Indonesian football also ready for change

Football authorities in Cambodia and Singapore have signalled their intentions to move forward and improve the standard of the game in their respective countries. And in Malang, yesterday, any lingering chill will likely dissipate as the hot air begins to flow in an effort to find the root of Indonesian football’s problems.

These countries want and are ready for change. For change to take place, one has to admit you have failed and need help. How about Malaysia? Since National Sports Council (NSC) is doing most of the things, maybe they should also realise the need for some drastic measures.

Meanwhile stakeholders from around Indonesia will begin hashing out the issues at the National Football Congress (Kongres Sepakbola Nasional, or KSN), which came about after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono aired his concerns on the country’s waning football fortunes.

The KSN, which started Monday and ends tomorrow, was organized by the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) with help from the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Indonesia National Sports Committee (KONI). The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) is an invitee to the event, as are the clubs, players and supporters.

Yudhoyono officially opened the congress, and the pressure to reform the PSSI and unseat chairman Nurdin Halid has started building up.

However, Persisam Samarinda manager Herbiansyah said any efforts to dismiss Nurdin would be rejected.

“There will be no agenda to bring down Nurdin Halid. We will select a new chairman during the PSSI congress in 2011. We put our full support in the PSSI statutes,” he said.

Nurdin has held his post since 2003, when he was elected to replace Agum Gumelar at the PSSI national congress. He was re-elected in 2007.

His time in charge has been marked by controversy and a downturn in international success. This year, the senior national team failed to qualify for the Asian Cup for the first time since 1992, and the Under-23 team bowed out of the 2009 Southeast Asian Games after an embarrassing 2-0 loss to Laos.

Nurdin also ran the PSSI from behind bars in 2005 and 2006 after being found guilty of illegally importing rice. He was sentenced to 30 months in jail but only served 12 months after having the rest of his sentence commuted by the government.

Nurdin reminded supporters that the KSN is not an official PSSI event, and as such any results are not binding.

“Only PSSI members, which includes the PSSI provincial offices and clubs, can ask for my resignation before my second term ends in 2011, through an extraordinary meeting. Until now, none of them has asked for that meeting,” he said.

KSN chairman Agum Gumelar said the goal of the event was to find solution to improve Indonesian football.

“We’ll just seek recommendations for the PSSI and, of course, they are not legally binding,” Agum said. “That will be up to the PSSI to do the recommendations or not. But those recommendations, I think, will be a strong pressure on the PSSI to reform the association and revamp national football.”

Those expecting dramatic change after the KSN would do well to temper their expectations, and not just because of perceived stubbornness from the PSSI.

World governing body FIFA has shown little patience for outside entities meddling with its members. It suspended Kuwait, Iraq and Brunei Darussalam in recent years for what it deemed to be political interference.

Still, Sriwijaya FC manager Hendri Zainuddin said the PSSI must be reformed.

“The organizers and government representatives lack coordination. They should give us a guarantee if they wanted our support. We’ll still wait and see. We agree the PSSI needs to be reformed, but it has to comply with the PSSI statutes,” he said.

Former national team coach Sinyo Aliandoe took a much harsher view, calling for a complete reorganization of the PSSI.

“The PSSI has to be changed totally. Nurdin has to step down and the PSSI has to be rejuvenated. If he refuses to step down, the National Sports Committee must suspensd the PSSI’s membership,” Sinyo said.

While FIFA would likely take a dim view of such drastic action, it would finally signal a concerted effort to have someone take responsibility for the country’s downturn on the field.

The senior team suffered an 11-1 aggregate loss to Syria in the second round of World Cup qualifying in 2007. Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand have all pulled ahead of Indonesia in the region, with domestic clubs similarly falling behind their peers.

Singapore football also on the move

Zainudin Nordin, the president of the FA of Singapore (FAS) feels that they will need at least five years to be among the top ten footballing countries in Asia.

He made the statement following the island republic’s feat of almost making it into the 2011 Asian Cup finals but for a lapse in their last qualifying match against Jordan earlier this month.
The Lions needed just a draw to qualify but instead fell to a 2-1 defeat.

“Football in Singapore is on the right path and we are heading in the right direction,” said Zainuddin (picture), who is also the Mayor of CDC Central Singapore.

“For the last five years, the national team has made remarkable progress where they have won the ASEAN Championship crown twice and also for the first time, made the third round of the World Cup qualifiers.

“The Under-23 squad also won the bronze at the SEA Games last year in Laos which in itself is an achievement when we consider that we had sent a very young team with an average age of just 19.8 years.”

The last time Singapore made the final rounds of the Asian Cup was back in 1984 when they played hosts.

Zainudin had taken over the FAS presidency from Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee just over a year ago.

“The FAS have formulated a Strategic Planning programme but it cannot be initiated in a hurry and it will take time for it to be successful – maybe five years,” said Zainudin.

”The project is not mine, it belongs to everyone. We have strategized a good system from the 16-year-olds to the 23-year-olds.

”The first two years is do well at the ASEAN level and win championships. Level two would be to continue doing well at the ASEAN level and also to be competitive at the Asian level.

The Strategic Planning aims to put Singapore as among the top ten football countries in Asia.

“We have identified the gaps between us and the Asian giants like Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Australia,” added Zainuddin.

“And it is for that reason we have arranged for matches against quality teams like the Brazil Olympic team, Australia, China, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Korea and Liverpool as further exposure for the national team.”

Cambodian football moves ahead

The Football Federation of Cambodia (FFC) recently organized a marketing seminar for the stakeholder from the football clubs involved in the Metfone Cambodian League 2010.

The seminar was conducted by FIFA expert Anter Issaac and Stuart Rama Lingam, FIFA Marketing Consultant. The seminar was held at the National Football Centre at Phoum Cheng Meng in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Amont the topics discussed were, ‘What marketing is? How to attract sponsors? and what expectation do sponsor need from Football Clubs?

“What the sponsor needs is not the result, but the product,” emphasized Stuart. A further course on Marketing Plan will be organized in these few months.


SEMINAR ATTENDEEES

1. KHOV CHHAY, Marketing, National Defense Ministry FC, 2. TEP LONG RACHANA, Manager, National Defense Ministry FC , 3. YEP PHIRUM, Chief coach, Prek Pra Keila FC, 4. PHAN CHAN PHAT, Assistant Coach, Kirivong Sok Sen Chey FC, 5. DAMAGU DU SOLOMON, Chief coach, Khemara Keil, 6. UKACHUKWU BEZIAI C., Assistant Coach, Khemara Keila,
7. BE MAKARA, Manager, Phnom Penh Crown, 8. OK SAMNANG, General Secretary, Preah Khan Reach, 9. BUN PICH MONY, General Secretary, Build Bright United, 10. LAM TINY, General Secretary, Naga Corp, 11. VAN DARA, Wat Phnom, 12, NGUON KIRY, Chief Coach, Chhma Khmao, 13. TEP PHANY, Media Officer, FFC. - AFF.

Chong Wei, Lin Dan avoid facing each other?

WORLD No.1 shuttler Lee Chong Wei is the notable absentee from the Asian Badminton Championships to be held at the newly built Siri Fort stadium next month. The $150,000 tournament will see world champion Lin Dan and 2004 Olympic gold medallist Taufik Hidayat leading the charge in men’s singles from April 12 to 18.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Badminton Association of India president V K Verma confirmed that Malaysia’s Lee would not be a part of the event. “I don’t have exact details, but it seems he (Lee) and Lin Dan avoid facing each other during major tournaments. Dan didn’t participate in the world championships the last time,” he said. “It’s also possible he skipped the meet due to his Thomas Cup training schedule.”

The men’s draw also features Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand and 2007 Asian Junior champion Chen Long, while Chetan Anand will lead the Indian challenge.

In the women’s draw, apart from world number six Saina Nehwal, world champion Lu Lan of China, Hong Kong’s Zhou Mi, China’s Wang Shixian and Indonesian Maria Kristin Yulianti will be vying for top honours.

No policy, no direction

My friend Datuk Dr Leonard de Vries once told me that sports in Malaysia is run without direction because there is no National Sports Policy as a guide. Either that, or, assuming there is one on someones table, the officials do not understand the importance of such a policy.

A reader of this blog recently posted a comment in which he or she said that KBS is now "Kementerian Bola Sepak" . I suppose the the reader gave that name partly due to the Ministry's new policy for having a finger in almost everything with the Football Association if Malaysia (FAM).

I suppose that the reader also meant what many are noticing lately, the officials like to be involved in publicity generating activities - being where the ball is.

Under the KBS there is the National Sports Council (NSC) and National Sports Institute (ISN), both of which are actively involved in sports in the country. But, how should they be involved and how much in each sport is a problem which no one dares to answer.

The National Sports Associations (NSAs) sometimes say that there is interference, but other times they just keep quiet.

Now the authorities are directly involved in arranging training stints for national football teams, a job which the FAM itself must do. The authorities can be involved in other ways, such as monitoring the progress and alerting the national body if there is a need for corrective measures.

The fact that FAM allows this also shows that the national body needs a drastic change. Now they have an identity crisis and sometimes show that they are not in charge of football. There is a "third force" going on football trips to arrange training stints.

They want to arrange travel and lodging for badminton players. The reason being the BAM tries to save cost by booking flights that have connections that "is uncomfortable". Since when is being prudent wrong? Hey, Kenny Goh and the admin team at BAM must conduct a course for the powers that be on how to manage finances.

Talking about finances, when will we realise that the Le Tour de Langkawi has failed to achive its objective of developing local road riders? A lot of money have been spent and the team is still no where. Local riders were doing well in first few stages but when it came to hilly terrain, they were lost.

In a tour, winning the over-all position and the up hill stages are the important ones. Why no local riders manged that, after all these years of organizing the tour? The money spent on this tour should be utilised to start a road program, possibly geared towards having riders in the 20202 Olympics.

If the authorities really care for Annuar Manan, then prepare him for a future as a coach and if some how he feels he has to compete in the Tour de France, then send him to Tour of Indonesia and the other tours in Indonesia. All these tour have mostly up hill stages.

Or, at least share some of the money with sports like weightlifting and gymnastics, both of which have the potential to win at Olympics, and sepaktakraw.

Sometimes I wonder if the day will come when certain parties will do everything and and the NSAs will just have meetings after meetings and then more meetings before the AGM. Now they are booking tickets, hotels and checking the quality of food. Would they be sanitizing Datuk Sieh Kok Chi's office or taking Datuk Azuddin Ahmad car for repair after this?

Sometime in 1996, a National Sports Convention was held in Langkawi with the hope of drawing up a concrete National Sports Policy. What happened to that?

And, friends like de Vries have put up paper after paper to draw attention to the need of having proper policies so that there is a direction for sports. But, all have failed, and the result we have a "ball policy", follow where the ball goes and jump.

Maybe, there is too much staffs in certain organizations, and they have to give them jobs like booking tickets and things like that. Train the NSAs to do things properly and let them do it.

I read with horror a news report that said the people who organised the LTDL wants to run all the tours in the country. Then, why do you need the National or states bodies?

De Vries, collect all the papers you have presented and send copies to the Prime Minister and Sports Minister. Do not send anywhere eles because they are too busy booking tickets, hotels and tasting foods.

Blatter seeks support from Saudi Arabia

FIFA president Sepp Blatter will spend time in Saudi Arabia this week hoping to drum up support for his bid to be re-elected to a fourth mandate.

"I know very well that the best way to win Arab support for my candidature is to come to Saudi Arabia," said Blatter, the president of football's world ruling body.

"It is a powerful and influential country in every domain, including in sport. Saudi Arabia is one of the countries from whom I will be looking for support."

Blatter, first elected in 1998, is currently in his third term as president of FIFA and hopes to get re-elected in June 2011.

He is expected to be opposed by France's Michel Platini, the current chief of UEFA, and Qatar's Mohammad Hammam.

The president of the Saudi Football Federation, Prince Sultan Ben Fahd Ben Abdel Aziz, reacted with prudence.

"It's normal for each candidate to try and consult with friends around the world and win their support, but for the (Saudi) kingdom it is still too early to be talking about this," he said.

After his visit to Saudi Arabia, Blatter is expected to visit Jordan and Israel.

Platini, the president of European football's ruling body, is expected to announce his future intentions this week at UEFA's Congress.

A new start for Indonesia?

It was, said the chief of the Indonesian FA (PSSI), a grand idea from a big nation. Nurdin Halid was right about that. Indonesia’s bid for the 2022 World Cup put the country in a race with some of the world’s leading football nations – for a while at least.

The end of the bid, due to a lack of government support is doubly disappointing for Nurdin. Getting the World Cup could have been the one thing that would secure the future of the controversial figure. Now, his eight years may finally be drawing to an end and it is hard to escape the conclusion that it is what Indonesian football needs.

His World Cup plan was a bold one. As long shots go, it was right up there. Few from outside the south-east Asian nation believed that there was a chance and during visits to Jakarta and elsewhere, it was difficult to avoid the impression that the same belief existed inside the bidding nation.

Nurdin Halid

It was not meant to be. While focusing on more mundane, but more important grassroots issues, or bidding for a Under-17 World Cup may have been more practical and realistic, for Indonesia the whole bid should have been a no-lose situation. No expectations of success but a great chance to boost the nation’s profile both in football and non-football terms.

Much more could have been done however. When I visited Jakarta in October, Nugraha Besoes, the General Secretary of the Indonesian Football Association, told me in that in Asia, South Korea and Japan were Indonesia’s biggest rivals. If so, the PSSI should have taken a leaf out of East Asian books. Korea’s bid leaders travel the world and seemingly only return to Seoul only to welcome visiting dignitaries.

This is in contrast to the general lack of energy in the Indonesian bid from the beginning. The biggest event of the bidding race to date was the Cape Town Expo last December. Walking around the large tent, it was possible to chat to heads of federations from the United States, Australia and South Korea. David Beckham was there as was Ruud Gullit and Figo.

Indonesia had a centrally located stall that day but Nurdin Halid wasn’t even present– “busy with a government meeting looking at how to improve exports” was the embarrassed explanation when I asked where the boss was.

If Halid was helping the government out in the expectation of getting something in return, he will be disappointed. But the whole issue of government support came at a time when the bid was floundering and it is better that it stops now than continues to die a slow death. The government says that it has other priorities to focus, priorities that don’t include the World Cup.

The same could be said of PSSI. Even before the World Cup debacle, Nurdin’s leadership has long been a debate in Indonesia and now it is there for the whole of Asia to see.

Nurdin And Nugraha In Happier Times

At least it will be on March 30-31 in Java when Indonesia will hold a National Football Congress, endorsed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to formulate ways on how Indonesian football can progress. This is the first time an Indonesian president has paid so much attention on the county's poor achievements in football – things must be bad – but it is not just at the top where concern lies. The fans are also unhappy and there is a growing consensus that the time for change is long overdue.

Even for a man used to such demands. It will be an uncomfortable 48 hours for Nurdin and his connections may not save him this time.

Having already served a jail sentence for corruption, his stewardship was long a controversial one and it is getting worse.

PSSI has been reported to the Court of Arbitration of Sports (CAS) by their World Cup bid consultant Michel Bacchini for failing to pay his fees which reportedly amount to around a quarter of a million US dollars.

The national team is floundering. A football-mad nation of over 200 million people deserves better than collecting just three points from six qualification games for the 2011 Asian Cup. Benny Dollo was kept on too long, especially as qualification hopes had faded but there were still competitive games to play.

Known as Merah Putih, the national team has been without a win in a full international since December 2008 against Cambodia and it is not only the senior team that is struggling. The Under-23 team failed at the SEA games and the Under-19s didn’t qualify for the U-19 Asian Cup.

Domestically, violence at league matches is still a problem and the PSSI has failed to provide solutions or leadership and fixtures going ahead on time are still not guaranteed. All this in a country which loves and embraces football like few others and deserves better.

Former PSSI official Edi Elison thinks the time has come.

“The PSSI only thinks about glamorous things,” he said recently. “We have a big competition, but we lack quality. We’re applying to host the World Cup. Changing the PSSI chairman and officials may be a good start to rebuilding Indonesian football." -From goal.com, written by John Duerden, Asia Editor.

Can foreigners hold office?

There is talk in the bodybuilding circle that a foreigner has been appointed Vice President of one state association.

I have yet to receive confirmation but speculation has it that a Bangladeshi was given the post after he (the foreigner) gave a commitment to sponsor the state's bodybuilders to the Mr. Malaysia championship in Penang, in July.

As far as I know the Sports Commissioner's Office has made it clear that no foreigners are allowed to hold office or to be admitted as a member to any state or national sports associations.
Unless, of course, the rules have been changed or exceptions been given for this particular case.

Anyway, I hope to update this report as I get some confirmations.

Hammam's proposal rejected

FIFA's executive on Friday also rejected a proposal by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Mohamed Hammam to limit FIFA’s presidential term to eight years.

Members voted 15 to 5, with one abstension, said FIFA President, Sepp Blatter.

The rejection of Hammam's proposal is the first blow to his hopes of mounting a significant challenge to Blatter in next year's FIFA presidential elections. Blatter is standing for a fourth term in 2011.

Blatter said: "They have repeated that this is nothing personal but the executive committee was of the opinion that this is a matter for the FIFA Congress.

"The arguments which were brought forward were why should the FIFA presidential office be touched by such a limit and none of the confederation presidents? If there should be such a limit of mandates then it should be valid for everybody in FIFA and not just the president."

Group wants Tunku Imran to resign immediately

A group of disgruntled affiliates have asked for the immediate resignation of Malaysian Cricket Association president Tunku Imran Tuanku Jaafar.

They want the man who has helmed cricket for the past 19 years to give up the post together with secretary Sivanandan Chinadurai because of their frustration with the way the association has been managed lately.

The group led by Malacca Cricket Association president Mohd Ridzuan Mani met up in Johor Bahru Friday and later issued a statement, which among other things, urged the president and his right hand man to go.

"We have had enough of his (Tunku Imran's) leadership. It's time for him to step down and hand over the leadership of the Malaysian Cricket Association(MCA) to someone else. Sivanandan should also go.

"We have kept faith in his leadership for far too long and he has not shown the qualities needed to drive the association forward to better times," said Mohd Ridzuan.

Among the grouses are:

* Abuse of power at the very top when it comes to decision making;

* The lack of success of the National team at international level;

* The issue of the Kinrara Oval, home of the MCA where an estimated RM150,000 is being spent yearly;

* Vacancies within the Executive Committee has not been filled up;

* The lack of fundings to run the association

"What we have discussed among ourselves today are issues which the leadership of MCA should have addressed a long time ago. But because they are selfish and do not consider the views of the affliates, the MCA is in trouble now," said Mohd Ridzuan.

The group claims to have the support of at least seven out of the 14 affliates within the MCA and another five votes from the 10-member executive committee.

"We are confident that a couple more affliates are with us once we explain the present MCA situation to them," added Mohd Ridzuan. The MCA elections are due in March next year.

Fandi on leave for personal reasons

Indonesian club, Pelita Jaya’s struggles this season are not limited to what happens between the white lines.

On top of its struggles to avoid relegation from the Indonesian Super League, the club gave coach Fandi Ahmad leave for personal reasons. He was not on the bench when his last-place side lost 4-2 at Bontang FC on Wednesday.

Club manager Lalu Mara Satria Wangsa denied rumors the Singaporean had been sacked.

“We gave him permission to leave as he has to accompany his wife, Wendy Jacobs, in her recovery period,” Lalu told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday.

“This has been a testing time both for the club and coach Fandi as we’re rock bottom and Fandi has to deal with his wife’s health problems. We gave him leave until the end of season to take care of his wife.”

Singaporean media previously speculated Jacobs suffered a stroke, but Fandi refused to comment on his wife’s condition. The Straits Times newspaper in Singapore reported Jacobs was hospitalized after falling down in their Jakarta home in January.

Lalu said assistant coach Jajang Nurjaman would lead the team during Fandi’s absence, adding that Jajang holds the proper coaching credentials to satisfy Super League rules.

“Previously, he went back and forth between Jakarta and Singapore and split his focus between his wife and club. Now we hope he can put his focus on her. Our heart is with Fandi and Wendy,” he said.

Fandi, 47, joined Pelita Jaya in 2007 and is in the last season of his three-year contract.

After losing to Bontang, Pelita Jaya is last in the league with 17 points from 23 matches. It is nine points from safety with 11 matches remaining.

In late Super League action from Wednesday, PSM Makassar pulled clear of the drop zone after beating Persik Kediri 5-3 at home. Heru Nerli and Osvaldo Moreno scored twice each, while Park Jung-hwan added the other goal for PSM. The host climbed to ninth place with 31 points.

Zhang Shuo found the net twice and Zekan Nasyrov scored once for Persik, which slipped into the relegation zone at 16th place with 25 points.

Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) president Nurdin Halid said on Wednesday evening the PSSI would send a draft contract to Austrian coach Alfred Riedl, a candidate to manage the Indonesian national team.

“The draft is still being examined by our lawyer right now and we’ll send to him right away,” he said. “For now we’ll offer him to be just the Under-23 squad coach and we’ll look for another for the senior team coaching position. One of the candidates [for senior team coach] is Ruud Krol.”

Nurdin revealed Riedl would be offered a two-year contract worth around $12,000 per month. That would be more than twice the Rp 50 million ($5,500) monthly salary of Benny Dollo, the previous senior team coach.

“Riedl’s target is to lead the team to victory in the 2011 Southeast Asian Games,” Nurdin said.

Indonesia is scheduled to host the 2011 SEA Games, with events taking place in Jakarta, Semarang, Bandung and Palembang.

Alarming for Malaysia

Former Kelantan coach and West Ham United star Peter Butler (picture) believes that the 6-1 thrashing suffered by Malaysian champions Selangor shows just how serious the state of football in the nation has become.

“It is quite alarming,” Butler, who is now working in Myanmar with Yangon United after leaving Kelantan last year, told Goal.com. Selangor, who won the league title in 2009 and are top of the current standings in the Malaysian league, were hit for six in the opening round of the AFC Cup by Sriwijaya of Indonesia earlier this week.

“Having worked in Malaysian football, where there is a great deal of potential, it just goes to show if Selangor are getting hammered 6-1 with a team full of internationals, something is not right.”

“It just goes to show the gulf now between Malaysian domestic football and the rest of Asia. Who would have thought ten years ago that a team from Singapore would be competing in the Asian Champions League while the likes of Selangor and Kedah are getting thrashed in the lesser competition, the AFC Cup?”

“Sriwijaya are not even that strong these days and had only twoforeign players on show so it does not bode well for the rest of Selangor’s campaign. Selangor are dominating the Malaysian Super League so what does that say about the standard of the rest of the teams?”

Take over everything lah

The Ministry of Youth and Sports will take over the arrangement of travel and food for national players from the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to avoid any mismanagement.

Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek said with immediate effect, all travel arrangements and food for badminton players would be handled by the National Sports Council (NSC) to safeguard the welfare of the players.

"The decision was taken after a meeting with players at the Bukit Kiara indoor stadium two weeks ago," Ahmad Shabery told reporters here Thursday.

Ahmad Shabery said BAM were given special privilege to make their own travel and food arrangements although such arrangements for other associations was handled by NSC.

"When I met the players today, they said unlike other days, the food today was good due to my presence. Maybe the food caterer was trying to make extra profit by reducing the cost for supplying food to the players, compared with the allocated budget," he said.

To overcome the problem, NSC may engage a chef to look after the requirement of the players, when they are here or overseas, he said.

He added that it was a similar case when arranging travel for the players as BAM sourced for the cheapest flight which sometimes required connecting flights which can be a bane and tiring for the players.

Though BAM has claimed that such measures were taken to reduce costs, the association had always claimed such expenses from NSC, he said.

Asked of BAM secretary Ganga Rao's suspension two days ago, Ahmad Shabery said it was an internal association problem but hoped BAM would be able to resolve such matters as it should not derail the country's aspirations of winning the Thomas Cup, scheduled at Stadium Putra here from May 9-16.

"Maybe BAM are carrying out a restructuring exercise in their administration and we from the outside may not know any details," he said.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Shabery said athletes identified under the 'Road to London 2012' programme would have no limitation in their food intake as they needed good and healthy food to keep them going in search of their goals.

The 'Road to London 2012' programme was launched as part of the country's efforts to win the first Olympic gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

Ganga sacked?

Its been reliably learnt that Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has decided to sack its secretary P. Ganga Rao (picture). According to sources, a move has been initiated to remove Ganga from the post for "misconduct" in some sponsorship dealings.

While the written reason would be known soon, this move for sure would cause many people to celebrate his sacking. Many want him out from the sport that may bring the nation a gold medal in the Olympics.

According to reports, Ganga is expected to return from Melbourne Thursday and a letter will be issued to him. Lets see the action from now and I personally expected this after reading behind the lines in some recent reports.

So, who would be appointed the new secretary? That would be intersting. In the meantime Ganga, who joined BAM has a Finance Executive in the 1980s, has another battle lined up for him. But, Ganga is used to battles.

My friend, The Loose Cannon wrote that, BAM president Datuk Nadzmi Salleh who is bound for a medical treatment in Germany for a month beginning Friday, is said to have given the go-ahead for action to be taken against Ganga.

More directors for sports

Sports will become a full-fledged division under the Education Ministry as part of the efforts to strengthen sports development in school, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said.

This was among the decision reached at a meeting on Wednesday chaired by Muhyiddin, who is the Education Minister, to restore the glory of sports in school starting next year.

At the moment, the sports section is under a division together with arts and curriculum. The sports division will have its own director and assisted by four deputy directors.

"We have also decided that five per cent out of the 10 per cent marks for co-curriculum activities be given to involvement in sports activities," he told a news conference after chairing a meeting of the main committee on sports development in school at parliament house here.

He said the 1Student 1Sport policy would also be enforced.

The meeting also decided to appoint more manpower such as special teachers to carry out sports development in school which would be done in stages, he said.

Muhyiddin said the allocation for sports would also be increased from the current rate of RM2.40 per student to RM4 for primary students and RM6 for secondary students.

"We will also rearrange co-curriculum schedules and may incorporate the teaching of sports during school hours so that students need not come back to school at later hours so as not to inconvenience them and their parents," he said.

He said the ministry would find ways to do so without affecting the time allocated for academic studies or increasing the school hours.

"We are taking this approach in order to encourage sports development in school and not to produce athletes. But if we develop sports in school, we will be able to identify talents among students but our overall target is to get them involved in sports," he said.

Muhyiddin said the ministry would also improve sports infrastructure in schools.

He also said that state governments and local authorities would be asked to allow schools, which were without facilities, to use their fields and halls to carry out sports activities.

"In our survey, nearly 90 per cent are able to implement the 1Student 1Sport policy. As for the remaining 10 per cent, we shall see what the problems are," he said.

Muhyiddin said sports development in school was beneficial to the country because through sports, student could learn to appreciate the spirit of cooperation and the sharing of noble values irrespective of race or religion.

"When Datuk Lee Chong Wei won the All England, no one asked him whether he was a Chinese or a Malay... he is a national champion and we are all proud of him. We want this spirit to be imbibed in the hearts of our children," he said.

Muhyiddin said sports development in school would not neglect the need of disabled students and that the ministry would think of ways to get them involve in the activities.

Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the emphasis on sports development in school would enhance the industry's value in the country and open up income generation opportunities among the people.

"Not only among athletes, others such as coaches, therapists, psychologists, dietary experts, sports item suppliera and so on, are also able to generate income," he told reporters after attending a luncheon to celebrate Lee's All England victory at Banquet Hall, parliament house.

With the latest move by the government, he said, more parents would encourage their children to become active in sports.

"Parents nowdays give too much emphasis on academic achievement and neglecting sports for their children. Sports is important in building the characters of students," he said.

Ahmad Shabery said the ministry had started collaborating with the Education Ministry and Higher Education Ministry in implementing the government's sports development programmes.

"For instance, the National Sports Council will help meet the demand for sports teachers by providing coaches recruited from among former state athletes," he said. - Bernama

The story thus far

FAM PRESS RELEASE

ISSUE ON HARIMAU MUDA IN SLOVAKIA

INTRODUCTION

• IN THE WAKE OF SEVERE CRITICISM AIMED AT THE FA OF MALAYSIA
PERTAINING TO THE SLOVAKIAN STINT FOR THE HARIMAU MUDA A TEAM,
THE SECRETARIAT IS COMPELLED TO CLARIFY A FEW ISSUES RAISED BY THE
MEDIA.

• THOUGH THE SECRETARIAT WISHES TO REFRAIN FROM QUESTIONING THE
MOTIVES OF CERTAIN QUARTERS IN HIGHLIGHTING THE ISSUE, THERE IS A
NEED TO CLEAR THE AIR ARISING FROM ONE MEDIA REPORT THAT WAS
PUBLISHED ABOUT A WEEK AGO, CASTING ASPERSIONS OVER THE POSITION
OF THE HARIMAU MUDA TEAM IN SLOVAKIA.

• IT NEEDS TO BE REITERATED THE OBJECTIVE OF SENDING THE HARIMAU
MUDA TEAM TO SLOVAKIA IS FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEVELOPMENT OF OUR
NATIONAL TEAM IN PREPARATION FOR THE NEXT SEA GAMES IN 2011,
WHICH IS TO DEFEND THE GOLD MEDAL. IT IS FOR THE PURPOSE OF
EXPOSURE TO HIGH LEVEL GAMES AND EXPERIENCE FOR THE YOUNG
TIGERS.

• IT WAS FAM’S COLLECTIVE DECISION TO SEND THE TEAM TO SLOVAKIA AND
NOT AN INDIVIDUAL DECISION.

• FAM DID NOT GO ON A FUND‐RAISING CAMPAIGN NOR MADE ANY REQUEST
TO THE GOVERNMENT FOR FUNDING TO SEND THE TEAM. ALL COST IS
BORNE BY HRH THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF. THUS, THERE IS NO PUBLIC FUND
INVOLVED AND IT IS SOLELY AN FAM INITIATIVE. BELOW IS THE

2. CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS LEADING TO THE STINT IN SLOVAKIA FOR MOHD
AZRAAI KHOR ABDULLAH AND HIS TEAM.
BACKGROUND

• AFTER HARIMAU MUDA BECAME THE PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS IN
2009, THE FAM TECHNICAL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED TO THE FAM
COMPETITIONS COMMITTEE TO PROMOTE/INCLUDE THE TEAM IN THE
SUPER LEAGUE 2010.

• THE COMPETITION COMMITTEE ENDORSED THE TECHNICAL COMMITTEE’S
RECOMMENDATION AND HARIMAU MUDA WAS INCLUDED AS ONE OF THE
SUPER LEAGUE TEAMS FOR 2010 SEASON.

• UNFORTUNATELY, THE FAM COUNCIL ON 7 DECEMBER 2009 OPPOSED THE
IDEA.

• HARIMAU MUDA TEAM WAS THUS LEFT IN A LURCH WITHOUT ANY
COMPETITION TO PARTICIPATE IN. AS THIS TEAM, BEING AN UNDER‐21
TEAM, HAD BEEN EARMARKED FOR THE SEA GAMES IN 2011, THE FAM
SECRETARIAT THEN WAS TASKED TO EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITY FOR THE
TEAM TO PARTICIPATE IN OTHER LEAGUES WITHIN AND OUTSIDE THE
REGION.

• FAM APPROACHED FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE (FAS) AS WELL
AS THE SLOVAK FA. FAS WAS WILLING TO ACCEPT THE TEAM BUT DUE TO
TIME CONTRAINTS, WE WERE UNABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE “S” LEAGUE.
FORTUNATELY THE SLOVAK FA WAS ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE FAM.

SLOVAK FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
• ON 26TH JANUARY 2010, FAM RECEIVED AN OFFICIAL LETTER FROM SLOVAK
FA STATING THAT THEY HAVE NO OBJECTION, PROVIDED IT IS ACCEPTED BY
THE UNION OF LEAGUE CLUBS, THE BODY THAT MANAGES THE SLOVAK
FOOTBALL LEAGUE.


• SUBSEQUENTLY, ON 27TH JANUARY 2010, THE UNION OF LEAGUE CLUB OF
SLOVAKIA WROTE TO FAM SAYING THAT THEY HAVE NO OBJECTIONS,
PROVIDED FAM IS AGREEABLE TO THEIR TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
FAM FINANCE COMMITTEE AND EXCO

• UPON GETTING THIS LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE, THE FAM DEPUTY PRESIDENT,
WHO IS ALSO THE TECHNICAL CHAIRMAN AND THE GENERAL SECRETARY,
HAD AN AUDIENCE WITH HRH THE PRESIDENT TO OBTAIN HRH’S BLESSINGS.

• UPON GETTING HRH THE PRESIDENT’S CONSENT, THE MATTER WAS TABLED
AT THE FINANCE COMMITTEE AND EXCO ON 31 JANUARY 2010. BOTH THE
FINANCE COMMITTEE AND THE EXCO APPROVED THE PARTICIPATION OF
HARIMAU MUDA IN THE SLOVAK LEAGUE.

• THE GENERAL SECRETARY WAS THEN SENT TO WORK OUT THE DETAILS WITH
THE SLOVAK FA AND THE UNION OF LEAGUE CLUBS IN THE FIRST WEEK OF
FEBRUARY 2010.

• THE DECISION TO SEND THE TEAM TO SLOVAKIA WAS NOT A ONE MAN’S
DECISION. IT WAS APPROVED BY HRH THE PRESIDENT AND SUBSEQUENTLY
ENDORSED BY THE FINANCE COMMITTEE AND THE EXCO.

GENERAL SECRETARY’S VISIT TO SLOVAKIA
• HAD A MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT OF SLOVAK FA AND THE PRESIDENT
OF UNION OF LEAGUE CLUBS PRESIDENTS.

• BOTH THE PRESIDENTS WELCOMED THE PARTICIPATION OF THE MALAYSIAN
U21 TEAM AS THIS IS SOMETHING NEW TO THEM AND THEY EXPECT TO
CREATE INTEREST AMONG THEIR LEAGUE TEAMS AND SUPPORTERS.

• AT THAT POINT OF TIME IT WAS MADE KNOWN TO THE GENERAL SECRETARY
THAT THE MALAYSIAN TEAM WILL PLAY ACCORDING TO THE LEAGUE
SCHEDULE.

• IT WAS ALSO MENTIONED THAT POINTS WILL BE AWARDED TO THEIR TEAM
FOR A WIN AND A DRAW BUT NOT TO THE MALAYSIAN TEAM.

• FAM HAS TO FULFILL THE LEAGUE FEES LIKE ANY OTHER SLOVAK TEAM AND
BEAR THE COST FOR GAME ORGANISATION SUCH AS STADIUM RENTAL, FEES
FOR THE ADMINISTRATORS, MATCH OFFICIALS, BALL BOYS, MEAL FOR THE
OFFICIALS AND VISITING TEAM ETC.

• THE ABOVE POINTS WERE CONVEYED TO THE MEMBERS OF THE MALAYSIAN
MEDIA DURING THE PC HELD ON 19TH FEBRUARY 2010.

CONCLUSION
• THERE IS NOTHING TO LIE OR HIDE TO THE MEDIA ON THIS ISSUE.

• THE TEAM GET TO PLAY 14 HIGH QUALITY MATCHES WITH 14 SLOVAK DIV
ONE LEAGUE CLUBS AND NUMEROUS FRIENDLY MATCHES IN BETWEEN THE
LEAGUE SCHEDULE, ON AN AVERAGE 0F ONE MATCH PER WEEK.

• OVER AND ABOVE THAT, 4 FRIENDLY INTERNATIONAL MATCHES WITH
POLAND, AUSTRIA, CZECH REPUBLIC AND HUNGARY UNDER 21 TEAMS HAVE
BEEN ARRANGED.

• THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF YOUTH AND SPORTS, YB DATO’ RAZALI IBRAHIM
AND DATO’ ZOLKPLES EMBONG, DIRECTOR‐GENERAL OF NATIONAL SPORTS
COUNCIL (NSC), WHO WERE THERE ON 6TH MARCH 2010 TO WITNESS THE
2ND GAME THE HARIMAU MUDA PLAYED, CAN TESTIFY ON THE STANDARD OF
THE MATCH THAT WAS PLAYED.

• ONE OF THE TOP TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE HAS OFFERED PLACES TO TWO OR
THREE PLAYERS TO BE ATTACHED TO THEIR CLUB.

• UNION OF LEAGUE CLUBS HAS OFFERED FAM TO PARTICIPATE IN FULL
SEASON OF THE LEAGUE, FROM AUGUST TO NOVEMBER AND FEBRUARY TO
MAY 2011. WE HAVE NOT MADE ANY DECISION ON THIS OFFER.

• CREATING CONTROVERSIES OVER NOTHING WOULD CREATE A BAD IMAGE
FOR FAM AND MAY AFFECT THE MORALE TO THE TEAM.

• WE SHOULD SUPPORT OUR BOYS THERE BY GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT FOR
THE BETTERMENT OF THE NATIONAL IN THE NEAR FUTURE RATHER THAN
PICKING UP PETTY ISSUES OVER NOTHING.

• IF THE LEAGUE MATCH IS NOT SERIOUSLY VIEWED AND GIVEN EMPHASIS,
THEN THEY WILL NOT BE PLAYING ON A SNOW FILLED FIELD AS ILLUSTRATED
IN ONE OF THE MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPERS ON MARCH 15.

• THE START LIST OF THE OPPOSING TEAM LISTED ALL THE CLUBS REGISTERED
PLAYERS.

• ON THE QUESTION OF CHEFS FROM MSN BEING SENT TO SLOVAKIA, IT IS
BASED ON RELIGIOUS AND DIETARY REASONS. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME
CHEFS WERE ASSIGNED TO SUPPORT A NATIONAL TEAM ABROAD.

TO QUOTE A FEW CASES; THE LAST SEA GAMES IN VIENTIANNE, NATIONAL HOCKEY
TEAM IN NEW ZEALAND ETC. ABOVE ALL THE CHEFS ARE THERE TO PREPARE
FOOD ACCORDING TO THE PLAYER’S DIETARY AND RELIGIOUS
REQUIREMENTS, NOT TO SERVE MALAYSIAN DISHES ON A DAILY BASIS.

THE HOTEL WHERE THE TEAM IS STAYING DOES SERVE HALAL FOOD AND THERE
ARE NO HALAL RESTUARANTS IN THE VICINITY OF VION FOOTBALL CENTRE.

• WITH THIS PRESS RELEASE FAM HOPES THE ISSUE IS PUT TO REST.

16 March 2010
Football Association of Malaysia
WISMA FAM

Interesting deal

Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) on Tuesday inked an agreement with the England Football Association to be the official England telco licensee in Malaysia.

TM Chairman Datuk Dr Halim Shafie said the partnership, which would run until the end of the year, gave TM various rights concerning licensing and dealership including the exclusivity to use the England FA crest and England players images.

Signing on behalf of TM was its group executive chairman Datuk Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa while England FA was represented by its business development manager Marcus Bennet.

The ceremony was witnessed by Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek and Football Association Malaysia Secretary General Datuk Aizuddin Ahmad.

Halim said TM had also obtained the right to present the World Football Heroes, a 13-episode television programme.

To promote the South Africa 2010 World Cup from June to July this year, TM will kick off a series of events including World Football Heroes Carnival 2010, TM Million Kick Challenge and World Cup viewing party throughout the tournament.

Enhancing skills in Slovakia

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) defended its decision to send the Harimau Muda A squad to play in the First League of Slovakia and considered it an effort to elevate the country's performance in football.

FAM deputy president Datuk Seri Redzuan Sheikh Ahmad said the stint by the Under-21 team did not mean that FAM squandered money.

"The matter is subjective and FAM is monitoring their performance there. If its just playing friendlies, they might as well play here but we want that they play to enhance skills and experience."

"I want to stress that FAM does not waste money at will and we hope for public support," he said at a news conference related to the issue of the squad's trip to Slovakia at Wisma FAM, Kelana Jaya, on Monday.

He was commenting on newspaper reports that criticised the squad's particiapation in the First League of Slovakia as being just playing friendly matches and that the squad was not listed as a team competing in the league.

Redzuan said FAM constantly monitored the performance of the players and they were focused on their game.

"This the first time a national squad is playing in a foreign league and we have strived hard to give then an opportunity to enhance their football skills in that country," he said.

Redzuan said that after the Slovakia stint the Harimau Muda will play in the President Obama Cup in Michigan, the United States from May 18-25.

According to him, after playing in the Slovakia First League, the Harimau Muda is expected to play in the Singapore League next year if it was agreed to by the Football Association of Singapore.

Redzuan said FAM was planning to arrange four international matches for the squad with the Under-21 squads of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland but the dates had not been fixed.

Chong Wei beats Tago to be All England champ

Datuk Lee Chong Wei was crowned All England Open 2010 men's singles champion for the first time after beating Kenichi Tago of Japan at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, Sunday.

To add another feather to his cap, Chong Wei's victory coincided with the 100th anniversary of the championship.

The Penang-born shuttler made it to the final last year but he went down gallantly to Lin Dan of China.

Trailing 0-4 at the outset of the first game, Chong Wei clawed his way back to win the closely fought encounter 21-19.

In the second game, the plucky Tago forced Chong Wei into errors before the world number one got the better of him with a score of 21-19.

Despite his defeat, Tago was still a giant killer where he eliminated top names, Bao Chunlai and Chen Jin of China, on his way to the final.

Earlier, in the women's singles final, world number 10 Tine Rassmussen of Denmark pulled an upset over defending champion and world number one Wang Yihan of China to grab the prestigous title. Rassmussen beat Wang 21-14, 18-21, 21-19 after an hour-long match.

What else to do

Harimau Muda ’A’ will still trudge on in Slovakia despite being caught up in a recent controversy.

Following their first two losses - 4-1 to Sala and then 2-0 to Ruzomberok - Harimau Muda ’A’ will still approach their next match against MFK Zemplin Michalovce with the right enthusiasm.

Head coach Mohd Azraai Khor Abdullah said that it is not important if the game is just a friendly or otherwise, as they will still be looking to win their first full points abroad.

“Whether it is just a friendly or not, it is still a game for the team and we will be working hard for the win,“ said Mohd Azraai.

But while Azraai is keeping it positive, he might have to do without defender Mohd Fadhli Mohd Shah and K. Shathiya as well as midfielders K. Gurusamy and Mohamad Fandi Othman, who are all injured.

The Harimau Muda ‘A’ squad was caught in a controversy recently when it emerged that the team are not part of the Slovakian First Division afterall.

Their previous two matches against Sala and Ruzomberok have been deemed as just friendlies - with no points being awarded to the winning teams.

Other than playing in the Slovakian league, the Harimau Muda ‘A’ team will also be playing in the Obama Cup which will be held in Detroit, Michigan on 20 May 2010.

“We are not thinking of anything other than playing the matches as well as we can here in Slovakia,” added Azraai. -AFF.

Yang mana satu, Tunku Imran?

PUKULAN SISI oleh TL Ang

PADA 8 Mac, orang No. 2 Persatuan Kriket Malaysia, Datuk Dr. Amarjit Singh tergesa-gesa meletakkan jawatan. Dia mengumumkan pemberhentian ini dengan sokongan rakan karibnya, Datuk Dr. Harjit Singh; Presiden Majlis Kriket Johor yang juga bekas timbalan presiden pertubuhan berkenaan.

Persatuan Kriket Malaysia yang juga dikenali dengan singkatannya, MCA memang dalam keadaan tenat sekarang. Daripada sepuluh anggota majlis eksekutifnya, kini sudah tinggal enam selepas Amarjit keluar. Paling awal mereka kehilangan naib presidennya, Affendi Fuad Stephens yang meninggal dunia, diikuti Mahinda Valipuram (naib) dan Gopal Sreenivasan (ahli majlis biasa). Mesyuarat agung pemilihan akan datang MCA dijangka awal tahun depan.

Peliknya, Presiden MCA, Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja'afar (gambar) enggan melantik pengganti seperti yang diperuntukkan dalam perlembagaan persatuan. Apakah perancangannya? Kini tinggal seorang presiden, setiausaha, bendahari dan tiga ahli majlis biasa.Sungguh terhad! Apakah yang tinggal semua orang berkemampuan atau sebahagiannya cakap tak serupa bikin.

Tunku Imran pula dikatakan telah memanggil Amarjit dan minta dia pertimbangkan. Nyata Tunku Imran tidak boleh bersabar lagi kerana kehilangan tiga orang kanannya.

Kini hanya tinggal setiausaha, Sivanandan Chinnadurai. Tetapi sejauh mana keakraban kedua-duanya ?

Amarjit dikatakan tidak boleh tahan lagi. Persatuan banyak berhutang manakala pandangannya dalam banyak segi termasuk pemilihan pemain tidak dipertimbangkan oleh anggota majlis.

Sebagai bekas kapten kebangsaan, dia amat kecewa. Dia juga meninggalkan MCA sewaktu diberi tugas mencari dana menerusi acara golf.

Kriket sudah berkembang dan lebih maju berbanding dulu. Jumlah pemain semakin ramai, aksi semakin hebat di arena antarabangsa dan MCA amat berterima kasih kepada Persatuan Kriket Melayu Malaysia kerana program pembangunan yang diikendalikan tanpa membebankan sesiapa.

Kriket Melayu membangunkan kriket untuk dibekalkan kepada MCA.

Jika masalah kepegawai dalam MCA berlarutan, apa akan jadi kemudian? Tunku Imran dijangka berbincang sama ada akan menggantikan empat jawatan kosong dengan mereka yang benar-benar 'berjuang' untuk kriket atau menghadapi masalah membuka pencalonan dalam mesyuarat agung luar biasa khusus untuk memilih senarai baru.

Kini jika pilihan kedua diambil kira, ramai akan berkempen lagi dan ada kemungkinan mereka yang tidak 'bertauliah' dalam kriket akan menguasai kepemimpinan. Tunku Imran akan pening lagi dan akan menjejaskan imejnya.

Telekom Malaysia sponsors Red Devils

Telekom Malaysia on Friday signed a five-year multi-million pound sterling deal to sponsor Manchester United that could generate up to RM100 million in revenue a year from one of the world’s most popular football clubs.

The deal was signed after the Red Devils beat Milan 4-0 and is the telecommunication company’s second large-scale English football sponsorship deal announced this year, after the agreement with the England Football Association earlier this year to sponsor the England National team on a one-year contract.

Malaysia’s connection with the Red Devils began in 2005 when Air Asia put up A-boards in Old Trafford. The low-cost airline later went to sponsor patches in the match officials’ uniforms. Another company involved in English football was Proton when it sponsored Norwich City football club.

The deals come amid the staging of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa this year with TM hoping to capitalise on the popularity of England’s star-studded line-up among Malaysian football enthusiasts, by featuring player images on their products as well as carrying out other promotional activity related to the England team during the

6-week competition, which kicks-off on June 11.

Manchester United, which is also Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s favourite English club, will now recognise TM as the official “Integrated Telecommunications Partner” of Manchester United in Malaysia.

The partnership will bring online content to both Manchester United supporters and TM customers, as well as giving fans the chance to win trips to Old Trafford to watch the team play.

“Our commercial strategy continues to deliver exciting new opportunities. We know that this partnership will help the Club to speak to the millions of fans we have in Malaysia and we are delighted that Telekom Malaysia has developed from the sponsor of our tour match into a fully-fledged partner. We look forward to working with them,” club chief executive David Gill said in remarks published at its website.

Malaysia’s dominant fixed-line company successfully sponsored the Manchester United Asia Tour 2009 which brought the Barclays Premier League champions to Kuala Lumpur for a match with a Malaysian selection last July 18.

Zamzamzairani (left) holds on to the MU jersey with Ferguson at the sponsorship unveiling session.

The Jakarta hotel bomb blasts a few days before the team was due to arrive in the Indonesian capital prompted an unscheduled second friendly at the same Bukit Jalil National Stadium venue on July 20 which was sold out in football-crazy Malaysia.

“Over 40,000 attended our training session and another 40,000 came to the second match in Kuala Lumpur, despite only having 48 hours’ notice of the fixture,” Gill added.

Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson, who witnessed the signing, lauded the Malaysian fan base for the club after the deal was signed.

“The size of our fan base in Malaysia, and the affection they have for our club, is phenomenal. The statistic that almost 25 per cent of the Malaysian population support Manchester United is staggering, quite incredible,” he said.

The Manchester United Asia Tour 2009 cost TM about RM3.5million but was said to have helped the company generate more than RM20million in direct revenue from the sale of TM products and services.

Last week, TM announced the release of limited edition iTalk cards featuring the likes of Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, David Beckham and John Terry. The iTalk cards are available in RM10, RM20, RM30 denominations.

It is understood that there are other spin-offs from the deal.

“Manchester United created a lot of enthusiasm for football when they came on tour last summer," said Datuk Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa, the TM Group CEO, after the deal was signed.

“Over the course of this deal I would like to see some of the younger talents in Malaysia go to Manchester United to train and maybe the other way round.

“That will only help our country to progress,” he added. - Malaysian Insider.

Difficult for Hammam

FIFA Executive Committee member Franz Beckenbauer says he hopes a compromise can be reached between FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Asian Football Confederation chief Mohamed Bin Hammam, his likely challenger at the 2011 presidential election.

Speaking in Abu Dhabi where he was attending the Laureus World Sports Awards, Beckenbauer said that it would be “very difficult” for Hammam to oust Blatter.

“It’s a kind of a fight. I think it’s very difficult to beat the president, Sepp Blatter. If it comes to a fight between him and Hammam, I don’t know,” Beckenbauer was quoted by Arabian Business.

“I mean, to have a FIFA president come from Asia, it would [make] history.”

Beckenbauer said that he was still to decide who to vote for, adding: “Maybe the two of them will find a compromise. I hope so.”

Hammam last month said that “the time had come” to put forward an Asian candidate to run FIFA, but stopped short of putting himself forward for the role.

South Korea the best in Asia

Park Ji-sung (picture) is not a player given to grandiose statements but the captain of South Korea has declared that the national team is the best in Asia.

The Manchester United man pointed to the fact that historically, the Taeguk Warriors have demonstrated their strength against their continental rivals.

Park is about to lead the team to an eighth World Cup, a record that far surpasses Asia’s second most successful team Saudi Arabia.

The West Asians have made four appearances on the global stage while Japan will equal that record this summer.

"Against Japan and any Asian teams we've had good results so I would say that history proves we are the best Asian team,” Park said in an interview with the-afc.com.

South Korea will face Argentina, Nigeria and Greece during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and with young stars like Lee Chung-yong and Ki Sung-yong at Bolton Wanderers and Glasgow Celtic respectively, Park is confident that the future is bright.

"In our qualification for the World Cup, Lee and Ki played very well and I expect that they will show their ability in South Africa,” he added.

Lee has already made a big impact in the English Premier League while Ki’s start has been a little slower since arriving in Scotland in January. The former PSV Eindhoven star is confident that Ki will be a huge hit in Europe.

"He can make an impact because I know his ability and he's got talent but he needs more chances to play. I keep saying to him 'you can do it' and 'believe in yourself'".

From bad to worse

Here is a report in Harian Metro about the Harimau Muda's outing in Slovakia. FAM must tell the truth and, if necessary, those responsible be sacked.

UNGKAPAN ‘Tipah Tertipu Lagi’ sesuai ditujukan kepada skuad Harimau Muda A. Sama ada disedari atau tidak jurulatih atau pemain skuad bawah 21 tahun itu sebenarnya ‘dikenakan’ majikan sendiri iaitu Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia (FAM) dengan misi ke Slovakia.

Saingan kompetitif Liga Satu Slovakia yang dibangga-banggakan FAM serta peminat bola sepak tempatan sebenarnya palsu semata-mata.

Sebaliknya dua perlawanan diharungi Harimau Muda A setakat ini termasuk baki 12 perlawanan lagi bukannya perlawanan liga tetapi sekadar perlawanan persahabatan. Perkara ini terbongkar apabila Pengurus Komersil kelab Slovakia MFK Ruzomberok, Michal Mertinyak mengesahkan bahawa perlawanan antara kelabnya dengan Harimau Muda A Sabtu lalu adalah perlawanan persahabatan yang tidak memberi sebarang mata dalam liga sekali gus bercanggah dengan apa yang dijelaskan FAM kepada pihak media tempatan sebelum ini.

“Perlawanan Malaysia U21 (Harimau Muda A) dengan MFK Ruzomberok B hanyalah perlawanan persahabatan jadi MFK Ruzomberok B tidak mendapat mata dari perlawanan itu,” jelasnya ringkas menerusi kiriman e-mel semalam.

Kenyataan ini dilihat tidak boleh disangkal memandangkan nama Harimau Muda A yang beraksi menggantikan kelab ZP Sport Podbrezova bagi menghabiskan baki 14 perlawanan kelab itu yang menarik diri, masih tiada dalam senarai kedudukan terkini liga di laman web rasmi Persatuan Bola Sepak Slovak (SFZ) serta dalam laman web pasukan lain yang bertanding.

Ini membuktikan pemergian Harimau Muda A sebenarnya bukan atas tiket menyertai liga itu tetapi sekadar mengisi kekosongan masa pasukan yang tidak beraksi kerana penarikan diri ZP Sport Podbrezova.

Sedangkan apa yang dikhabarkan Setiausaha Agung FAM, Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad sebelum ini bahawa lawan pasukan negara akan mendapat mata pada setiap perlawanan ‘kompetitif’ di kaca mata badan induk bola sepak tanah air itu.

Malah lebih mengejutkan, FAM tidak keberatan melabur sejumlah wang yang besar apabila membayar semua perbelanjaan kelab Slovakia bagi setiap perlawanan persahabatan itu.

Sedangkan Azzuddin sebelum ini mengeluarkan kenyataan bahawa FAM bukan bodoh menanggung perbelanjaan pasukan yang akan bertemu dengan Harimau Muda A sepanjang lebih tiga bulan berada di sana.

"Maklumat yang saya terima, Malaysia (FAM) membayar perbelanjaan kelab-kelab Slovakia yang terbabit dalam perlawanan persahabatan itu. Saya tidak mendapat maklumat terperinci mengenai jumlah bayaran yang dikenakan kerana perjanjian itu diuruskan Kesatuan Kelab-Kelab Liga Slovakia (ULK),” katanya.

Harimau Muda A berpangkalan di Vion, Slovakia, sejak 21 Februari lalu dan mengharungi perlawanan ‘liga’ pertama dengan Sala yang berkesudahan memihak kepada pasukan lawan 4-1 dan kemudian tumpas 2-0 di tangan MFK Ruzomberok B Sabtu lalu.

Skuad itu yang menjuarai Liga Perdana musim lalu dihantar ke Slovakia selepas mereka diibaratkan oleh Azraai seperti merempat di bumi sendiri kerana tidak dibenarkan beraksi dalam Liga Super musim ini.

Crisis in MCA

Malaysian Cricket Association's (MCA) deputy president Datuk Dr Amarjit Singh has tendered his resignation, a move seen as a sign that all is not well in the national sports body.

Dr Amarjit told Bernama, his letter of resignation was sent to the MCA headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on Monday and that he had stated time constraint as the reason for his decision to quit.

"There is no need to say anything more nor do I want to hurt anybody. I have come to a decision to resign and that's it," said Dr Amarjit who runs a clinic in Kuala Lumpur.

His resignation has come at a time when the MCA has yet to fill the post of two vice-presidents, left vacant by Mahindra Vallipuran who resigned about six months ago, and Affendi Fuad Stephens, who passed away early last year.

"But I hope the president (Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tunku Ja'afar) will take a serious look at the situation and fill up the vacancies, including that of ordinary member Gopal Sreenavasan who has also resigned.

"If not, it's only fair that a re-election be called soon," added Dr Amarjit who was also the chairman of the MCA Development committee.

It is learnt that Dr Amarjit was in the process of organising a golf tournament to help raise funds for cricket's development since MCA, which is said to be in debts close to a million ringgit, was facing some financial difficulties.

However, his plan was not given the support by the leadership and Dr Amarjit felt that since his efforts were not appreciated, it was time for him to go.

"If I were him I would have felt very frustrated too. Dr Amarjit has the interest of cricket at heart and it's sad to see him go. Malaysian cricket has lost a good man.

"But I think there is more to it. Infact, Malaysian cricket is in shambles right now. Something must be done to put things right again. Malaysian cricket cannot function like it is now," said the president of the Johor Cricket Council Datuk Dr Harjit Singh.

Dionisius, badminton's rising star

Dionisius Hayom Rumbaka will open two new chapters in his career when he starts play at the All England Super Series.

Having been touted as one of Indonesia’s rising stars in men’s singles, the 22-year-old initially rejected a pair of call-ups to the national camp before finally signing on in January. Now he makes his national team debut in badminton’s most prestigious championship.

“I had to drop the first two proposals because I thought I was not ready to join the national team. I thought I wasn’t good enough to accept the offer,” Dionisius told the Jakarta Globe. “But now I’m ready as I have been improving and also have a better world rank now.”

The Yogyakarta-born shuttler began his professional career in 2006 with Djarum Kudus Club, but it took three years for him to make his mark.

Dionisius won his first title at the Banuinvest International in Romania before going on to claim victories at the Australia Open Grand Prix and Indonesia International Challenge. He also enjoyed unprecedented success at the Super Series level, reaching the Hong Kong Open quarterfinals.

Those triumphs saw his world ranking climb from 44th at the start of 2009 to 28th, fourth-best in Indonesia after Taufik Hidayat (No. 3), Sony Dwi Kuncoro (11) and Simon Santoso (12).

“He deserves a place in the national team for his talent, achievements and also his world rank,” said national team head coach Christian Hadinata, who began recruiting Dionisius to the national team in 2007.

Dionisius faces a tough debut, having been drawn against world No. 4 Chen Jin of China.

“I’ll take it one step at a time. It would be very good for me if I can go into the second round,” he said. “I’ve never met [Chen] before, so I’ll just play my game and let’s see.”

He faces a friendlier draw than his countrymen if he advances, though. Taufik, Sony and Simon were all placed into world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei’s half of the draw, with Sony possibly facing the Malaysian in the second round if he gets past China’s Du Pengyu.

Maria Kristin Yulianti pulled out of women’s singles qualifying, which begins today, because of family issues. Women’s singles coach Marleve Mainaky said she pulled out to fly back home after her grandfather died on Friday.

Goal-line technology not pursued

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) convened at the Home of FIFA in Zurich today, Saturday, 6 March, for the 124th Annual General Meeting.

A presentation was provided on the experiment with additional assistant referees in the 2009/2010 UEFA Europa League, following the 144 matches played so far. It was agreed that following the conclusion of the competition on 12 May 2010, a special meeting of the Board will discuss the final analysis of the experiment on 17-18 May.

Concerning goal-line technology, the Board concluded that goal-line technology would not be pursued.

It was also agreed that Law 12 (Fouls and Misconduct – Sending-off Offences), Law 14 (The Penalty Kick) and the roles and responsibilities of the fourth official would all be further discussed on 17-18 May.

Regarding amendments to the Laws of the Game, approval was given to the proposals submitted by The Scottish Football Association in relation to Law 5 (The Referee – Injured Players) agreeing to the treatment of injured players from the same team who have collided on the pitch. It was also approved that stretcher bearers will now only enter the pitch following the signal of the referee.

The proposal of The Scottish Football Association also in relation to Law 5 (The Referee – Injured Players) to allow players to be treated on the field of play “if the injury was sustained as the result of an offence committed against him by an opponent” was not approved. The decision was made that the IFAB Technical Sub-Committee would further discuss this proposed amendment.

The decisions concerning the Laws of the Game taken today by the International Football Association Board will come into effect on 1 June 2010.

The 125th Annual General Meeting will take place at Celtic Manor, Newport , Wales between 4 and 6 March 2011. - FIFA.

Asian Cup: A disaster for South East Asia

A disaster has struck football in South East Asia. Here is an interesting view by John Duerden, Asia Editor for Goal.com. John feels that Malaysia is a problem child were football is concerned.

As fans over South East Asia wake up on Thursday morning, they were hit by the realization that something wasn’t right. The region of over 500 million people will not have a single representative at the 2011 Asian Cup.

After four participants (OK, due the fact that there was a quartet of hosts) in 2007, this football-mad region has no team to cheer on next January in Qatar - the first time this has happened since 1988.

It has been on the cards for a while. Thailand held their fate in their own hands but came away, as expected, from Iran’s Azadi Stadium carrying nothing. That gave Singapore a chance to sneak in but the Lions lost at Jordan.

When Anas Bani Yaseen scored the winner in Amman, it was one that hurt football bosses all over the ASEAN region, one that had hoped to host the 2022 World Cup but is unable to send any team to the Asian Cup.

It has been a campaign to forget. After promising performances in 2007, the region’s big boys were supposed to take the next step and show that they could do the business away from home and out of their comfort zones. That just never happened and it was a dire qualification campaign.

Let’s just look at the facts.

Five teams started the journey to Qatar. Malaysia, something of a problem child in the region, was in a reduced group of three but still lost all four games. Banning foreign players from the domestic league looks more foolish by the week. It is another decision difficult to fathom by bosses in the country who are fond of talking of future potential rather than the depressing present.

Indonesia, impressive in 2007, failed to win a single match and suffered from a lack of leadership under Benny Dollo. It is hard to escape the conclusion that the team needs a foreign coach.

Vietnam, the region’s champions, won just one, a home victory over Lebanon and showed little of the verve, vigour, and on the road, fearlessness, of their 2008 campaign. Singapore, who actually finished bottom of their group, won two games, against Thailand and Jordan at home and Thailand had their chance at home to Jordan but blew it.

So South-East Asia’s five teams picked up only two wins between them against rivals from elsewhere on the giant continent. It is sobering stuff. Even if ASEAN’s best still don’t travel well, they didn’t win many games at home either.

I asked Peter Withe, ex-England international and former coach of Thailand and Indonesia if football in the region was going backwards.

“No I do not think so,” he replied. “But I do think that teams all over Asia are getting stronger and there is a need to keep pace with the other teams. Some teams like Jordon the Uzbeks, North Korea and even India are getting the message that this is a worldwide sport, we need good teams to compete at this higher level so we must improve our standards.”

India and North Korea are certainly lucky to be at the 2011 Asian Cup after qualifying through the AFC Challenge Cup, a practice that has not been openly discussed but it certainly dubious in football terms. The strongest South-East Asian teams may have had more luck in that weaker competition.

That shouldn’t be an excuse however. Standards are rising across the board but none from SE Asia has been able to break out of the region. This general disappointment comes when leagues such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand are starting to thrive, attendances are rising and some money is starting to move around the domestic game. It isn’t yet systematic or widespread but it is a start.

It remains to be seen if it is enough. One look at an academy like Aspire in Qatar shows just how finance can make a difference as does a trip to Korea’s pristine National Football Center. These sights are impressive but still absent in the south-east. Professionalism in Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam is just starting to be felt (and is still fragile as a look at Indonesia’s problems show) and it will take time before this feeds through to the national team.

Money plays a part but is not everything. ASEAN teams play against each other too often and not enough against those from elsewhere. This problem is exacerbated as few players venture outside the region to play their club football. Football there is still insular, as the Malaysia domestic league shows, and long-term thinking is still rare.

A minimal representation in the Asian Champions League doesn’t help. A country with a tiny population such as UAE, one that doesn’t boast the most professional of leagues, has four clubs in the continent’s premier club competition, two more than the entire ASEAN region.

And then there is the problem of goals. Thailand coach Bryan Robson lamented the absence of a goalgetter in his team after the loss to Iran. It is always easy to point the finger at a misfiring marksman but Robson is just the latest in a long line of leaders to wish for more clinical finishers.

But a long line of South East Asian representation at the Asian Cup has now been broken. Just hours after it all happened, it is still too early for it to sink in but very soon, the region needs to take a look at what is going on elsewhere in Asia before it really starts to fall behind.

Santokh to play again next week

Former national footballer Santokh Singh (picture) will play in the Veterans International Football Club (IFC) tournament in Kuala Lumpur next week.

"I was treated for an infection at Kuala Lumpur Hospital for two weeks. I am now recuperating at home in Setapak with family members," he told Bernama, Thursday.
Santokh who was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of HKL in November last year said doctors had yet to identify the cause of his illness.

The 58 year-old defender was a member of the successful 70s Malaysian football squad which include the late Mokhtar Dahari, R.Arumugam and Soh Chin Aun.

Santokh and veterans Ho Hon Seong, Yap Kam Choon, Wong Choon Wah and K. Kannan were at a press conference for the Veterans International Football Club (IFC) tournament at Kelab Aman here on March 13.

He will play for one of 12 local veterans teams. Three foreign veterans football teams will also take part in the tournament.

"I am now fully retired and will no longer hold coaching programmes," said a cheerful Santokh.

Indonesia puts up a good fight

Australia qualified for the 2011 Asian Cup finals with a 1-0 win over a plucky Indonesia in Brisbane, Wednesday.

The World Cup-bound Socceroos controlled possession for long periods of the lopsided match, but had only defender Mark Milligan’s 42nd-minute goal to show for all their dominance.

Asia’s top-ranked nation fielded a lineup made up largely of players from the domestic A-League, and needed only a draw against the 136th-ranked Indonesians to go through to next January’s showpiece in Qatar.

“I can only be happy with the result, but of course we would have been happier if we had scored more goals,” coach Pim Verbeek said.

“I think we tried everything to score more goals. Defensively we played concentrated and didn’t give anything away, but attacking-wise, we know it’s difficult to play against a team that’s defending with nine players in their own half.”

Australia has now lost only once to Indonesia in 15 encounters and has won all five home games. Indonesia’s only win (1-0) over Australia came in a World Cup qualifier in Surabaya in 1981.

The Australians, under Dutch coach Verbeek, have now qualified for both June’s World Cup in South Africa and the Asian Cup, where they will be looking to do better than their disappointing quarterfinal exit to Japan on penalties in 2007.

“With all respect to Indonesia, this is not the standard of the World Cup. We have to play better, but we also have better players,” Verbeek said.

With midfielder Jason Culina leading his country for the first time and always on the ball, the Socceroos had virtually all of the play but lacked the finishing touch against the already-eliminated Indonesia.

Australia dominated the opening half, controlling possession and probing for openings, but engineered few definite scoring chances until Milligan’s opener three minutes before halftime.

Luke Wilkshire’s free kick hit Milligan’s shoulder and clanged off the bar before the Japan-based defender swivelled and rifled the rebound past goalkeeper Markus Haris Maulana for his first international goal.

The Australians almost doubled their advantage in added-on time when defender Simon Colosimo’s bullet-header off a corner was tipped over the bar by a fully extended Markus.

The Indonesians’ best chances in the opening half came through Budi Sudarsono, but Eugene Galekovic had a quiet time in the Australian goal.

Josh Kennedy, another Australian player based in Japan, had several heading opportunities off crosses from promising 18-year-old debutant Tommy Oar and Dinamo Moscow utility Wilkshire, but was unable to convert any of the chances.

In other action, Japan eased some of the pressure on coach Takeshi Okada with a 2-0 home win over Bahrain in their Asian Cup qualifier.

Both teams had already booked their places at next year’s tournament, but victory meant Japan finished top of Group A and lifted the gloom after a poor run of results.

Striker Shinji Okazaki headed home in the 36th minute, before midfielder Keisuke Honda nodded in a second in injury-time. Japan topped the group with 15 points.

In other Group A match, Hong Kong was held to a 0-0 draw by visiting Yemen. The result gave the host its first point in the Asian Cup qualifiers.

AFC's new song

AFC is ready to share the expenses of regional federations with the overall aim of professionalising their administrations, announced AFC President Mohamed Hammam.

Hammam was addressing the SAFF (South Asian Football Federation) Executive Committee meeting, which took place here in the Sri Lankan capital on the sidelines of the AFC Challenge Cup, in Colombo last weekend.

Also present at the meeting were FIFA Executive Member Dato Worawi Makudi, AFC and SAFF Vice-President Manilal Fernando, and Presidents of the South Asian football federations.

“This is an acknowledgement of the important role the SAFF and other regional federations play in developing football,” said the AFC President. “AFC can contribute financially to the regional federations.

“By sharing the expenses AFC can ensure a professional set-up. Our financial support will contribute towards the recruitment of coaches, referees, grassroots and other professional staff.”

Hammam said he was impressed with SAFF’s efforts to develop the sport in the region, adding that member countries like India had one of the oldest traditions of football in the world.

The AFC President also hailed the SAFF Executive Committee’s decision to introduce more competitions across all age groups.

“The proposed SAFF Clubs Championship is another important development and will further develop football,” said Bin Hammam. “This is the correct way forward.

“There is great potential in this region as you have a population of nearly 1.6 billion people. You have thriving economies, the required talent and power to create strong football.”

Earlier, SAFF President Kazi Salahuddin said the SAFF countries would work hard to improve their football and shed their “weakest link” image.

“There is no reason our football cannot be on top of Asia. We have the talent and determination to achieve that.”

Some of the important points of discussion in the meeting were: a competitions calendar for 2010 and 2011, the SAFF Statutes, the setting-up of Standing Committees, and the introduction of the SAFF Clubs Championship.