Thursday, April 28, 2011

Field conditions worrying polo team


The national polo team suffered their second straight defeat in the Malaysian Open Polo 2011 Championships but it is the field conditions at the Putrajaya Equestrian Park that is, cause for concern.

Captain Shaikh Reismann, is rather perturbed with the “poor field conditions” at the Putrajaya Equestrian Park - one of three venues for the Asian-Australasian-African Championships in June - which also serve as the Zone D Qualifier for this year’s FIP Polo World Cup 2011 which will be held in San Luis, Argentina from Oct 11-25.

“We may have lost both our opening matches in the Malaysian Open but I am really worried with the poorly maintained field at Putrajaya. As I said earlier, how we fare in the Malaysian Open is no yardstick to measure our capabilities,” said Shaikh.

On Thursday, the national team, playing under the 1 Malaysia banner, lost opening match to Royal Johor Polo Club 2 by a 6-9 score line. In the second match on Sunday, the Malaysians fell to Thai Polo by 6 ½ to 5.

“I just wonder how they are going to play the World Cup Qualifier on such a field which is poor maintained. It can cause serious injury to the players and horses alike. Our match against Thai Polo saw players falling off their horse.

“Four Thai Polo players fell off their horses, leaving them with neck and body injuries but under such conditions it can also happen to us. We certainly don’t want injuries to take place at this stage as we are into our final phase of training.”

Malaysia is vying for one of three tickets and create polo history. The top three finishers  in the Zone D Qualifier to be played at three venues – the Royal Pahang Polo Club in Pekan, the Putrajaya Equestrian Park in the administrative capital and the Royal Selangor Polo Club from June 11-26.

Apart from the Malaysian Open, the national team will also compete in the Terengganu Open scheduled to be held in Kuala Terengganu next month as part of its preparations for the World Cup Qualifier.

Malaysia is one of the top polo playing nations in Asia but has never qualified for the FIP Polo World Cup Finals. With home ground advantage, Malaysia hope to finish as one of the top three teams for a historic berth in the Finals.

“We had a very good match against the Thais. After losing to Royal Johor 2, we had very much wanted to win against the Thais but ended up losing in a closely fought match,” added Shaikh.

Shaikh is a three time winner of the Thai Polo Open and won the SEA Games gold medal in polo in Korat.
   
The other members of the national team are Huzaini Yunos, Amran Selamat, Muhammad Edham Shaharuddin, Saladin Mazlan and Tengku Ahmad Shazril.

I Malaysia have no matches today but will play Head Hunters of Singapore in their final match today.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

A father's complaint

The Secretary,
Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia,
Kuala Lumpur.
(20 April 2011)
Sir,

ITF Asian 14 and Under Tennis Tournament (Group 2) held in Yangon, Myanmar from 22 Jan-1 Feb 2011.


My daughter, Delizavernne Kaur was one of the 3 girls and 3 boys representing Malaysia. Encik Mohd Noorlan Zakaria was the Malaysian official/coach responsible for the welfare of the 6 players.

Delizavernne Kaur was the only Malaysian involved in any of the finals - she played in the girls doubles final on 1 Feb 2011 (during lunch time), partnering a Pakistani girl.




1. While Delizavernne K was having her late lunch, Mohd Noorlan Zakaria left the playing venue with the other 5 players and returned to the hotel (about 5 miles away). He told her to take the next bus.

The actions of Mohd Noorlan are downright unacceptable and totally irresponsible - being negligent towards a 13 year old girl, under his care, in a strange and unfamiliar place in Myanmar.
Question: - Why didn't Noorland want for Delizavernne K to finish he lunch and accompany her with the other 5 players back to the hotel?
Or, why didn't Noorlan tell the other 5 players to go back to the hotel together first, and he accompany Delizavernne later?

2. In the draw sheet and order-of-play, my daughter's name was printed as Delizavernne Singh (should be Kaur). Noorlan refused to inform the tournament officials, saying it doesn't matter, when it does with regards to points awarded.


3. For the doubles, Noorlan refused to pair the top 2 girls players, Yusshazlin Nabila and my daughter Delizavernne Kaur - they had a chance to be champions.

4. One one day, Noorlan gave the lunch coupons to the other 5 players but not to Delizavernne, and he was missing from the playing venue. Noorlan returned only after Delizavernne K was playing in her doubles match after finishing he singles match.

5. Noorlan didn't attend the draw for the 2nd tournament. As a result Delizavernne K was down to play a 1 st round match as the 7th seed, while the 8th seed was given a bye.

6. Unlike the leaders/coaches of other countries (13 teams) who were actively following their players matches and advising them, Noorlan wasn't concerned with Malaysian players.

I had informed Mr. Taisto about Mohd Noorlan's irresponsible actions. One more thing I would like to mention, Malaysia was the only country/team whose players weren't given any t-shirt, jacket, tracksuit or the country's name printed on their attire.

I will be bringing up other shameful and disgraceful matters involving LTAM if the present situation does not improve.
Majulah Sukan Untuk Negara !

Yours Sincerely,
Bhoopinder Singh.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Mahatma Gandhi, football legend

South Africa’s successful staging of this year’s FIFA World Cup™ was an impressive reminder to the watching world of just how far this once-divided country has come in throwing off the shackles of apartheid and reinventing itself as a multi-cultural 'Rainbow Nation'.

The presence of Nelson Mandela at the tournament’s final match was also a poignant reminder of the role sport can play in bringing about such transformations, possessing the power (in Mandela’s own words) to “change the world, to inspire, to unite people in a way that little else can”. While Mandela’s use of sport to inspire and unite his people has been well publicised, few people are aware of the strikingly similar use of sport – and football in particular – by another great leader, Mohandas 'Mahatma' Gandhi, during his own struggles against South Africa’s racial divides at the start of the last century.

Though less well documented than Mandela’s own early life, stories of Gandhi’s years in South Africa have been passed on from generation to generation in the areas around Durban where he spent much of those early years. As FIFA World talked to community leaders and social historians there, a picture emerged of a young man who was both passionate about football himself and – more importantly – well aware of the passions it stirred in others.

Before finding fame as the driving force of India’s independence struggle, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi began his working life as a young lawyer in South Africa, the same initial career path which Mandela would also later embark upon. Just like Mandela, though some 60 years earlier, Gandhi was soon distracted from his profession by his growing disgust at the country’s laws of racial segregation. Motivated in particular by the daily discrimination suffered by South Africa’s large Indian population, the young Gandhi began formulating the philosophy of non-violent resistance which he would later perfect in India, while also striving to improve the social conditions of his fellow Indians.

Surprisingly perhaps, one of the main tools which he used to spread his ideas in those early days was football. “Gandhi already knew football well from the time he spent in England completing his law studies,” explains Bongani Sithole, official guide at the Phoenix settlement which Gandhi established in the town of Inanda near Durban at the dawn of the last century. "He was never a serious player himself, but seems to have taken the game to heart, above even his first loves of cricket and cycling – perhaps because at the time football was the favourite sport of the less-affluent classes. In South Africa, he must have quickly realised that the game’s popularity among the country’s disadvantaged communities made it a particularly effective means of reaching the people whose political sensibilities Gandhi most wanted to arouse.”

What fascinated Gandhi in particular was the notion he had of football’s nobility. At that time, the idea of team play was much stronger than the idea of individual ‘star’ players, and this is something that greatly appealed to him.
Poobalan Govindasamy, president of the South African Indoor Football Association


Gandhi had himself been rudely awakened to the injustices of South African society during a now infamous episode on a train journey from Durban to Pretoria shortly after his arrival in the country in 1893. He was travelling from Durban to Pretoria to defend an Indian citizen in a court case when the train’s conductor told him to leave the first-class carriage, which was exclusively for white men according to the laws of the Boer government of the Transvaal province. Being Hindu, Gandhi was supposed to travel in third class, together with the black people. When he refused to budge, insisting that his first-class ticket gave him the same right to be in the carriage as anyone else, he was forcefully removed from the train and had to spend the night in Pietermaritzburg station.

The incident reaffirmed Gandhi’s social conscience and triggered his peaceful struggle against the racism and social injustices of the authorities. Inspired by the works of the American thinker Henry David Thoreau and the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, Gandhi organised a campaign of civil disobedience among the Indian population to draw attention to the discriminatory laws that assigned them a lower status than whites. His famous philosophical movement satyagraha ('the force of truth' in Sanskrit), which advocated resistance to oppression through non-violent means, began to take shape and sowed the seeds of a change that would be completed a century later by Mandela.

Football then played a major part in Gandhi’s next step of taking the principles of satyagraha to the masses. As a regular spectator at football matches, Gandhi had observed the popular appeal of the emerging sport among the less-privileged classes in South African society, and decided to use his own passion for the sport as a tool to raise people’s awareness of the need to take non-violent action to achieve equal rights and integration in a society that considered them second-class citizens.

As the undisputed leader of non-violent resistance to the apartheid regime of the time, Gandhi helped establish three football clubs at the beginning of the last century, in Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg (where he moved at the end of 1904), all of which were given the same name: Passive Resisters Soccer Club. Sadly, there is no evidence proving that Gandhi ever turned out himself for any of the teams or took on any coaching roles, but photos unearthed at Durban’s Old Court House Museum do show him posing alongside team players and even delivering speeches to crowds at the pitchside.

Those images back up oral histories which tell of Gandhi talking to the teams at half-time about the principles of nonviolent resistance, and using the gatherings to distribute pamphlets to specators addressing the harmful effects of racial segregation on society. “The Resisters were not integrated into any kind of league structure,” says Rebecca Naidoo, a great granddaughter of Gandhi’s long-time collaborator G.R. Naidoo who has spent many years contributing to research on Gandhi’s South African years as a documentalist at the Court House Museum.

“Back then, football was still in its infancy of course and in many parts of the world, including South Africa, there was still no big interest in fixed leagues or competitions. Instead, they would just play friendly games in different fields. At first, Gandhi appears to have been simply seduced by the essence of the sport itself. It was only later that he realised that it could also be useful for his political ends.” Match venues included the Phoenix settlement, which is now preserved as a heritage site where the flat playing field set up by Gandhi can still be seen to this day, and at the Tolstoy farm in Johannesburg, named after Gandhi’s Russian mentor who had by now begun a correspondence with Gandhi that would last up until the writer’s death in 1910.

Such games helped fund the families of “resisters” who had been imprisoned for their non-violent struggle against local racist laws. Records tell of one such match being played in Johannesburg in 1910 between the local Passive Resisters team and their Pretoria counterparts to protest against the unjust jailing of about one hundred “comrades” over their opposition to segregationist laws.

As well as being a pioneer in the use of sport to achieve political goals, Gandhi also appears to have been ahead of his time in using football to promote self-improvement and social cohesion. According to Poobalan Govindasamy, president of the South African Indoor Football Association, Gandhi was convinced that football had enormous potential to encourage team work, and therefore when he established the Passive Resisters he focused on promoting moral values such as team spirit and fair play.

“What fascinated Gandhi in particular was the notion he had of football’s nobility,” says Govindasamy. “At that time, the idea of team play was much stronger than the idea of individual ‘star’ players, and this is something that greatly appealed to him. He believed the game had an enormous potential to promote team work. Certainly he appreciated the game’s usefulness in attracting large crowds, but it would be a mistake to think that football was only a communications platform for Gandhi. It was, I believe, much more. It was one of his great personal passions and one of the ways in which he was able to find spiritual peace.”

While he could not himself have imagined it during those days of promoting informal matches on the dusty fields of South Africa’s townships, Gandhi also left a real sporting legacy in the country as well as the more obvious social one. “His organisational skills and drive helped to lay the foundations for the non-racial sporting structures of today’s South Africa,” says Govindasamy, “because it was Gandhi and his contemporaries who did more than anyone else at the time to involve non-whites, and particularly the country’s Indian population, in structured sporting activities.”

This began with small provincial leagues and local federations such as the Transvaal Indian Football Association or the Klip River District Indian Football Association. Then, in 1903, and again with Gandhi’s support, came the founding of the South African Association of Hindu Football. “This was all still a long way off from the unified country ideal of today’s Rainbow Nation of course,” acknowledges Govindasamy, “but it at least paved the way for the later creation of a national federation and leagues in which games could be played regardless of the players’ skin colours.”

By 1914, Gandhi’s reputation as a skilled orator, philosopher and activist had spread far beyond South Africa and he was persuaded to return home to India by a sector of the Hindu middle class who wanted him to apply his talents to the struggle for an independent homeland. As he refocused his attention on a new challenge, and as new leaders emerged to continue the fight against South Africa’s social inequalities, the Passive Resisters football teams disbanded, to be kept alive only in oral histories, faded photographs and a few tattered documents.

Gandhi’s work was taken up by others, however, both in the fight against apartheid and in the related drive for non-discriminatory sports teams and organisations. As Reb Naidoo points out, two of the most prominent football teams in South Africa’s more recent sporting history may never have existed were it not for Gandhi’s efforts, with the now-defunct Johannesburg club Moonlighters FC and former Durban side Manning Rangers both emerging from the fledgling Indian football community that had been nurtured by Gandhi and his colleagues.

Manning Rangers, founded by G.R. Naidoo in 1928, even went on to become the first champions of South Africa’s new Premier Soccer League in 1997. The club subsequently ran into financial diffi culties and has since been relocated to Cape Town, where it plays in the country’s National First Division under the new name of Ikapa Sporting FC, but it is nevertheless fitting that the first league champions of the new united South Africa came from a team who could trace their roots all the way back to the little-known strivings of the great Gandhi some one hundred years earlier. - FIFA.COM.

Barcelona, Real Madrid starts schools in Indonesia

Not long after securing the commitment from Real Madrid FC to open a football school in Indonesia, another Spanish giant seems to follow suit with Barcelona FC announcing this week that they will be following along similar lines, and more.

South East Asia’s most populous nation had earlier confirmed the opening of a Social Football School by the nine-times European champions Real Madrid.

And this week Sandro Rosell, the president of Barcelona FC confirmed the move to have a Social Football School in Indonesia as well following his meeting with Indonesian ambassador to Spain, Adiyatwidi Adiwoso, at the Camp Nou in Barcelona.

This was revealed by Krisnawati Desi Purnawestri, from the Indonesian Embassy in Madrid.

Other than the school, a friendly match will also be planned between the current Spanish champions and the Indonesia national team.

The move by the Indonesian Embassy in Madrid to initiate contacts with two of the biggest football clubs in Spain is seen as part of the bigger picture to not only develop football but also to foster better relations between the two countries.

Other than the school and the friendly match, Barcelona will also be assisting Indonesia with the ‘Trainer of Trainers’ programme to develop better quality coaches for the development of future players. -AFF.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

It's Datuk Sri Shan now

Former national hockey captain, N. Sri Shanmuganathan will be conferred the Darjah Datuk Paduka Mahkota Perak (DPMP) in conjunction with Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah's 83 birthday celebrations.

Sri Shan or Datuk Sri Shan from now, skippered the national team that got fourt placing in the 1975 World Cup held in Kuala Lumpur.

I have known Datuk Sri Shan since the 1980s and he was the Chief Coach to the 1987 SEA Games in Jakarta, whcih I covered for my organization.

The 1975 World Cup team, coach by the late Datuk Ho Koh Chye produced a sensational performance to overcome defending champions Holland 2-1 to move into the semi-finals. However, the national team lost 3-2 to India in the semis.

Sri Shan also represented the country at the 1970 Asian Games, the 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games and played in the 1973 and 1978 World Cups.

He was national coach from 1987-88.

Friday, April 15, 2011

FIFA Task force to improve football

The FIFA Task Force Football 2014 will start its mission on 10 May 2011 when the working group convenes at the Home of FIFA in Zurich for the first time. The 22-member group consisting of high-profile experts from the world of football is chaired by Franz Beckenbauer (Germany), who will be supported in the performance of his duties by his deputy chairman Pelé (Brazil).

The Task Force’s objective is to look at proposals to improve both the attractiveness of football and match control in elite competitions in areas such as the Laws of the Game, refereeing, competition regulations, women’s football, medical matters and fair play. The Task Force will provide a first report to the FIFA Congress in Zurich on 1 June 2011.

“We’re very proud to have on board some of the highest-profile names in football for this committee. Under the chairmanship of Franz Beckenbauer this vastly experienced team will address every facet of the game, tackling any challenges related to the game and coming up with appropriate solutions,” said FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter.

“I’ve enjoyed carrying out my role as chairman of the Football Committee since 2007. Since then, my colleagues from around the world and I have achieved a great deal, but important matters such as goal-line technology, additional referees, the so-called ‘triple-punishment’, behavior on and off the field, as well as various other topics still need to be discussed and positively resolved.

"As such, I am happy to take on the chairmanship of the Task Force Football 2014 at the invitation of Blatter. Football remains an important part of my life,” commented Franz Beckenbauer.


The other working group members are (in alphabetical order): Carlos ALARCON (Paraguay), Demetrio ALBERTINI (Italy), Massimo BUSACCA (Switzerland), KALUSHA BWALYA (Zambia), CAFU (Brazil), Bobby CHARLTON (England), Ivan CURKOVIC (Serbia), Prof Dr Jiri DVORAK (FIFA), Sunil GULATI (USA), Fernando HIERRO (Spain), Charmaine HOOPER (Canada), Alex HORNE (England), Christian KAREMBEU (France / New Caledonia), LU Tracy (China PR), Ioan LUPESCU (Romania), Peter MIKKELSEN (Denmark), Dejan SAVICEVIC (Montenegro), Marina SBARDELLA (Italy), Kohzo TASHIMA (Japan), Theo VAN SEGGELEN (Netherlands, FIFAPro).

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Nugraha resigns

The Indonesian Premier League scored a crucial victory on Monday after it was finally recognized by a special committee taking charge of the country’s football affairs.

The IPL has been branded a breakaway competition since its launch in January. Its existence continues to draw flak from the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI), which has labeled the league’s initiators “rebels” for challenging the FA-backed Indonesian Super League.

With the normalization committee putting the IPL under its authority, the league can now continue its operations without fear of being dissolved at least until its season ends later this year.

The new PSSI executive committee that will emerge from the May 20 election will then rule whether to dissolve the IPL or merge it with the Super League as FIFA sanctions only one domestic competition per country.

“We made the decision to accommodate the IPL under the committee’s supervision until the end of the season,” said Agum Gumelar, the committee head.

“After the end of its season, the IPL must report to the new PSSI leadership and the new heads of the association will decide thereafter the league’s future.”

The decision to recognize the IPL was agreed on by an IPL consortium, the PSSI’s Indonesian League Body, and Agum’s committee, which enjoys the full support of FIFA.

IPL spokesperson Abi Hasantoso said the league wasn’t surprised by the development.

“The IPL is a self-sufficient professional league that will lead Indonesian football toward becoming a healthy industry. The league is in line with all professional league rules by FIFA and the AFC [Asian Football Confederation],” Abi said. “So we’ve been expecting the committee to make that decision.”

The committee also accepted the resignation of Nugraha Besoes, the PSSI’s long-serving secretary general.

“[I resigned] for the sake of Indonesian football, for greater national interest than just myself,” Nugraha said. “I think I’ll have more time to play with my grandchildren from now on.”

Nugraha, 70, was first appointed PSSI secretary general in 1983 when Kardono was the head of the association. He stayed in his position until 1999, when he was replaced by Tri Goestoro during Agum’s term at the PSSI helm. He was given back his post when Nurdin Halid was elected chairman in 2003.

The committee appointed Joko Driyono, chief executive of Liga Indonesia and a member of the normalization committee, to replace Nugraha as interim secretary general.

The committee will begin accepting nominations for executive committee seats today, including chairman and vice chairman.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Sultan Ahmad Shah is new AFF President

Sultan Ahmad Shah meeting the delegates
HRH Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah is the new President of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) after he won the post uncontested during the regional body’s 18th Congress in Bangkok, Sunday.

  
The other nominee for the top post, FA of Thailand President, Dato’ Worawi Makudi, who is also a FIFA Exco member, decided to withdraw from contesting.

HRH Sultan Ahmad, a former AFC President and current President of the FA of Malaysia, replaces long-serving Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen Al-Haj Tengku Ismail, who decided not to seek re-election this year.

Tengku Ahmad has been AFF President since 1996 (when the AFF was revived) and has played a major part in AFF’s tremendous success over the years which includes the hosting of the immensely popular regional
football tournament now known as the AFF Suzuki Cup.

In his inauguration speech today, HRH Sultan Ahmad thanked Tengku Ahmad Rithaudeen for his leadership. “I hope to lead the management team to further enhance the solidarity and level of Asean football. It
is indeed fitting for all of us to render our appreciation to Tengku Tan Sri Ahmad Rithauddeen who served as president for five terms since 1996.

HRH Sultan Ahmad went on to comment:” I urge all members of the AFF to maintain and enhance the strong sustainable solidarity that has been well established. Only with a strong foundation can we further enhance
the capacity, quality and capability of football.

During the Congress, three new Vice-Presidents were voted in. They were Brig Gen Khiev Sameth from Cambodia, Francisco Kabualdi Lay from Timor Leste and Viphet Sihachakr from Laos.Duong Vu Lam from Vietnam retained his vice-presidency.

Prior to the elections today, members attending the Congress had agreed to consider a rotation format for future elections. The details and implementation are to be discussed by the new AFF Council.

Tengku Ahmad, in his parting words, thanked the members for their support over the years. “I have enjoyed working with all of you and wish the new office bearers the very best.”

He was later appointed the Honorary President of the AFF.


Just before the first AFF Council Meeting for session 2011/2015 concluded, the members of the Council were given a presentation by the ASEAN secretariat on the possibility of hosting the 2030 World Cup.

Malaysian Youth and Sports Deputy Minister, Datuk Razali Ibrahim, led the delegation which made the presentation to the AFF Council. HRH Sultan Ahmad later proposed that a committee was formed by the AFF to look into the bid proposal and work closely with the ASEAN secretariat.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Just a reminder...be careful


 


Answer the phone by LEFT ear                      


Do not drink coffee TWICE a day

 

Do not take pills with COOL water

 

Do not have HUGE meals after 5pm

 

Reduce the amount of TEA you consume

 

Reduce the amount of OILY food you consume

 

Drink more WATER in the morning, less at night

 

Keep your distance from hand phone CHARGERS

 

Do not use headphones/earphone for LONG period of time

 

Best sleeping time is from 10pm at night to 6am in the morning

 

Do not lie down immediately after taking medicine before sleeping

 

When battery is down to the LAST grid/bar, do not answer the phone as the radiation is 1000 times

ˆ  

Saturday, April 2, 2011

This is our story

With Chris, Haresh and Fadree at Istana Pahang sometime back.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Tengku Abdullah's Polo World Cup wish

Malaysia has played polo around the world but come this June, Malaysia wants to do exceptionally well in the all-important FIP Polo World Cup Zone D Qualifier from June 11-26.

It is a tournament that the Malaysians will be rooting for the national polo team to make the top three which will not only give the sport a big boost in the country but also take it to a new level.

At stake is a historic place in the FIP Polo World Cup which will be played in San Luis, Argentina from October 11-25. To earn the passport to Argentina, Malaysia must finish in the top three.

Royal Malaysian Polo Association (RMPA) president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who is also the Crown Prince of Pahang, sees a “tough battle” but in the same breath is confident that his wish will come true.

“We are in a tough group which is made up of some of the best polo playing countries in the world but we hope to perform well and qualify for the World Cup Finals,” says the sports loving Prince.

“There are some plus factors that could work in our favor and we have to make use of it to make an impact in the Qualifier. My wish is to see Malaysia play in the World Cup Finals.”

Malaysia must finish in the top three to earn their passport for a historic place and play in their first ever FIP Polo World Cup Finals. Apart from Malaysia, some of the best known polo playing countries in the world - Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan and South Africa and minnows Nigeria and Singapore will compete in the Zone D Qualifier.

“At this stage we are in the final phase of training before the tournament gets underway in June. Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa are all known polo powerhouses in polo but we will not stand their reputation in our quest for glory.”


The Malaysians have been training together since last year. It included two-month training cum playing stint in Argentina from mid-September to mid-November. During this period, the Malaysian team also selected the horses to be used in the Qualifier.

“It is my fervent wish to see Malaysia plays in the FIP World Cup Finals. We have never qualified for the Finals but it simply does not mean that Malaysia will be easy meat for the top guns.


“We will go into the fray well prepared. I am happy with our preparations and we have assembled the best team to carry Malaysia’s challenge. Malaysia will have to go in with confidence.


The Malaysian team is made up of Huzaini Yunos (+4 Handicap), Shaikh Reismann (+3 Handicap), Amran Selamat (+2 Handicap), Muhammad Edham Shaharuddin (+4 Handicap), Saladin Mazlan (+3 Handicap) and Tengku Ahmad Shazril (+3 Handicap).

After competing in the Thai Polo Open Championships where they finished runners-up to Thai Polo, the Malaysians will next play in the Malaysian Open Polo Tournament in April. The Malaysian Open will be played at the Putrajaya Equestrian Park and the Royal Selangor Polo Club.

The Qualifier will be played at three different venues – namely the Royal Pahang Polo Club in Pecan, the Putrajaya Equestrian Park in the administrative capital of Malaysia and the Royal Selangor Polo Club.