Thanh Binh.
In the 25th minute of play, a defensive mistake allowed Mai Tien Thanh to put Vietnam comfortably 2-0 in front while a minute later an own goal from Vo Hoang Quang, who headed in the intended cross from Safiq Rahim, gave Malaysia the chance of a fight back.
But it never came and as the Vietnam defence stood their ground.
The Vietnamese ended the first half with their third goal of the game with a Nguyen Troang Hoang grounder.
The second half saw Vietnam sitting back on their lead and which seem to frustrate the Malaysians into making mistakes.
And as their frustration grew, striker Mohd Zaquan Adha Abdul Razak was sent-off from the field of play for a rash tackle.
Vietnam had held defending champions Thailand 1-1 in their first group game while for the Malaysians, they had overwhelmed Timor Leste 14-0 two days earlier.
The early pressure from Vietnam put the Malaysian defence under a lot of pressure and they duly won a penalty due a handball in the 13th minute which was converted by Phan Thanh Binh.
In the 25th minute of play, a defensive mistake allowed Mai Tien Thanh to put Vietnam comfortably 2-0 in front while a minute later an own goal from Vo Hoang Quang, who headed in the intended cross from Safiq Rahim, gave Malaysia the chance of a fight back.
But it never came and as the Vietnam defence stood their ground.
The Vietnamese ended the first half with their third goal of the game with a Nguyen Troang Hoang grounder.
The second half saw Vietnam sitting back on their lead and which seem to frustrate the Malaysians into making mistakes.
And as their frustration grew, striker Mohd Zaquan Adha Abdul Razak was sent-off from the field of play for a rash tackle.
All square in group B
It was all square in Group B of the SEA Games men’s football event when Indonesia held Singapore to a 2-2 draw while hosts Laos held Myanmar to a 1-1 stalemate in the two matches that were played at the Main Stadium, in Vientiane Saturday.
The match started with Indonesia the early aggressor when captain Tony Sucipto delivered a free kick which sailed over the crossbar.
But while Indonesia were eager looking for the first goal, it was Singapore who went ahead in the sixth minute when defender Muhammad Safuwan out jumped their opponent’s defence to nod in the corner from Mohd Shaiful Esah Nain.
In the 24th minute, Indonesia fell further behind when Djayusman Triasdi curled the ball into the net to beat keeper Frenky Irawan for the second time in the afternoon.
Indonesia did no show any sign of desperation, and with just three minutes left of the first half, Indonesia finally got their first goal Stevie Bonsapia slammed home a cross from striker Engel Sani.
Indonesia started the second half stronger and while Boaz failed with a 54th minute attempt, they finally found their equaliser in the 65th minute when Rendy headed off a Rachmat Latif corner.
In the meantime, hosts Laos repaid the faith of their fans with a never-say-die-attitude to hold Myanmar to a superb 1-1 draw in the second match of the day.
Myanmar got their lead in the 42nd minute when off a quick counter-attack, Thi Ha ran past Souvanpheng before putting the ball past Kitsada.
But the local fans finally got something to cheer in the 70th minute when Khampheng broke through the Myanmar defence before unleashing a grounder to the far post.
RESULTS AND FIXTURES
2 Dec : MALAYSIA 11 TIMOR LESTE 0/ THAILAND 1 VIETNAM 1
4 Dec : THAILAND 4 CAMBODIA 0/ VIETNAM 4 TIMOR LESTE 0
5 Dec: SINGAPORE 2 INDONESIA 2/ LAOS 1 MYANMAR 1
6 Dec : Vietnam vs Malaysia (1500hrs)/ Timor Leste vs Cambodia (1745hrs)
7 Dec: Myanmar vs Singapore (1500hrs)/ Indonesia vs Laos (1745hrs)
8 Dec : Timor Leste vs Thailand (1500hrs)/ Cambodia vs Malaysia (1745hrs)
10 Dec : Myanmar vs Indonesia (1500hrs)/ Laos vs Singapore (1745hrs)
11 Dec : Cambodia vs Vietnam (1500hrs)/ Malaysia vs Thailand (1500hrs)
14 Dec : Semi-finals
17 Dec: Third/ Fourth Placing (1500hrs at Chao Anu Vong Stadium)/ FINAL (1700hrs at Main Stadium). - AFF.
The match started with Indonesia the early aggressor when captain Tony Sucipto delivered a free kick which sailed over the crossbar.
But while Indonesia were eager looking for the first goal, it was Singapore who went ahead in the sixth minute when defender Muhammad Safuwan out jumped their opponent’s defence to nod in the corner from Mohd Shaiful Esah Nain.
In the 24th minute, Indonesia fell further behind when Djayusman Triasdi curled the ball into the net to beat keeper Frenky Irawan for the second time in the afternoon.
Indonesia did no show any sign of desperation, and with just three minutes left of the first half, Indonesia finally got their first goal Stevie Bonsapia slammed home a cross from striker Engel Sani.
Indonesia started the second half stronger and while Boaz failed with a 54th minute attempt, they finally found their equaliser in the 65th minute when Rendy headed off a Rachmat Latif corner.
In the meantime, hosts Laos repaid the faith of their fans with a never-say-die-attitude to hold Myanmar to a superb 1-1 draw in the second match of the day.
Myanmar got their lead in the 42nd minute when off a quick counter-attack, Thi Ha ran past Souvanpheng before putting the ball past Kitsada.
But the local fans finally got something to cheer in the 70th minute when Khampheng broke through the Myanmar defence before unleashing a grounder to the far post.
RESULTS AND FIXTURES
2 Dec : MALAYSIA 11 TIMOR LESTE 0/ THAILAND 1 VIETNAM 1
4 Dec : THAILAND 4 CAMBODIA 0/ VIETNAM 4 TIMOR LESTE 0
5 Dec: SINGAPORE 2 INDONESIA 2/ LAOS 1 MYANMAR 1
6 Dec : Vietnam vs Malaysia (1500hrs)/ Timor Leste vs Cambodia (1745hrs)
7 Dec: Myanmar vs Singapore (1500hrs)/ Indonesia vs Laos (1745hrs)
8 Dec : Timor Leste vs Thailand (1500hrs)/ Cambodia vs Malaysia (1745hrs)
10 Dec : Myanmar vs Indonesia (1500hrs)/ Laos vs Singapore (1745hrs)
11 Dec : Cambodia vs Vietnam (1500hrs)/ Malaysia vs Thailand (1500hrs)
14 Dec : Semi-finals
17 Dec: Third/ Fourth Placing (1500hrs at Chao Anu Vong Stadium)/ FINAL (1700hrs at Main Stadium). - AFF.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Draw ignites FIFA World Cup fever
The 32 teams participating at next year's FIFA World Cup™ finals discovered their fate this evening when the Final Draw for South Africa 2010 took place in Cape Town.
While South Africans learned that the host nation's Opening Match on 11 June would be played against Mexico at Soccer City, it was the Group D lineup which caused arguably the biggest stir. Germany, Australia, Serbia and Ghana will battle it out for two qualifying places for the Round of 16, meaning two nations with passionate support will depart the tournament early. There could be a high-profile casualty from Group G too, after Brazil, Korea DPR, Côte d'Ivoire, Portugal were drawn together.
An estimated global television audience of 200 million joined the 2,000 invited guests in the Draw Hall in watching the colourful and entertaining ceremony unfold. With African sporting stars such as athlete Haile Gebreselassie, rugby player John Smit, cricketer Makhaya Ntini, and footballers Matthew Booth and Simphiwe Dludlu assisting with the draw, along with England's David Beckham, it was always going to be an exhilarating occasion, but the undoubted centrepiece came when the eight groups were revealed.
An early highlight of the draw was the eye-catching encounter between England and USA, scheduled for 12 June, which evokes the Americans' famous 1-0 win over their transatlantic cousins at Brazil 1950. Argentina, Nigeria and Greece will get the chance to revive their group rivalry from 1994, while the heavyweight collision between Portugal and Brazil on 25 June also has the feel of a derby.
Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France
Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, Korea Republic, Greece
Group C: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia
Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana,
Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
Group G: Brazil, Korea DPR, Côte d'Ivoire, Portugal
Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile
Although the dates and locations of each of the 48 group-stage games are known, the kick-off times will be announced shortly, upon conclusion of a meeting between FIFA, the Local Organising Committee and broadcasters.
With such an array of stars, the event dazzled from start to finish. After a welcome sequence from Lions Head, the mountain that provides Cape Town with such a dramatic backdrop, award-winning musician Johnny Clegg performed 'Scatterlings of Africa', a song made famous by the Academy Award-winning film Rain Main.
Fittingly, the first speech of the night came from the man without whom a FIFA World Cup in South Africa would never have been possible: the country's former president Nelson Mandela. The 91-year-old, speaking in a special video message, urged his nation to make the most of their opportunity as tournament hosts. "We must strive for excellence in our hosting of the World Cup, while at the same time ensuring the event leaves a lasting benefit to all our people," he said.
Next it was time for two special presidents to take to the stage. FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and South African President Jacob Zuma showed their excitement at both the Final Draw and the 2010 FIFA World Cup itself in an entertaining dialogue lasting several minutes. Giancarlo Abete, President of the Italian Football Federation, then handed over the holders' FIFA World Cup Trophy to Mr Blatter, confirmation that sport's holy grail is in South Africa and ready to be contested next year.
Legendary Portugal striker Eusebio, born in neighbouring Mozambique, was introduced to the crowd before examples of the 'Win in Africa, With Africa' campaign were showcased before an expectant audience. Beninese singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo duly took to the stage to perform her Grammy-nominated song 'Agolo'.
The first duty of the show's guest presenter, Academy Award-winning actress, Hollywood producer and proud South African Charlize Theron, was to show off the official 2010 Match Ball, adidas's Jabulani, a name meaning 'to celebrate' in Zulu. Soweto’s Gospel Choir continued the theme of happiness with a lively rendition of Pata Pata before the arrival of Draw Master and FIFA Secretary General, Jerome Valcke, signalled the moment of truth.
Some of the assembled coaches will have headed away feeling confident, others concerned by the task presented here, yet at least all now know what lies in store as they begin their planning and preparation for next year's showpiece. -FIFA
Friday, December 4, 2009
Soleb power for Thais
A hat-trick from striker Sompong Soleb saw Thailand winning their first three points of the men’s football competition when they romped over Cambodia 4-0 at the Chao Anu Vong Stadium, Vientiane, Friday.
The Thais, who were denied the full points two days ago when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Vietnam in their opening Group A match, easily took a 3-0 lead at the break.
The physically stronger Thai side took the first goal of the game in the 19th minute when striker Sompong Soleb headed home from close range off a cross from Arthit Sunthornphit.
And just before the breather, Thailand struck a blitz with two quick goals - the first off a from striker Kirati Keawsombut while the second and Thailand’s third coming off Sompong who made good on a cross from Theerathon Bunmathon.
Just four minutes into the second half, Thailand made sure there was no way back for Cambodia when Sompong completed his hat-trick with the fourth goal with a well-taken grounder.
In the meantime, Vietnam also picked up their first three points in the group when they beat Timor Leste 4-0 in the second match that was played at the Cha Anu Vong Stadium.
Vietnam, who had held Thailand to a 1-1 draw in their first game two days ago, struggled somewhat in the first half as Timor tightened up their defence to put the score all even at 0-0.
The Timorese, who were slugged 11-0 by Malaysia in their opening game, were a lot more composed and restricted Vietnam to several shots from outside the box.
But the break proved to be pivotal as head coach Henrique Calisto’s pep talk must have injected some sense of urgency into Vietnam’s game for them to take the lead in the 54th minute.
Striker Mai Tien Thanh latched on to a cross from Nguyen Ngoc Anh from the right to blast in the lead much to the satisfaction of their fans in red at the stand as they broke out into cheers.
Three minutes later, Vietnam were 2-0 up when Tien Thanh was again in the thick of the action with a shot to the roof of the Timor goal to beat keeper Diamantino for the second time in the game.
And just after the hour mark, Pham Thanh Binh made it three goals for Vietnam with a shot from inside the box before Tien Thanh completed his hat-trick with the fourth goal on 78th minute.
GROUPINGS
Group A: Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Cambodia
Group B: Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Indonesia. - AFF.
The Thais, who were denied the full points two days ago when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Vietnam in their opening Group A match, easily took a 3-0 lead at the break.
The physically stronger Thai side took the first goal of the game in the 19th minute when striker Sompong Soleb headed home from close range off a cross from Arthit Sunthornphit.
And just before the breather, Thailand struck a blitz with two quick goals - the first off a from striker Kirati Keawsombut while the second and Thailand’s third coming off Sompong who made good on a cross from Theerathon Bunmathon.
Just four minutes into the second half, Thailand made sure there was no way back for Cambodia when Sompong completed his hat-trick with the fourth goal with a well-taken grounder.
In the meantime, Vietnam also picked up their first three points in the group when they beat Timor Leste 4-0 in the second match that was played at the Cha Anu Vong Stadium.
Vietnam, who had held Thailand to a 1-1 draw in their first game two days ago, struggled somewhat in the first half as Timor tightened up their defence to put the score all even at 0-0.
The Timorese, who were slugged 11-0 by Malaysia in their opening game, were a lot more composed and restricted Vietnam to several shots from outside the box.
But the break proved to be pivotal as head coach Henrique Calisto’s pep talk must have injected some sense of urgency into Vietnam’s game for them to take the lead in the 54th minute.
Striker Mai Tien Thanh latched on to a cross from Nguyen Ngoc Anh from the right to blast in the lead much to the satisfaction of their fans in red at the stand as they broke out into cheers.
Three minutes later, Vietnam were 2-0 up when Tien Thanh was again in the thick of the action with a shot to the roof of the Timor goal to beat keeper Diamantino for the second time in the game.
And just after the hour mark, Pham Thanh Binh made it three goals for Vietnam with a shot from inside the box before Tien Thanh completed his hat-trick with the fourth goal on 78th minute.
GROUPINGS
Group A: Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Cambodia
Group B: Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Indonesia. - AFF.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Big win against Timor Leste
As expected, Malaysia thrashed Timor Leste 11-0 in a men's group A match to open their Laos Sea Games campaign in style at the National Stadium in Vientiane, on Wednesday. Thailand and Vietnam drew 1-1.
According to the official games website, www.laoseagames.2009, striker Ahmad Fakri Saarani led rout with a hat trick, while fellow striker Norshahrul Idlan Talaha struck twice.
Zaquan Adha Abdul Razak, Baddrol Baktiar, Amirulhadi Zainal, Amar Rohidan, Safiq Rahim and Aidil Zafuan Abdul Razak contributed a goal each to enable Malaysia to score their biggest victory in the history of the Games.
Malaysia's second match will be against Vietnam on Sunday, Cambodia on Dec 8 and defending champions Thailand on Dec 11.
All matches will be played at the National Stadium, except the match against Cambodia, which will be played at the Chao Anouvong Stadium.
Group B comprise host Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and Indonesia.
According to the official games website, www.laoseagames.2009, striker Ahmad Fakri Saarani led rout with a hat trick, while fellow striker Norshahrul Idlan Talaha struck twice.
Zaquan Adha Abdul Razak, Baddrol Baktiar, Amirulhadi Zainal, Amar Rohidan, Safiq Rahim and Aidil Zafuan Abdul Razak contributed a goal each to enable Malaysia to score their biggest victory in the history of the Games.
Malaysia's second match will be against Vietnam on Sunday, Cambodia on Dec 8 and defending champions Thailand on Dec 11.
All matches will be played at the National Stadium, except the match against Cambodia, which will be played at the Chao Anouvong Stadium.
Group B comprise host Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and Indonesia.
Nor Rizwan wins ninth stage
Malaysian National Team rider Nor Rizwan Zainal, in green, celebrating as he leads the peloton across the finish line after the ninth stage of the Tour d’Indonesia on Tuesday.
BANYUWANGI, East Java - Malaysian National Team rider Nor Rizwan Zainal won the Tour d’Indonesia’s ninth stage on Tuesday.
Zainal led a large peloton which finished the 179-kilometer race from Probolinggo to Banyuwangi in 4 hours, 31 minutes and 39 seconds.
Australian Douglas Repacholi of Plan B was second, while Russia’s Sergey Kudentsov of Polygon Sweet Nice, who the eighth stage, completed the podium.
“I won a stage at last. Thanks to my teammates for the great teamwork,” Zainal said. “That was a grueling stage, especially because of the heat. I just tried to be in the front group.”
Iranian racer Mehdi Sohrabi of Tabriz Petrochemical still tops the individual classification with a total time 28:20:06. He will likely keep the yellow jersey and win the Tour, which ends on Thursday, as he is 2:27 in front of teammate Ghader Mizbani. Another Tabriz rider, Andrey Mizuroj, is at third.
Tabriz also looks set to retain the team trophy as it leads the team standings in 84:39:14, while fellow Iranian team Azad University is 21:31 behind in second.
Firmansyah of Bintang Kranggan Cycling Club was the fastest Indonesian in the ninth stage, while Didit Purwanto of DI Yogyakarta and Reno Yudha Sansoko of Giant DKI Jakarta were second and third.
Hari Fitrianto of Polygon Sweet Nice holds the red and white jersey with a total time of 28:34:10 and is likely to win the local riders classification. He is 1:58 ahead of Didit in the standings.
“I’ll try to be with the front runners in the next stage to retain this red and white jersey,” Hari said.
United Bike Kencana rider Budi Santoso won the stage’s first sprint event at the 59.8-kilometer mark, and Dadi Suryadi of Putra Perjuangan Bandung won the second after 96.5 kilometers.
Sohrabi still leads the sprinters’ classification with 21 points, while Zainal sits in second place with 10 points.
After arriving in Banyuwangi, cyclists were ferried to Bali for the Tour’s final two stages. Today’s penultimate stage is a 136.8-kilometer race from Gilimanuk to Denpasar, and the Tour will finish with a criterium event in Denpasar on Thursday. -Antara
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Finally thay are in Laos
The Malaysian under-23 men's football team finally arrived in Vientiane at noon Tuesday for the Laos SEA Games after their flight could not take off on Monday due to clearance problems. They took off at 8.00am from the Subang Air Force base.
It is realiably learnt that FAM was not able to get the proper landing clearance in time for the flight to take off. The chartered plane belongs to the military.
Officials were surprised at the way the arrangements were made. At first the whole team mwere booked to fly on Air Asia but FAM asked for a change, but later wanted to fly with the commercial airline again.
Having lost a day already, the team would be doing light training before their opening match in Group A against Timor Leste tomorrow at 3pm (Malaysian time 4) at the newly built national stadium.
Malaysia's second match will be against Vietnam on Sunday, Cambodia on Dec 8 and defending champions Thailand on Dec 11. Hopefully their return travel arrangements have been properly done.
All the matches will be played at the National Stadium except the match against Cambodia, which will be played at the Chao Anouvong Stadium. Group B comprises Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and Indonesia.
It is realiably learnt that FAM was not able to get the proper landing clearance in time for the flight to take off. The chartered plane belongs to the military.
Officials were surprised at the way the arrangements were made. At first the whole team mwere booked to fly on Air Asia but FAM asked for a change, but later wanted to fly with the commercial airline again.
Having lost a day already, the team would be doing light training before their opening match in Group A against Timor Leste tomorrow at 3pm (Malaysian time 4) at the newly built national stadium.
Malaysia's second match will be against Vietnam on Sunday, Cambodia on Dec 8 and defending champions Thailand on Dec 11. Hopefully their return travel arrangements have been properly done.
All the matches will be played at the National Stadium except the match against Cambodia, which will be played at the Chao Anouvong Stadium. Group B comprises Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and Indonesia.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)