Oranje Horror

Being a hardcore Holland fan...it pains me to see them go out of next Summer's Euros but what to do - they plain and simple poor and disorganised. Lots of old guard there Van Persie, Huntelaar, Sneijder but you cannot also throw everyone out. You still need them to guide the young ones to future glory. Hope this will be a good lesson and they will bounce back from this rather sad debacle. One player who caught my eye was Anwar El Ghazi from Ajax, typical Dutch winger who can cut in and out and change pace. Anyway, let's look ahead, for me, I need to find a new team.

Political Spotlight to Mask Mediocrity?

                         (Photo courtesy of Sports247.com)

While we were so busy with Malaysia's pathetic performance against Bangladesh, I cannot help but notice this photo of Bunyamin Umar with his Palestine support gear - t-shirt and scarf.

Of course all of us are entitled to our political leanings but if someone brought it up, would FIFA fine us for bringing other elements into sports? I am not sure but I am wondering will FAM get into trouble with AFC for this, first and then later, FIFA to act?

If its ok, then I guess in future, we can use players to display their support for many issues for example, help the flood victims in places with flood problems, against whale hunting, no to shark fining, no to racism in certain countries afflicted by racists attack?

Not being the spoil sport but remembered long time ago FIFA was against displaying political and  sponsors (which are not in the official list of FIFA sponsors) logo on jerseys...However, this happened just before the match.

Maybe I will email AFC and FIFA for some clarity and...hopefully I may get an answer as I am a nobody

Past Achievement Means Nothing

                            (Pix courtesy of ESPNSTAR.com)

I guess by now national coach K. Rajagobal will realise when you are winning, everything looks nice, everyone wants to be your friend and everyone wants to be in your good books.

Two losses in prepatory friendly matches for AFF Cup and suddenly, his world is like slowly falling apart with FAM supremo Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah (TM) breathing down his neck with comments on squad tinkering.

In Malaysia, it shows just what success does to you when the whole of Malaysia wanting a piece of you, remember the national squad was even honoured at the annual Year End bash in the capital last year? (I was wondering what is the relevance between a song and dance concert and inviting the national team for an award at the same event?)

However on the other end of the spectrum, failure means you will get chastisized by the fans and officials and if it gets even worse, you will be treated like a leper. By now, Rajagobal would have laid out his plans for the upcoming AFF Cup defence starting November 25 and to be fair to the man, let us not judge him on friendly matches results.

He must and will be judged on AFF Cup results, failure to retain the title means the responsibility is his and his only. Show him the door if you may but when you look a the calibre of coaches we have in stock locally, there is nothing much to choose from expect the usual veteran suspects doing their rounds, coaching around Malaysia teams year in, year out.

While I guess TM means well, let Rajagobal does the job he is entrusted and if we fail, at least he knows it is his own doing only and no one else.

BEN10 is Over Priced

Recently, I went to the BEN 10 LIVE TIME MACHINE show at 2.00pm, Saturday, 10 November and was expecting a large, 'humungousaur' crowd but when the show started, about 10-15 minutes later then scheduled, huge swathes of seats were still empty.

It got me thinking, normal middle class Malaysians can't and won't afford tickets which are expensive. The cost per ticket, be it adult or child are as follows:

VIP- RM328

Premium - RM268

Reserve A - (Level 3) RM168

Reserve B - (Level 3) RM98

Minimum 2 pax must attend - parent and child so minimum, you are looking at, at least RM200 per family. I am not sure about other shows but the show I attended was empty until the organisers gave us an option of occupying the back row of the VIP seats.

However, if I paid that much, I'll scream murder as for RM328 and if you are seated at the back zone, your poor child won't be able to have a good view as the seats are all of the same level. I seriously wonder who was in charge of seating...

And outside the hall, there was more money to milk with all the merchandise, toys and snacks with BEN 10 branding.

Hopefully in future, the organisers will bring the down the prices so that more people can enjoy the show, especially BEN 10 hard core kids...Anyway, I suspect the next time they come down, my son would have grown out of this and move on to other cartoon characters.

Guiza's Indian Summer in Johor

                     (Photo courtesy of soccernet.espn.go)

It seems Malaysia football is in the news again with former Spanish international Daniel Guiza joining Johor and proclaiming "To be honest I don’t know much about Malaysian football. But I watched videos of the local matches on the Internet before coming down here and what I observed was Malaysians appear very passionate about their football.

He further added, that the reason he wants to leave his current club, Getafe CF in La Liga, was because he and the manager had differing views and also that money was not the case since he had offers from top Spanish and European clubs.

“I want to help Johor become not only the top team in Malaysia but in Asia as well,” he said adding that the local weather would not be a problem for him.

The quotes were taken from The Star and read here.

Hmm, how many times have we heard this statement from a foreign player and how many have lasted this long here by virtue of our standard of football?

Seriously, will he make a difference and how long will he light up Johor and Malaysian football? Somehow as a fan, I suspect money played a role and I am sure rather than fight it out in other European leagues, he probably have a nice retirement package here.

Bu hey, I could be wrong! 

40th Penang PESTA International Bowling Championship 2012

Persatuan Tenpin Bowling Pulau Pinang would be hosting the premier International Bowling Championship scheduled from 8-16 December 2012 at the Premium Lanes, Sunshine Square, Bayan Baru, Penang.

After successfully staging this Championship in 2011, which attracted more than 350 bowlers (both local and overseas) participation, the organisers anticipates a larger pool of leading bowlers from the Asian countries to participate in this year’s event.

For more information, please call Persatuan Tenpin Bowling Pulau Pinang 012-4851775.

The glory days of Inter Bank Athletics Meet

The days when Inter-Bank meets were glamorous. Now, the National Bank Sports Council is run by incompetent officials who fail to move with the times. Their excuse, blame the management for not hiring athletes but their council consist of non sporting banks members and staff who are not even CEO level which xplains why change cannot be affected. Only thing they do is talk co#@

Five AmBank Group Faldo Series Malaysia Championship 2012 winners qualifies for Grand Finals in China

Favourites and national trainees Nur Durriyah Damian and Chan Tuck Soon continued their impressive form to clinch the AmBank Group Faldo Series Malaysia Championship 2012 title and qualified for the Faldo Series Asia Grand Finals which will be held in Mission Hills, China in March next year.

Joining them for the Grand Finals in China next year are Muhammad Wafiyuddin from Kelab Golf Rekreasi Universiti Utara Malaysia (KGRUUM), Hiew Alvin from Palm Resort Johor and Kellie Kan of the Malaysian Golf Association (MGA).

In the Girls U-21 category, defending champion Durriyah made it her second AmBank Group Faldo Series Malaysia Championship 2012 title in a row with an even par score of 72 to finish two strokes ahead Hillferah Tan of KGRUUM with a total score of 222 at The Royal Selangor Golf Club (RSGC). She said she was pleased with her score and delighted to win her second consecutive title.

Tuck Soon on the other hand had his worst game in today’s final round when he shot a 76 after identical scores of 72 in the first two rounds but still managed to win by seven strokes with an overall score of 220. Second place was Ahmad Zahir of KGRUUM who shot a three-day total of 227 to move ahead of teammate Muhammad Ridhwan whose slide continued after leading on day one, second place on day two and finishing in third place today with an overall score of 229.

KGRUUM’s domination in the Boys U-21 category continued with all their players finishing in top three positions. Muhammad Wafiyuddin who has been leading since day one, shot a decent final round of 75 to finish seven strokes ahead of second placed teammate Amirul Aizat. Over in the Girls U-16 category, MGA’s Kellie Kan clinched the title with a three-day total of 230, followed by Chong Yong of Kluang Country Club on 233 and teammate Ashley Lau finishing in third place with 238.

The prizes were given away by Syed Anuar Syed Ali, Senior General Manager, Group Corporate Communications and Marketing, AmBank Group and Admiral Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Mohd Anwar Hj Mohd Nor (Rtd), MGA President.

This is the second year AmBank Group is sponsoring the Faldo Series Malaysia Championship after the first, last year.

The past winners of the Faldo Series tournament include World number 1s Rory McIlroy and Yani Tseng of Chinese Taipei. It was launched in 1996 by Sir Nick Faldo with 35 tournaments taking place in 25 countries worldwide with over 5,000 golfers participating each year.

As the title sponsor for the Faldo Series Malaysia Championship 2012, AmBank Group is further strengthening its commitment to developing junior golf and the Group is also currently the main sponsor for the SportExcel Junior Golf Championship Grand Finals for the last eight years.

Results:
Final Round Scores

Boys

U-21:

218 Muhammad Wafiyuddin (KGRUUM) 74-69-75; 225 Amirul Aizat (KGRUUM) 74-72-79; 234 Muhammad Al-Azim (KGRUUM) 80-78-76;

U-18:

220 Chan Tuck Soon (MGA) 72-72-76; 227 Ahmad Zahir (KGRUUM) 76-77-74; 229 Muhammad Ridhwan (KGRUUM) 71-79-79;

U-16:
229 Hiew Alvin (Palm Resort Johor) 81-76-72; 230 Mohd Asyraf Rosli (Monterez Golf & Country Club) 79-76-75; 231 Aaerishna Shastry (Johor Golf Country Club) 80-75-76;
Girls
U-18:

222 Nur Durriyah Damian (MGA) 77-73-72; 224 Hillferah Tan (KGRUUM) 72-82-70; 227 Isza Fariza (Staffield) 75-75-77;

U-16:
230 Kelie Kan (MGA) 81-75-74; 233 Chong Yong (Kluang Country Club) 82-78-73; 238 Ashley Lau (MGA) 79-81-78

Favourites move into contention in AmBank Group Faldo Series Malaysia Championship 2012

Normal order was restored in the AmBank Group Faldo Series Malaysia Championship 2012 as the the favourites in both the Boys and Girls U-18 categories moved up the leaderboard in today’s second round which was played at The Royal Selangor Golf Club (RSGC).

Defending champion Nur Durriyah Damian from the Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) surged into contention with a much improved performance to shoot a 73 for a two-day total of 150 and is tied in first place with Isza Fariza from Staffield. Genevieve Ling is in third place with 154.
In the Boys U-18 category, national trainee Chan Tuck Soon maintained his consistent form with another round of 72 to score an even par of 144 while yesterday’s leader Muhammad Ridhwan from Kelab Golf Rekreasi Universiti Utara (KGRUUM), game faltered today to score a 79 and is now five shots behind Tuck Soon.
Another national trainee, Ervin Chang maintained his grip in the U-16 Boys category with a total of 151 over two rounds, four strokes ahead of Aaerishna Shastry of Johor Golf Country Club.
Kelab Golf Rekreasi Universiti Utara (KGRUUM) are in prime position to clinch the Boys U-21 title with the top three positions occupied by its players - current leader Muhammad Wafiyuddin on 143, followed by Amirul Aizat on three strokes behind and Muhammad Al-Azim on 158.
With only five tickets available for the Grand Finals which is scheduled to be held in Mission Hills, China in March, 2013 from five categories, the competition will be keen amongst the 67 local golfers on display from the ages of 12-21 years old.
The past winners of the Faldo Series tournament include World number 1s Rory McIlroy and Yani Tseng of Chinese Taipei. It was launched in 1996 by Sir Nick Faldo with 35 tournaments taking place in 25 countries worldwide with over 5,000 golfers participating each year.
As the title sponsor for the Faldo Series Malaysia Championship 2012, AmBank Group is further strengthening its commitment to developing junior golf and the Group is also currently the main sponsor for the SportExcel Junior Golf Championship Grand Finals for the last eight years.
Results:
Second Round Scores
Boys
U-21:
143 Muhammad Wafiyuddin (KGRUUM) 74-69; 146 Amirul Aizat (KGRUUM) 74-72; 158 Muhammad Al-Azim (KGRUUM) 80-78;
U-18:
144 Chan Tuck Soon (MGA) 72-72; 150 Muhammad Ridhwan (KGRUUM) 71-79; 153 Ahmad Zahir (KGRUUM) 76-77;
U-16:
151 Ervin Chang (MGA) 74-77; 155 Aaerishna Shastry (Johor Golf Country Club) 80-75; 155 Mohd Asyraf Rosli (Monterez Golf & Country Club) 79-76
Girls
U-18:
150 Nur Durriyah Damian (MGA) 77-73; 150 Isza Fariza (Staffield) 75-75; 154 Genevieve Ling (Kelab Rekreasi Tentera Udara) 77-77;
U-16:
156 Kelie Kan (MGA) 81-75; 158 Siti Zulaikha (Kelab Rekreasi Tentera Udara) 78-80; 160 Chong Yong (Kluang Country Club) 82-78

Adam Shaw of Canada wins inaugural RSGC AmBank Junior Amateur Open Golf Championship 2012

Adam Shaw of Canada clinched the inaugural Boys U-18 RSGC AmBank Junior Amateur Open Golf Championship 2012 by a massive 17 strokes, scoring a three-day total of 213, finishing three under par on March 15.

Playing at The Royal Selangor Golf Club (RSGC), Shaw who is half Malaysian from his mother’s side, also carded the day’s lowest score of 68 in today’s penultimate round.

Malaysian Mohammed Izad who was trailing in third place yesterday, was tied with a total score of 230 with Nick Ang but finished higher on countback. The tournament was played on a strokeplay format.

“I am pleased to win the RSGC AmBank Junior Amateur Open Golf Championship 2012 and it has certainly boosted my confidence. The win may look easy but I had to work hard for it,” said Shaw who resides in Canada but holidays frequently in Malaysia.

National junior Ervin Chang kept the Malaysian flag flying by winning the Boys U-15 title with a total score of 227. Amir Nazrin who was lying in fourth place yesterday, made a late surge today but it was not enough to finish the day with a total of 234, seven shots adrift, to finish second. Danial Durisic played his worst round today, scoring an 82 and lost out his second position to finish third.

The Girls category saw Philippines dominate the top two positions in both the U-18 and U-15 category. In the U-18 category, Dottie Ardina carded a final round of 72 for a three-day total of 214 to emerge as champion, finishing two-under par. Team-mate Sarah Ababa finished in second place with a total of 221 while Malaysia’s Genevieve Ling claiming third place with 230.

Philippines’ Princess Superal led from day one to finish as the Girls U-15 champion with a total score 221, followed by team-mate Daniella Uy 225. Malaysia’s Siti Zulaikha Shaari completed the podium finish with a total score of 233.

Results: (Malaysians unless stated)
Final Round Scores
Boys U-18:
213: Adam Shaw (Canada) 70,75,68; 230: Mohammed Izzad 75,81,74; 230: Nick Ang 74,78,78
Boys U-15:
227: Ervin Chang 74,77,76; 234: Amir Nazrin 79,77,78; 236: Danial Durisic 79,75,82
Girls U-18:
214: Dottie Ardina (Philippines) 71,71,72; 221: Sarah Ababa (Philippines) 76,72,73; 230: Genevieve Ling 77,75,78
Girls U-15:
221: Princess Superal (Philippines) 74,74,73; 225: Daniella Uy (Philippines) 76,74,75; 233: Siti Zulaikha Shaari 77,78,78

Canadian Shaw maintains lead in Day Two of RSGC AmBank Junior Amateur Open Golf Championship 2012

Adam Shaw of Canada continued his domination of the inaugural RSGC AmBank Junior Amateur Open Golf Championship 2012 Boys U-18 category with seven strokes clear of his nearest rival, Nick Ang of Malaysia heading into the final straight tomorrow at the Royal Selangor Golf Club in Kuala Lumpur.

Played on a strokeplay format, Shaw scored 70 gross on day one and 75 gross on day two, 14 March for a total score of 145, ahead of Ang, who shot rounds of 74 and 78 gross on day one and two respectively, for a total score of 152.

In the Boys U-15 category, national junior Ervin Chang maintained his lead with a total score of 151 in the second round after hitting a 77 today. Yesterday, he scored better with a 74. His main rival, Danial Durisic played better today to card a 75 but his two-day total of 154 puts him three strokes behind Ervin.

The Girls category in the second round is an all Philippines show with the top two placings in both the U-18 and U-15 category still dominated by them. Yesterday’s leader Dottie Ardina carded a 71 today for a two-day total of 142 in the U-18 category. Team-mate Sarah Ababa shot a total round of 148 to stay six strokes behind Ardina.

Princess Superal consistent game in U-15 category continued today as she shot a 74, similar to yesterday’s score, to finish off the day with a total score of 148. Team-mate Daniella Uy is just two strokes behind with a total score 150 after carding scores of 76 and 74 on day one and two respectively.

AmBank Group is the title sponsor and a total of five national juniors are in the fray among the cast of 91 junior golfers who have confirmed their participation in four categories consisting of Boys and Girls U-18 and U-15, respectively. Foreign countries who are also participating in this tournament are Hong Kong, Philippines and Canada. The tournament ends on Thursday.

Other than this tournament, AmBank Group was previously the title sponsor for the Faldo Series Malaysia Championship 2011 and is also currently the main sponsor for the SportExcel Junior Golf Championship Grand Finals which has been held for the last eight years.

Results: (Malaysians unless stated)
Second Round Scores
Boys U-18:
145: Adam Shaw (Canada) 70,75; 152: Nick Ang 74,78; 156: Muhammad Syazani 81,75
Boys U-15:
151: Ervin Chang 74,77; 154: Danial Durisic 79,75, 155: Park Chang Uk 82,73
Girls U-18:
142: Dottie Ardina (Philippines) 71,71; 148: Sarah Ababa (Philippines)76,72; 152: Genevieve Ling 77,75
Girls U-15:
148: Princess Superal (Philippines) 74-74; 150: Daniella Uy (Philippines) 76-74; 155: Siti Zulaikha Shaari 77,78

Foreign Golfers Dominate Opening Day of RSGC AmBank Junior Amateur Open Golf Championship 2012

The foreign legion at the inaugural RSGC AmBank Junior Amateur Open Golf Championship 2012 made their presence felt with a commanding opening day performance at the Royal Selangor Golf Club (RSGC) on 13 March.

In the Boys U-18 category, Adam Shaw of Canada is in the lead after finishing with a total score of 70 gross, four ahead of second placed Nick Ang from Malaysia. In the Girls category, Philippines’ Dottie Ardina (71) holds a five shot lead over team-mate Sarah Ababa (76).

Over in the Boys U-15 category, national junior Ervin Chang carded a 74 to take a five shot lead over fellow Malaysian Danial Durisic while in the Girls category, Princess Superal of the Philippines takes a slender two-shot lead over country women Daniella Uy. Princess scored 74, with Daniella two strokes behind on 76.
AmBank Group is the title sponsor and a total of five national juniors are in the fray among the cast of 91 junior golfers who have confirmed their participation in four categories consisting of Boys and Girls U-18 and U-15, respectively. Foreign countries who are also participating in this tournament are Hong Kong, Philippines and Canada. The tournament ends on Thursday.

Other than this tournament, AmBank Group was previously the title sponsor for the Faldo Series Malaysia Championship 2011 and is also currently the main sponsor for the SportExcel Junior Golf Championship Grand Finals which has been held for the last eight years.

Results: (Malaysians unless stated)

First Round Scores
Boys U-18:
70: Adam Shaw (Canada); 74: Nick Ang; 75: Mohammed Izzad
Boys U-15:
74: Ervin Chang; 79: Danial Durisic, Amir Nazrin Jailani
Girls U-18:
71: Dottie Ardina (Philippines); 76: Sarah Ababa (Philippines); 77: Genevieve Ling
Girls U-15:
74: Princess Superal (Philippines); 76: Daniella Uy (Philippines); 77: Siti Zulaikha Shaari

Olympics Aye, Thomas Cup, Bye-Bye

A high powered High Performance Team (HPT) has been formed and by the looks of it, their three-men team is formed to only look out for the Olympics gold medal if today's report in the media is to be digested.

The HPT has in away, downgraded Thomas Cup targets to a secondary level and put Olympic glory at the pedestal. Ok, this is all fine but why waste time in the first place to interview and look for people when Datuk James Selvaraj alluded to his part time job in BAM as not having enough powers and recognition from BAM to make huge decisions which are impactful on the national governing body of badminton? This decision could have been made by the coaching committee earlier by checking with the coaches on the quality of players at their disposal.

Now you hire another two more people and by the looks of it, short-term glory (if we achieve Olympic gold) but then what happens to the second echelon of shuttlers? If it has been stated today that Thomas Cup takes a back seat, then maybe Hafiz Hashim shouldn't have been given a last-minute call-up even if he is better than most players after Lee Chong Wei but now is the time to groom and throw all the young players into the deep end so that we have a strong team for the next Thomas Cup.

Of course, people's lips will say why Zulfadli Zulkifli is not in to gain exposure when Victor Axelsen from Denmark whom he beat in the World Junior Final, has already made it to his senior squad. Putting Hafiz and everyone else in the second and third singles slot is not going to make a huge impact in the Thomas Cup as we slowly see how our badminton slowly head lower and lower intot he abyss.

Badminton is going the same way like women's squash, after Nicol David who is there? After Lee Chong Wei, who?

BAM should have saved everyone the torment and just kept Datuk James, no need to waste time and distract who else to join the HPT and kept on with training and coming up with achieveable objectives rather than flip flopping with major tournament shuttling by, in a jiffy.

Question is if we don't win gold, will the HPT be disbanded?

Tough one for Malaysia in Thomas Cup

For the first time, Malaysia looks damn shaky in their Thomas Cup Preliminary Asian Zone qualifier (other teams are South Korea and Korea Republic) and if Lee Chong Wei can play all five ties, then I guess we look a very good bet to make the finals.

Whom to blame, I have no idea as Lee Chong Wei looks the only sure bet for a point while Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong's game have plummeted to depths unseen of...I mean remember Razif-Jalani Sidek and later Cheah Soon Kit-Soo Beng Kiang's game were not fantastic but they were steady pairs for points in team events.

That two fellas, hmmm, played so well initially under Rexy Mainaky's guidance but now, hancur! Ask for anything and BAM bends backwards and now, to repay their kindness and generosity by becoming an unsteady first pair.

One thing I am wondering why isn't World Junior Champion, Zulfadli Zulkifli in the team? So far, haven't seen any justification from BAM. When you compare our rather sub-standard second and third singles like Liew Darren and Arif Abdul Latif, the risk is the same - all can't be relied on for point. So, why don't just expose him, in fact he can be like a Theo Walcott for World Cup by just being in the team but not playing.

Why do I smell rivalry between BAM and KLRC? Is it cause it's either you are with us (BAM) or against us policy? Then problematic next time when there is no healthy rivalry if you do better than BAM and they will freeze your participation if your players do better than BAM? Emm... i hope its not like that next time

AFTER CHONG WEI, WHERE IS MALAYSIAN BADMINTON HEADING?

It has been a damn long time since I ignored my blog since work is taking up too much of my life.

Anyway, want to talk about badminton, our national team, and if you look at the SEA Games squad, the sad truth is no one is good enough to hold a candle to Lee Chong Wei's reign. I seriously don't know what is going to happen to newly crowned World Junior champion Zulfadli Zulkifli since he is KLRC-bred and those BAM fellas, I hope won't get jealous and say cause you are not in the national set-up, bugger off and train on your own.

Since Zulfadli is a champion, its time BAM discard this attitude of 'if you are with us, we are with you and if you are not with us, then go f... off' cause he is after all a Malaysia and he needs all the help he can get.

You look at out singles players and it looks damn sad. No one after Chong Wei are capable of challenging for honours - Liew Darren, my friend Arif Latif seems to have reached a plateau and the team of coaches has to drastically do some amendments and possibly, an overhaul.

Koo Kien Kiet and Tan Boon Heong, I guess Rexy Mainaky must be laughing since he is possibly having the last laugh after they changed coaches. Why they wanted a change is their choice but results have become worse for them and while they thought they were the man at one time, they forgot, everyone have caught up or overtaken them. It doesn't help we no capable second pair or even second singles like back in the days we had Rashid Sidek and Foo Kok Keong and Razif-Jalani Sidek and Cheah Soon Kit and Soo Beng Kiang.

Oh well, in a way lucky we have KLRC in the mix as BAM now has someone to look over their shoulder

Where Do We Go From Here, Malaysia?

The euphoria and the excitement of the national football team's success at the recent AFF Cup continues unabated. Accolades and bouquets seems to be never ending from fans, media and glory hunters...yes, glory hunters.

Let me admit it, I never was a fan of the national team because of the sub-par performance they always dish out when it matters most. Of course, credit must be always given when it's due and to this, I would like to wish syabas and great perfomance guys (meaning the coaching staff and the players, of course!)

However, is this bunch of glory hunters that sickens my gut and body. Suddenly, you see the local media, other desk sections (the sports desk guys has been through thick and thin with the national team, so they are excluded from this) running stories of the national team. I mean, where were all of you when the chips were down? Many of them were the first to condemn when the team was not doing well but here they are suddenly national team cheerleaders and the number 1 fan.

Of course it is obvious everyone wants to be close to a winner but it just shows how fickle we Malaysians are. When there is a success, everybody wants their photo taken and also be associated. When there is failure, no one wants to own up. Hence when the national team returned from Jakarta, they were many hanger-ons who wanted to be near them, my humble advice to the team's management is to tell them to stay away. Remember, if you fail the next three tournaments at least, people would again condemn you and will stay away from you like a plague.

After the win,what now? It's high time for the players to leave their comfort zone and ply their trade overseas. Despite what Tengku Mahkota of Pahang, our FAM Vice President said recently on our players to only move to leagues such as Korea and Japan, I feel moving to even Indonesia will change their outlook and make them more mature in their game. Even Indonesian teams play in the AFC Champions League while our local team are still playing in the lower ranked AFC Cup and are struggling against teams from the like of Maldives.

We can forget about Korea and Japan as food, language and culture shock would be too much for our players. Maybe they should be looking at Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as possible transfer destinations as the food and religion are similar to here, only they need to learn the Arabic language.

Glory, glory Man United!!!

(Photo courtesy of Soccernet website)

Excellent, superb, magnificient!

Words cannot describe seeing the Red Devils getting kicked out of the Champions League. What an excellent performance by Arjen Robben and co in showing Alex Ferguson the middle finger. At least, they have avenged their final loss to United aeons ago and now, the Red Devils (I just maintain it as that, as really, they are bloody devils, satan's spawn) know how it feels to be banged when they thought they were home free.

I just hope United's campaign will go in tatters following this defeat and they will finish second, at least, even though I hope Arsenal will overtake them...

Click here to see Robben's wonder goal.

Oh, and also hope Wayne Rooney's season is gone forever and his World Cup will be spent on a vacation in Bahamas rather in South Africa.

Best Male Olympian 2009 Award Should Have Gone to the Football Team

(Photo courtesy of OCM's official website)

Daniel Bego’s win as the Best Male Olympian 2009 is questionable. No fault of his but how did the Awards Committee of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) arrive at this?

Looking at the possible athletes who may have been a better selection, the U-23 national football team would have made a better winner and story. Why?

Looking at Daniel’s case, winning five gold medals at SEA Games level and breaking four records in the process is nothing to shout about. I mean, we had better swimmers in the past like Nurul Huda, Jeffry Ong and Lim Keng Liat. This is only the SEA Games, not Asian Games where the likes of China, Japan and South Korea are around. Swimming is also not in the doldrums unlike football. We have been producing good swimmers, year in, year out – only at SEA Games level.

On the football team’s gold, yes, nothing to shout about. But then, we have really gone down to the abyss of football, even at the SEA Games level. Winning the SEA Games medal after 20 years is a good start, and probably, a little glimmer of hope for the future. In case you never noticed, many team’s have made inroads at even the SEA Games level like Singapore and Vietnam while we slowly slipped down the pecking order.

Are We Sending Any Aid to Haiti or ...

(Photo courtesy of AFP)

The speed of aid rushing to Haiti in the wake of the 7.0-magnitude quake is shocking when refer to my beloved country.

Why? Until today, i have not seen any form of aid coming from us to Haiti. I find rather strange when other countries (no need to mention, as everyone knows what countries are they) get immediate attention, corporates running off to have their cheque presentations and some media companies even start sending their staff to cover the catastrophe with human interest stories the main news fodder.

I just wonder when the ball will start rolling for donations to the victims. I always thought we Malaysians are a caring lot but I noticed it only happens to selected countries and people.
In that tiny little corner of my mind, I think I have the answer but I don’t want to share it for fear of offending anybody out there. I think people out there can form their opinions in why Malaysia sends aid (money, NGOs specialising in disaster relief) to certain countries super-fast but Haiti, habuk pun tak da!

Interview with Lim Teong Kim

(Thomas Muller, one of players in the senior team whom Lim Teong Kim worked with previously - Photo courtesy of www.cdn.bundesligatalk.com)

This a well written interview by Ajitpal Singh of New Straits Times with our former star, Lim Teong Kim who is now the Assistant Coach for the Bayern Munich U-19 squad.

His views are honest and straight to the point and coming from a club with Bayern Munich's stature, it is best we pay heed to his views. I am not going to say anymore but re-produce the interview courtesy of New Straits Times Sports Desk. Of course, let us hope that the "powers-that-be" read, understand and take the proper action rather than follow the 'consultants' advice which hovers around them - always claiming to have the best solutions for what ills Malaysian sports when until today, we are still in the backwaters of international sport save for badminton, squash and bowling.

Here is the interview:

Lim Teong Kim was the first Malaysian footballer to play in Europe when he turned out for German club Hertha Berlin in 1987. A member of the national team that won the 1989 Sea Games gold medal, the Germany-based Teong Kim is on holiday in Malaysia. The 47-year-old shares his thoughts about Malaysian football with Timesports’ AJITPAL SINGH.

Q: What is your opinion on Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek's move on forming a full-time national team?
A: It is not practical if you talk about the technicality of the game. It is pointless to spread the players out to different clubs in Europe as their playing styles will differ when they play as a unit. It will be a huge barrier for the coach and players. Each European country have their own brand of football. The government should not spend millions on this. It is a waste of taxpayers' money. There are other means to develop local football but not like this.

Q: What do you recommend?
A: The national team players should remain in the Malaysian League. I suggest they go on playing tours in Europe three or four times a year. However, they must play with top teams and clubs to learn. Never mind if the team lose 5-0 or 10-0. They should not lose hope if they lose big at the start.
Teong Kim will consider a job here when there are proper facilities. It is a long-term process but it will definitely help in the progress of the team. However, European teams may not be able to accommodate the national team due to their busy international and club-level schedules.

Q: Your opinion on the National Under-23 team's gold medal success in the recent Laos Sea Games?
A: I am not surprised with their achievement as there are often surprises in football. I must congratulate the players and coach K. Rajagobal for their effort. But how do they take their football from here? Proper planning must be made to ensure the team make progress.

Q: Do any of the local players have the ability to make it in Europe?
A: I am not sure of the present team's ability. But the FA of Malaysia (FAM), instead of making big plans, should ask the players whether they want to ply their trade in Europe.The national body and those concerned should not make the decision for the players.In the past, Akmal Rizal and Rudie Ramli had short stints with Bayern Munich at different periods. They stayed and slept in my house in Munich but I noticed that they were getting bored after just three weeks. The duo wanted to go home. A player must have the heart for it or they will fail. However, if a player has the ability, then he should try his luck in Europe.

Q: Is it easy for a footballer to be successful in Europe?
A: It is not easy. When I went there in the late-1980s, I faced many challenges including the language barrier, weather, food, and competition from 'your future' teammates. These factors may affect the player mentally and his confidence level will suffer. The European leagues are very challenging and a person on trial with a club normally gets the cold shoulder from other players. You have no friends in the club as your teammates are thinking about their own importance in the team. They feel you are a threat to them. It was like that when I attended trials with Hertha Berlin, a Division Three Bundesliga team then, in 1987.

Q: Your overall assessment of the infrastructure in Malaysia?
A: How can people talk about football, where there is no proper infrastructure. The current infrastructure is 30 years behind time. Malaysian football will not develop unless the infrastructure here improves. What we have and what I have seen here is not good enough. Maybe it was good enough 20 or 30 years ago but not at the present time.In Bayern Munich, for example, there are seven fields and other facilities are also top class. We have 11 youth teams in age-groups between eight and 23, with more than 100 players. The club allocates E2 million (RM9.7 million) annually for its youths teams. The system is almost the same with other clubs in Europe.We don't have that in Malaysia. Instead, the government and local councils are taking away football fields. I used to play football in my youth days in Bandar Hilir, Malacca. It had three fields but now malls have been built on them. What do we get by building malls? Does it help in the development of a sports culture in Malaysia? We need proper infrastructure in Malaysia. Taxpayers' money, which the government wants to use to send the national team to Europe, should be allocated to building facilities for football. If you want kids to play football then you have to invest in it.

Q: Who should be responsible for developing youth football in Malaysia?
A: The states should play a bigger role in developing youth football. They should do the work and run the programmes but infrastructure must be there first. Sports schools like Bukit Jalil and Bandar Penawar should be supplementary ingredients in this case.

Q: What do you think of the Malaysian League?
A: It is ridiculous not to have foreign players in the league. It does not help in the development of local players. How are Malaysian teams going to compete against bigger Asian clubs in the Champions League and AFC Cup? A Malaysian team cannot rely on local players against clubs with foreign players. It is a huge loss in revenue as they are not good enough to compete against the best in Asian.Why did FAM decide on barring imports from the league? Is it because some teams could not afford foreign players? The association should allow those who can afford to hire them. One cannot look at all teams in the league as equal. Teams, who do not have money for development and foreign players, should be left out. It should be left to the respective clubs on whether to hire foreign players. This is professional football. You cannot tell Bayern Munich not to have foreign players as they need their services in the domestic league and Champions Leagues. The revenue of the club depends on Bayern's first team's performance in the Bundesliga and Champions League and if they don't do well, the club cannot generate income.

Q: Several club-based teams withdrew from the Malaysian League in the past few years. What are your comments?
A: I believe they were there for personal gains. Teams, owned by private and government entities, just wanted to promote and sell their products. It was more of a publicity venture. In the end, who gains? Not Malaysian football, but the ones who sponsored these teams.

Q: Should local football rely on foreign coaches?
A: Yes, because foreign coaches have comprehensive knowledge about the game. I am not saying that local coaches are no good but we need foreign help to take our football to another level. If our ambition is to develop good players, then we have to hire good coaches. For instance, Japan are now Asian giants because they hired top-notched foreign coaches to develop their game at the start.

Q: Will you consider a coaching job in Malaysia?
A: I have been linked before with FAM and state teams but it was only speculation. I will consider working in Malaysia but first several conditions of mine must be accepted. What I want is infrastructure. I will consider a job here when there are proper facilities. The government should start by developing proper infrastructure for a few state teams before developing the rest. It is a slow process but the nation will gain in the long term.

Q: Are you still with the Bayern Munich youth team?
A: Yes I am. I am attached to the Under-19 team as assistant coach. It is my third season now. I have been with the club since 2000 and then I was the coach of the Under-12 team before moving up the ranks. I have worked with two players, when I was coaching the Under-13 and Under-14 teams before, who are now in the Bayern Munich senior side. They are striker Thomas Muller and centreback Bad Badstuber. The duo were not as gifted as some of their teammates in the youth teams but they made it big because of their dedication to training and matches. Muller could be representing Germany in the World Cup.

Q: Coaching a Bundesliga team is a dream for many people. Do you think you can do it?
A: Why not? It is my ambition to coach a team in Germany. I will definitely take up the challenge if given the opportunity.

Q: Are your children following in your footsteps as a footballer?
A: My son, who is now 16, was in the Under-12 Bayern Munich team but he now represents his school. As for my two daughters, the older one is into rock climbing while the other is involved in athletics.