This article, slightly edited, appeared in the January 2015 issue of Four Four Two.


The romance with Singapore is water under the Causeway

Dec 10, 1994. Shah Alam Stadium. Selangor keeper Hassan Miskam dropped a clanger. Speeding like a bullet from his goalmouth, his sortie ended in disaster.

He failed to catch a cross from Selangor’s left, the ball dropped onto Abbas Saad’s path and the Aussie international hammered home the equaliser that guaranteed Singapore, who clinched the league title four months earlier, a place in the Malaysia Cup final.

Before Hassan’s ill-timed run and error, Selangor were leading 2-1, with 11 minutes remaining. Again in Shah Alam a week later, Abbas’ rich vein of form continued as he struck a hattrick against Pahang in an emphatic famous 4-0 victory for Singapore, ending a 14-year agonising wait for the prestigious Cup to cross the Causeway.

I was seated at the media tribune, reporting for Berita Harian, while almost a busload of my relatives who crossed the Causeway by car was enjoying the momentous occasion of witnessing the Lions’ last Malaysia Cup win before the FA of Malaysia (FAM) insisted on organising the M-League in 1995 without Singapore’s participation.

FA of Singapore’s withdrawal fuelled much speculation, with some critics hinting that the acrimonious parting stemmed from FAM’s war on match-fixing scandal that rocked Malaysian football throughout the entire 1994 season.

Instead of sweeping the shame under the carpet, FAM took a stern action in banning from the game 83 players, of whom 29 were national team material between the ages of 19 and 34.

A whole generation of players was wiped out. The media all along suspected a hidden hand behind the strange and outrageous results in Malaysia Cup matches.

Admittedly Malaysia and Singapore are inextricably linked in football. Singapore was after all part of Malaya.

One of Singapore’s greatest coaches, Choo Seng Quee, brought Malaysia, then known as Persekutuan Tanah Melayu or Malaya, to the bronze medal in the 1962 Asian Games and countless Merdeka Tournament titles.

He was later succeeded by Penang-born Yap Boon Chuan.

One of my uncles by marriage, Ibrahim Hassan, was a member of the Singapore side that competed in the inaugural Merdeka Tournament in 1957. It was a year after his demise in 2000 that I discovered his tales on football he used to regal me with, were not an exaggeration.


Fast forward to 2011, a MoU was signed for greater co-operation between the two countries.

It allowed Singapore to return to the M-League in 2012, with certain conditions and privileges, while Harimau Muda A would be competing in the S-League.

The truth be told the MoU does little to serve Malaysian football but it is worth its weight in gold for Singapore. The side, comprising players under the age of 23 with a few seniors, get to play against quality opponents on a weekly basis with massive crowd attendance and huge TV ratings, which is in contrast to what Harimau Muda have to endure.

For the individual who dazzled the Shah Alam crowd two decades ago, Abbas Saad, the M-League deserved better.

Now a pundit at Astro SuperSport, Abbas has called for changes.

“The M-League particularly the Malaysia Cup remain prestigious competitions. I am in favour of a stronger Singapore side strengthened by foreign players participating in the league. That way both parties benefit from the development and financial factor,” said Abbas.

Having read FIFA’s most wanted match-fixer, Wilson Perumal Raj’s memoirs Kelong Kings, I argued Singapore legalised betting encourages match-fixing.

This situation will remain irresistible for the bookies to resist.

Malaysian football will continue to be fixed so long as Singapore or representatives of Singapore remain part of the league.

Abbas retorted: “You can ask the authorities to scrap the betting.”

Admittedly there is no perfect solution to combat match-fixing in a region where betting is common.

As my fellow 4-4-2 columnist Neil Humphreys had suggested, Singapore has nurtured a deep rooted sports-betting culture and that the love of sport can be superseded by the love of a winning bet.

Author of The Fix, Declan Hill too suggested the Singapore authorities tolerated and protected certain individuals accused of match-fixing.

Until today it remains a mystery how Singapore allowed Malaysian referee Shokri Nor to jump bail, as much as how Michal Vana was allowed to fled the country in September 1994.

With revelations that the match-fixing syndicate is rooted in Singapore, Malaysia must not be a party to it.

Declaring the MoU with the FA of Singapore as no longer valid is a start as we usher in the new year. Malaysian football’s romance with Singapore is water under the Causeway, unfortunately.

Column for Four-Four Two, March 2015.

FMLLP A STEP TOWARDS THE RIGHT DIRECTION

BELIEVE it or not, the total operating expenses to run Malaysian football is almost RM64 million, based solely on the FA of Malaysia’s income and expenditure statement for the year ended Dec 31, 2013.

FAM’s revenue comes from sponsorships and subsidies, ticket levies, sundry income and investments.

The biggest sponsor for the game in 2013 was Astro Arena Sdn Bhd, the nation’s first sports channel, with an annual sponsorship of RM30 million a year, followed by Telekom Malaysia (RM6.9 million), Felda (RM5 million), the Youth and Sports Ministry (RM4.5 million) and the National Sports Council (NSC) (RM1.6 million).

On top of these, FAM received subsidies, which can be deemed as tokens at best, from Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Asean Football Federation (AFF) and the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM).

FAM’s total sponsorship was RM48.2 million, with RM10 million deducted for the now defunct Malaysian Super League (MSL) Sdn Bhd, which served as FAM’s marketing arm from 2005 to 2012.

In running the various teams under FAM’s auspices – from the senior national team right down to the Under-13 squad, the governing body spent RM26,576,289 throughout 2013.

So when it was announced that FAM would be getting a guaranteed minimum amount of RM70 million a year in a deal with leading international media rights company, MP & Silva, beginning 2016, it shall be seen as a boon.

The partnership will oversee five properties owned by FAM – the Super League, the Premier League, the FA Cup, the Sultan Ahmad Shah Cup or Charity Shield and the Malaysia Cup –and together both parties have set up Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP) to manage the commercial and broadcasting rights for the M-League, with FAM affiliates having a stake in the entity.

The deal is expected to be worth around RM1.26bil to FAM to be spread over 15 years starting next year, which is a colossal figure and unprecedented in the domestic game.

The agreement covers domestic and international rights, including all media platforms and devices including terrestrial free-to-air television (FTA), satellite and cable television, Internet protocol television (IPTV), in-flight television, mobile internet, and video-on-demand rights.

The agency’s advisory role aims to develop and implement media distribution and commercial strategies in relation to sales of media rights in close collaboration with the FAM under their authority, in addition to production and technical services to develop offerings with high-production values.

FAM stand to benefit from 40 percent of the total revenue of FMLLP, while the affiliates will receive 30 percent of the funds. Development of referees and youth will be allotted 10 percent and the remaining 20 percent channelled towards running the league.

Interviewed by a small circle of journalists immediately after the MoU signing ceremony in the heart of Kuala Lumpur on January 23, Singapore-based MP & Silva managing director, Asia-Pacific, Beatrice Lee and Head of Acquisitions, Daniele Capelletti, were optimistic of delivering the goods.

“We have made an in-depth evaluation report and also studied the demographics of the M-League and we are confident of the product,” said Beatrice, a Malaysian.

Statistics suggest the media coverage of the M-League had increased tremendously throughout the four-year sponsorship by Astro.

The game enjoyed greater profile than ever before thanks to the live matches aired by Astro Arena with commentary in both Bahasa Malaysia and English, football-related TV shows and activities across all media platforms which amounted to an estimated media value of RM80 million.

Still the RM70 million figure a year is huge to the average Joe. The media remain skeptical of MP & Silva’s capacity to deliver. But for a key global player such as the agency, it is a nominal sum. For more than 20 years, Malaysian football was financed indirectly by smokers via tobacco giants.

Dunhill signed a three-year contract to finance the strictly amateur league in 1984, whereas their rivals Benson & Hedges opted to sponsor FAM’s marquee event, the Merdeka Tournament. The semi-pro league kicked off in 1989 with Dunhill inking a 10-year deal with FAM worth RM62 million.

From 1994 to 2002, FAM inked a deal worth RM35 million a year with Dunhill, before the Malaysian government issued a ban on tobacco sponsorship and advertising.

Telco giant Telekom Malaysia played their part from 2005 to 2011 before Astro brought the game to another level altogether by taking over the commercial rights of the game from FAM.

Now the ownership is back with FAM via FMLLP. Malaysian football is taking its baby steps into the world of privatisation, courtesy of the deal with MP & Silva.

Amateurish in approach and action, most of the game’s advocates in Malaysia may well be forced to raise their game. FMLLP may well hasten Malaysian football into the professional world. Finally.

Ends

Column, Four-Four-Two, May 2015.


HARIMAU MUDA HEADING TOWARDS EXTINCTION

EIGHT years into its existence, the Harimau Muda program – created in order to compensate for the lack of exposure for national youth players en route to becoming full-fledged internationals - is in danger of being consigned into the wilderness.

In fact it is in danger of going extinct. No surprise there, for critics of the program have been going for FA of Malaysia’s jugular since last year, exacerbated by the national Under-22 team’s failure to go beyond the group stage of the AFC Asian Cup Under-23 qualifiers recently.

Falling at the first hurdle against Japan and Vietnam was not acceptable, not when most of head coach Razip Ismail’s lieutenants have had the opportunity to hone their skills in Slovakia, Singapore and Australia.

Two of the biggest critics of the program are the Youth and Sports Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, who was the deputy president of FAM from 2007 to 2010, and Johor Darul Ta’zim chief, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.

Naturally they feel FAM ought to scrap the program. But we should not throw the baby out with the bath water.

What the program needs is certain modification and more transparency. While Tunku Ismail is in favour of releasing the players back to their respective clubs so that the boys would learn to cope with the daily demands of the M-League, there is no guarantee of playing time for the Under-21s.

When the Harimau Muda program was launched in 2007, the idea was to assemble the cream of the crop so that they grow together in the same environment, under the same coaching methods with the right amount of intensity and international exposure.

Above all they were paid to play full-time. The only thing missing was a competitive league for them to compete in. The idea came into being following the fairly successful co-operation between the National Sports Council (NSC) and FAM, in which the government agency adopted the national Under-20 side that qualified on merit for the Asian Youth Championship in Kolkatta in 2006.

Thanks to the MoU, Datuk K. Rajagobal saw the likes of Safiq Rahim, Aidil Zafuan and Zaquan Adha Abdul Radzak, Amar Rohidan, Bunyamin Umar and Nashriq Baharom, who were not yet on the payroll of their States, be given a monthly allowance of RM2,500.

Overseas training stints were bankrolled by the NSC. Subsequently FAM formed a team that competed in the Premier League, with Rajagobal given ample time and space to nurture unpolished gems such as K. Gurusamy, Mahalli Jasuli and Khairul Fahmi Che Mat into reliable players.

The subsequent generations helmed by Datuk Ong Kim Swee and Azraai Khor Abdullah were later shipped to Slovakia. Eventually a broader base was created encompassing the Under-23 team as Harimau Muda, the Under-21 outfit as Harimau Muda B and the Under-17s as Harimau Muda.

Looking back further, there were two prime examples of a similar project yet with contrasting outcome, first the Harimau team in 1983 coached by Abdullah Mohamad and the 1997 FIFA World Youth Cup, helmed by Hatem Souissi, which spawned the Olympic 2000 project.

The Harimau team were formed by FAM in order to create a back-up squad that would succeed the golden generation that boasted Mokhtar Dahari, Soh Chin Aun, Santokh Singh and the rest.

Defenders Razip Ismail, Kamarulzaman Yusof, P. Dharmalingam, midfielders Lahad Daduk Sulik, Faridzul Kassim, Azizol Abu Haniffah and attackers Karim Pin and Azlan Johar emerged through this system.

In 1984, English legend Kevin Keegan was paid a whopping RM150,000 (the quantum triples by today’s standards) for a one month stint to serve as player-cum-coach for the Merdeka Tournament. Some of the team members became established internationals.

Despite a less than impressive tournament in the 1997 World Youth Cup, the team comprising Tengku Hazman Raja Hassan, Das Gregory Kolopis, Sany Fahmi, Rosle Derus and aided by Khalid Jamlus were retained to form the Olympic 2000 team that competed in the Premier League in 1998.

However only Khalid and Tengku Hazman rose through the ranks and played for the national team. The Harimau Muda concept has produced players such as Fadhli Shas, Irfan Fazail, Izham Tarmizi Roslan, Gary Steven Robbat, Amer Saidin and Fandi Othman - all happened to be snapped up by JDT once they severed ties with FAM.

If the various teams under the Harimau Muda program were considered failures, then the State FAs or clubs have no business in hiring them.

If the Harimau Muda program is retained and enhanced, FAM has to decide where best to place the team – whether in Europe, Australia or the stronger Asian nations.

If the program is scrapped, FAM will need to make sure the emerging players are given the room to express their talent through regulation that guarantees them playing time. So which path do we take? Then again, he who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount.

ends

Column, Four-Four-Two, February 2014


Pining for Teutonic efficiency

“I cannot overstress the importance of developing good coaches.

“They are the fathers of the game. The quality of soccer in a country depends on them.”

So said Dettmar Cramer, the football guru tasked by FIFA to propagate the right coaching methods to the rest of the world, in an interview with Gerald Martinez of the New Straits Times in 1992.

In his capacity as FIFA roving coach who established football schools in Japan, Iran and Malaysia, Cramer was a familiar figure with coaches in Asia long before he brought Bayern Munich to two successive European Cups in 1975 and 1976.

A year after assisting Helmut Schoen in the FIFA World Cup in England where West Germany finished runners-up to the host country in 1966, Cramer stopped over in Kuala Lumpur to guide a Malaysian side that boasted M. Chandran, Chow Chee Keong, Abdullah Nordin and M. Karathu to fourth place in the Merdeka Tournament.

When the Munich Olympics in 1972 beckoned, again FA of Malaysia (FAM) turned to Cramer for technical and tactical input. Cramer is not the only German to have left an indelible mark in the local game.

Hired by the Sports Ministry but attached to the FA of Malaysia, Karl-Heinz Weigang brought Malaysia the gold medal in the 1977 SEA Games and in April 1980, oversaw Soh Chin Aun and Co bestride the soggy pitch to qualify for the Moscow Olympics at the expense of South Korea and Japan before taking over the reins at Perak and Johor in the 90s.

A media personality, Holger Obermann, became the point man for many Malaysian-German projects which featured studying stints for K. Rajagobal and Norizan Bakar at Hennef Sports School, Rudie Ramli and Fadzli Saari’s brief sojourn to SV Wehen and the renowned Bayern Munich attachment programme where Rafiz Abu Bakar and Akmal Rizal Ahmad Rakhli were put under the wings of Lim Teong Kim at Bayern Munich.

Interestingly, the future of Malaysian football lies in the hands of Teong Kim, the former international who now thinks like a German, courtesy of more than a decade of experience in shaping the youth of Bayern.

The former Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Kedah hardman is in charge of the National Football Development Programme (NFDP), initiated by previous Sports Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek but fine-tuned by his successor Khairy Jamaluddin.

Teong Kim replaced his elder brother Kim Chon, who is no slouch in the global scene. Kim Chon was a member of the FIFA technical study group, a prestigious phalanx of top technical experts tasked to dissect and analyse the latest advances and training methods, in the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups.

For two years Kim Chon quietly performed his duties, negotiated with the schools authorities, worked with the coaches at grassroots and helped lay down the foundation in order to create a larger pool of talent between the ages of 8 and 17.

When the job fell vacant following Kim Chon’s decision to join the FIFA development office in Kuala Lumpur, it gave Khairy the opportunity to lure Teong Kim, out of contract at Bayern, to make a comeback.

Armed with the German Football Association (DFB) master licence which he passed at the Hennes Weisweller academy in Cologne in 2005, Teong Kim had hoped to be coaching in Bundesliga before he reached 50.

Fate has decreed that his future lies in his homeland.

This will be Teong Kim’s second bite of the cherry, having held the post as head of the academies at FAM between 1998 and 1999.

The former Hertha Berlin midfielder has no argument over Cramer’s statement all those years ago, that coaches hold the key to proper development of a footballer.

“We need to educate our coaches on the need to be teaching the right basics, mentality and culture to our youngsters during their pre and formative years,” said Teong Kim.

For sure Teong Kim will not be imposing a German benchmark to his fellow coaches.

They have had no standard to aim for all this while, so we shall not be harsh on them. I will be a friend to my fellow coaches. This project will take time.”

For a man who is accustomed to Teutonic sophistication, Teong Kim realises he has to work within a Malaysian eco-system. Viel gluck, Teong Kim!

Sebenarnya aku malas nak blog sangat waktu Ramadan ini, tetapi beberapa pandangan kurang matang dalam talian memaksa aku menukilkan kisah ini, dengan niat mendidik generasi bijak yang kurang bijaksana agar kalau nak ulas mengenai satu-satu isu, biar ada isi dan bersandarkan fakta. Yang penting aku mahu menidakkan tuduhan kononnya aku ni spoiler dan tidak menyokong NFDP. Jadi aku mengajak kalian untuk baca posting ni...terlebih dahulu aku memohon maaf jika apa yang kutulis ini menyinggung perasaan pihak-pihak tertentu...





Kolumku dalam Dunia Sukan tahun lalu

Modal insan kunci untuk lonjakan saujana

Tanggal 10 April lalu, satu sejarah tercipta. Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak melancarkan Akademi Bola Sepak Negara di Kuantan, yang dinamakan sempena legenda era 70 dan 80-an, Allahyarham Datuk Mokhtar Dahari.

Lebih penting Najib menyatakan sokongan kepada Pelan Pembangunan Bola Sepak Negara (PPBN), atau NFDP sebagai ringkasannya dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Meneliti perkataan demi perkataan yang tertulis dalam 80 muka surat PPBN itu, jelas ia menyentuh semua aspek pembangunan bola sepak berkaitan kanak-kanak dan remaja berusia di antara 7 dan 17 tahun.

Dalam hal ini, dua individu harus diberi kredit, iaitu Menteri Belia dan Sukan, Khairy Jamaludin dan pengarah PPBN, Lim Teong Kim. Sekalipun pelbagai lontaran idea bernas, cadangan di luar kotak dan kertas kerja disampaikan menerusi banyak forum dan wadah berhubung pembangunan bola sepak sejak dua atau tiga dekad lalu, Kerajaan menerusi Kementerian Belia dan Sukan (KBS) hanya menjadikan bola sepak satu agenda nasional menerusi kewujudan Tabung Pembangunan Bola Sepak Kebangsaan pada 2010, tidak lama sesudah pasukan Bawah 23 negara mengutip pingat emas di Sukan SEA di Laos.

Serentak itu, sebuah jawatankuasa diterajui Datuk Razali Ibrahim, ketika itu Timbalan Menteri Belia dan Sukan, ditubuhkan dengan dana permulaan RM10 juta bertujuan memantau pelbagai program peringkat pembangunan yang dilaksanakan pelbagai agensi. Tugas awal jawatankuasa itu ialah melantik Lim Kim Chon, seorang individu yang kaya pengalaman dari akar umbi hingga ke FIFA.

Dia calon paling layak mengurus satu program berunsur nasional. Misi utama projek itu ialah membantu pasukan Bawah 17 kebangsaan mara ke Piala Dunia Remaja FIFA Bawah 17 tahun pada 2019 selain mewujudkan program MyKids Soccer seluruh negara.

Namun program itu dilihat tidak menyeluruh. Pemegang taruh terbesar dilihat agensi dan sekolah yang bernaung di bawah Kementerian Pendidikan.

PPBN 2014-2020 pula menyeluruh, dengan beberapa penambah baikan dan lonjakan terhadap program terdahulu. Sepintas lalu, PPBN 2014-2020 bukan saja berteraskan satu falsafah atau DNA negara, tetapi juga berasaskan lima strategi teras bertujuan meramaikan jumlah pemain sehingga lebih 50,000 menjelang 2020, meningkatkan kuantiti dan kualiti jurulatih, memperbanyakkan kejohanan kompetitif dan menambah baik pusat latihan serta kemudahan asas.

Tidak sesekali kita harus mengetepikan sumbangan idea dan tenaga jawatankuasa kendalian Razali. Namun PPBN cetusan Khairy adalah satu penyata misi yang menyeluruh dengan menyentuh bola sepak akar umbi berprestasi tinggi dan komuniti.

Pengarah PPBN pula adik Kim Chon, Teong Kim yang tampil selaku bekas jurulatih skuad remaja Bayern Munich dan satu-satunya anak Malaysia yang layak melatih mana-mana kelab di Eropah selepas lulus lesen Jurulatih Pakar (Fussball-lehrer) di Cologne pada 2005.

“Ketika saya timbalan presiden FAM saya juga pernah menawarkan Teong Kim peluang untuk kembali ke Malaysia tetapi waktu itu mungkin kurang sesuai. Selepas saya dilantik menerajui KBS, saya menerima emel yang panjang lebar daripada Teong Kim menyatakan kesudian menyumbang semula kepada bola sepak negara.

“Sebagai antara ribuan penonton di Stadium Merdeka pada final Sukan SEA 1989 apabila Teong Kim antara wira negara, saya tidak menyangka berpeluang bekerjasama dengan seorang legenda dalam merencanakan pembangunan bola sepak kita,” kata Khairy kepada penulis baru-baru ini.

Berbekalkan pengalaman selaku bekas ketua MyTeam, Timbalan Presiden FAM dan pengurus pasukan kebangsaan, Khairy percaya PPBN 2014-2020 mampu mencorakkan era baharu bola sepak negara.

Teong Kim pula menekankan dua aspek – sokongan padu ibu bapa selain sikap jurulatih.

“Mungkin seorang jurulatih itu tidak mempunyai sijil kelayakan yang dikehendaki tetapi memiliki sikap dan profesionalisme tinggi. Misalnya ada seorang jurutera syarikat telekomunikasi yang menjadi jurulatih sambilan. Saya tertarik dengan penampilan yang positif, kualiti selaku pemimpin, cara dia berkomunikasi dan paling penting etika kerja yang tinggi.

"Kita memerlukan lebih ramai jurulatih sebegini,” kata Teong Kim sambil menggesa ibu bapa agar menjadi tulang belakang kepada cita-cita anak-anak mereka.

“Di Eropah, ibu bapa sanggup mengeluarkan belanja sendiri dan pergi menghantar serta mengambil anak-anak mereka bertanding atau berlatih. Ibu bapa di Malaysia juga harus bersikap sebegini,” katanya.

Selain sokongan dan dokongan semua pihak, satu cabaran besar buat PPBN 2014-2020 ialah sistem penyampaian dan pelaksanaannya. Kita mengharapkan tiada ketirisan atau kepincangan di setiap tangga pelaksanaannya. Kuncinya dipegang modal insan yang beretika, bermotivasi, berwawasan dan profesional!

Tahniah YB KJ kerana membawa pulang Teong Kim selepas kiriman emel panjang lebarnya. Aku sedar YB KJ memang cukup passionate pasal bola sepak ni!

Sejurus itu, NFDP diperkasakan selepas unit sokongan yang diketuai Safirul mengadakan beberapa siri bengkel dengan pemegang kepentingan selain melakukan audit pada 2013 dalam mencari kelemahan dan kekuatan program NFDP yang asal untuk diolah ke arah kebaikan.



OK, sebelum aku teruskan, kena ucap syabas dan tahniah kepada Teong Kim dan anak-anak didiknya yang muncul juara Piala Iber di Costa Del Sol, Malaga, Sepanyol, baru-baru ini. Tahniah juga kepada NFDP kerana menggunakan sepenuhnya teknologi terkini untuk berkongsi maklumat terkini dan video menerusi internet.

Di sebalik sokongan aku yang tidak berbelah bahagi kepada projek ini, aku antara yang awal menegur apabila membaca beberapa ulasan realtime NFDP dan orang kuatnya ketika team berada di Jerman sebelum ke Sepanyol.

Membalas tweet beberapa pengikut aku, aku antaranya menulis tamper your enthusiasm, true but nobody knows where your boys end up seven years from today,

Sedikitpun aku tidak menyentuh mana-mana pihak, sekadar mengingatkan bahawa perjalanan kelompok pemain ini masih jauh. Jadi man-man la...














Pada awal penubuhan NFDP yang asal, aku ada juga memberi pendapat kepada Ahmad Shabery mengenai beberapa keputusan dari sudut pelaksanaan. Baca Lagi lagi England.dan Kertas kerja Everton dikaji semula.

Kerajaan pula menyalurkan geran RM10 juta untuk NFDP. Bermakna ia dana yang ditanggung pembayar cukai yang kini dibebani kos sara hidup yang tinggi dan disaran toksah balik kampung sebagai langkah berjimat-cermat. Ditambah pula dengan tajaan sektor swasta, NFDP adalah projek yang menelan belanja jutaan ringgit.

FAM pula menerima geran token daripada kerajaan. Aktiviti FAM dijana oleh dana daripada sektor swasta. Selain pantau FAM, kita juga kena monitor NFDP nih, pakai duit kerajaan jugak nihhhh....bahkan confirmed RM10 juta!

Ni nak tanya sikit, sesi latihan dan pertandingan akademi tunas NFDP ni ada perlindungan insurans tak?

Betul ke ibu bapa kena sign ni?


Apa yang aku paparkan ini factual. Nothing personal. I am not emotionally involved. Bukan nak troll orang.

Memang benar tujuh bulan dari sekarang aku pun tidak tahu aku di mana, sama ada masih diperlukan dalam media atau tidak, ada kerja ke tidak, ada nyawa lagi ke tidak, bezanya aku tidak menggunakan dana kerajaan untuk kais pagi makan pagi, tetapi NFDP adalah projek agenda nasional dan dijana dana kerajaan. Jadi peminat bola sepak tulen dan terpelajar, tolong eh....setiap detik, kata-kata dan tindakan sama ada di Sri Hartamas atau Costa Del Sol must be accounted for.

Terpelajar dalam akademik tidak semestinya terdidik dalam ilmu bola sepak!

Episod kedua...bila-bila aku senang....

Oh, haters, terutama penyokong tegar pihak-pihak tertentu, komen kalian dialu-alukan.

Modal paling basi dan bankrap idea, oh ini orang FAM dan ini NFDP hater! Kih kih kih! Oh, dan saya sokong kuat YB KJ dan Teong Kim....seperti apa yang aku tulis dalam majalah Dunia Sukan tahun lalu.

Salam lebaran 1436H.

Pilihan Malaysia melayan Liverpool, Jumaat nanti.

Tiada pemain JDT dipilih. Sekalipun yang ada dalam senarai menunggu.

Pemain Pahang pula sekejap ada, sekejap tak da, sekejap ada balik.

Pemain Selangor - Rob Cornthwaite, Hazwan Bakri dan Afiq Azmi - tidak dilepaskan oleh Persatuan Bola Sepak Selangor (FAS).

Kenapa jadi begini?

1. Perlawanan pertunjukan sebegini harus dihadkan. Ketika urusetia FAM diterajui Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad pada 2005-2007, dia tidak begitu gemar memberi kelulusan kepada perlawanan sebegini.

2. Jika diteruskan, bolehlah hadkan kepada pemain import Malaysia yang membentuk M-League selection.

3. Masalahnya, jadual padat Liga M menyukarkan pasukan. JDT, Pahang dan Selangor bergelut dalam lima tangga teratas Liga Super dengan baki tujuh perlawanan, termasuk lima dalam tempoh dua minggu dari 1 Ogos hingga 15 Ogos. Kalau nak lepas pemain import pun, ia akan menjejaskan perancangan rapi jurulatih pada pecutan terakhir untuk merebut tempat teratas liga. Tiadanya pemain JDT dalam senarai ini juga agak pelik, apakah ada pihak di FAM yang bermain politik, mahu menggembirakan pihak tertentu?

4. Dari sudut bola sepak, pemain dan jurulatih percaya perlawanan sebegini satu bentuk pendedahan bermutu tinggi menentang pemain bertaraf dunia. Apatah lagi Dollah Salleh berada dalam saat tertekan menghidupkan peluang Malaysia untuk layak sekurang-kurangnya ke Piala Asia 2019.

5. FAM dibayar RM250,000 sebagai harga meluluskan perlawanan sebegini dan rasanya peruntukan itu diagih bersama untuk pegawai perlawanan, pegawai pertandingan dan semua kakitangan bergaji FAM merasa habuannya. Bagi pemegang jawatan FAM yang dianggap sukarelawan tetapi berhak kepada elaun, yang mereka terima adalah kritikan.

6. Dari sudut penyokong pasukan seperti Liverpool, tidak mudah mendapat peluang ber"selfie" dengan bintang-bintang yang menjadi tontonan di kaca tv dan pujaan dari jauh.

Kesimpulannya, Selangor ada hak tidak melepaskan pemain bersandarkan semata-mata kepada peraturan panggilan pemain. Kerana jika benar pasukan kebangsaan menentang Liverpool, kenapa ada pemain luar? Apakah Pilihan Malaysia dapat membantu pasukan kebangsaan menyiapkan diri menentang UAE, Arab Saudi, Timor Leste dan Palestin?

Dengan pelbagai maklumat di hujung jari buat peminat di media sosial, FAM harus berhati-hati pada masa akan datang.

Selain menyusun jadual yang lebih wajar, perlawanan pertunjukan sebegini harus ditangani secara berhemah.

Masalahnya, kelab ternama dari luar akan tetap berkunjung ke Malaysia sebagai sebahagian usaha mereka meluaskan kelompok pemain dan atas faktor komersil di rantau ini.

PFAM merasakan interpretasi FAM kepada peraturan melibatkan panggilan pemain menyertai pasukan kebangsaan perlu diperbetulkan dalam hal ini.

— PFA Malaysia (@pfamalaysia) July 21, 2015

This story written by yours truly was published by The Weekend Mail on July 29, 2006. 

In the intervening years, Bekamenga went on to represent Cameroon in the 2008 Olympics and played for Nantes in France while Malaysia continue to struggle to create an impression on the global stage. Now Dollah Salleh has reignited the debate to naturalise foreign players.

If you ask me what would be my stand, kindly read let's open our doors written in 2009.




PICTURE this in your mental cinema - Negri Sembilan hotshot Christian Bekamenga Bekamengo scoring goals not for his country of birth Cameroon, but in the yellow and black jersey of Malaysia.

All he has to do is complete his two-year stay in Seremban, apply for a citizenship with the Government, seek the world's governing body FIFA's endorsement on his naturalised status and the possibility of Bekamengo partnering Safee Sali as Malaysia's two frontmen on the international stage is as clear as Zinedine Zidane's head-butt on Marco Materazzi.

The sight of Bekamengo sporting Malaysian colours might seem comical but it is no stranger than Ghanaian-born Gerald Asamoah playing for Germany, or Nigerian-born Emmanuel Olisadebe wearing the red and white of Poland.

After all, our neighbours Singapore have ventured outside the island to bolster their footballing fortunes - without much success, one might add. Egmar Goncalves, Itimi Dickson, Agu Casmir and Daniel Bennett were members of the Singapore team that were thrashed 4-0 by Akmal Rizal Ahmad Rakhli and Co four years ago.

But the trend of the borderless world is hard to ignore.

According to FIFA rules, players must have a "clear connection to that country" if they wished to wear the colours of a nation other than the one of their birth.

The rules now state a player must either have lived in a country for at least two years, or have a parent or grandparent, who was born there.

Although traditionalists scoff at this idea, describing the move as violating the spirit of international competition and wiping the Malaysian identity out of the national team, FA of Malaysia (FAM) vice-president Datuk Raja Ahmad Zainuddin Raja Omar appeared resigned to the fact that the trend was too hard to ignore.

Among those who remain open to the idea is former National Sports Council (NSC) director-general, Datuk Wira Mazlan Ahmad, who initiated the move to grant citizenships to race walker, Yuan Yufang, shooter Irina Maharani and weightlifter Hidayat Hamidon ahead of the Commonwealth Games in 1998.

He, however, stressed that it must be done only as a short-term measure to help the present national set-up plug the gaps. 

If FAM initiate the move, Bekamengo who has not represented Cameroon at international level, will be eligible for Malaysia come the Asian Cup in June-July next year.

As the striking sensation who helped Negri earn promotion to the Super League and then the league title in two seasons, Bekamengo, 20, fits the bill as Malaysia's first hired gun on the football pitch.

FAM general secretary Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad, however, remained skeptical about the whole issue.

"We might consider the possibility," said Ibrahim, without elaborating.

 The truth is, Malaysia must do justice as one of the four host nations for next year's prestigious Asian Cup, our third appearance in the tournament after 1976 and 1980.

 An injection of foreign blood may not hurt our prospects.

 MM says: Will Malaysians support a national team filled with foreigners?


The story on Heshmat Mohajerani appeared in the Malay Mail in February 2007.




IRAN'S 1978 World Cup coach Heshmat Mohajerani  - acknowledged as the most successful tactician to emerge from the Persian nation - has offered his services to the FA of Malaysia (FAM), 
on one condition.

 "Give me the job and I'll raise the standard of the Malaysian team. But there's one request, that three African players will follow me and be granted Malaysian citizenship."

 In an interview recently, Mohajerani, a free agent after leaving Austrian club Admira Wacker, believed the only way forward for Malaysia was to import foreign players to complement the local talent.

 The bespectacled coach claimed to have been keeping tabs on Malaysian football and was surprised with the below par performance of Norizan Bakar's team at the Doha Asian Games recently.

 "The team have shape but some players did not understand the tactical requirements and lacked the physical presence to stamp their mark in the Asian scene.

 "Having three African players donning Malaysian jersey will raise their game by a few notches. Otherwise I honestly believe Malaysia may not be able to challenge for supremacy even at the Asean level.

 "Opening the doors to foreigners is the trend. Qatar have done it, and so have Singapore," said Mohajerani.

 Mohajerani's CV makes impressive reading, having guided Iran to the Asian Games gold medal in 1974, the Olympics in Montreal in 1976 apart from lifting the Asian Cup the same year. His generation of disciples capped a fine period under Mohajerani with an appearance in the World Cup in Argentina two years later.

 Renowned for his motivational skills and a great believer in the youth, Mohajerani, 71, said he would love to have the chance to impart his knowledge to the Malaysian football circles.

 "I'm just a phone call away. You tell your football administrators I'm the most successful Asian coach, having enjoyed stints in United Arab Emirates and Oman, as well as being the first Iranian coach to take Iran to the World Cup.

 "My Iranian team of second stringers beat Kuwait under Carlos Alberto Parreira and Mario Zagalo in Kuwait in the last match of the World Cup qualifiers. Although we had already qualified, it was a matter of honour to maintain our unbeaten record. We managed to beat their senior team 2-1 even with our youth side.

 "At UAE, we became the West Asian Youth Champions and subsequently the same team, with the addition of a few players, went on to qualify for the Italy World Cup in 1990." 

 Elaborating on his ideas, Mohajerani said there were two aspects in making or breaking a team.

 "First is the physical readiness, followed by the psychological factor. It's a question of harmonising their mind and body. It is an art to use psychology to promote and encourage a team," he said.

 He might have the chance to make good his promise soon.

Here's a low-down on Malaysia's Sports Ministers over the decades, up until 1999, which I wrote in December that year. Since then we have had four more politicians helming the Ministry, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek and YB Tuan Haji Khairy Jamaluddin. This list requires an update, soon perhaps.

Dec 16, 1999

Ministers down the years

Datuk Hishammuddin Tun Hussein recently stepped in as Malaysia's 12th Sports Minister since 1971. 

The 38-year-old lawyer by profession faces a monumental task of raising the standard of sports excellence in Malaysia just as his 11 predecessors have.

Before we can expect the best from Hishammuddin, Mailsport's Rizal Hashim takes you down memory lane on how the Ministers before him have fared in the hot-seat.

Tan Sri Hamzah Abu Samah (1971-73) Pahang

Tabling the National Sports Council (NSC) Act 1971 was Hamzah's biggest contribution during the days when sports took a backseat in the Ministry's list of priorities. Only later the former magistrate carved a niche as a leader in sports by holding several high-profile posts - among them, president of the FA of Malaysia (FAM), Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), Asian Football Confederation (AFC) as well as FIFA and IOC vice-president.

Datuk Ali Ahmad (1973-76) Johor (deceased)

The Pontian MP made several amendments to the NSC Act to facilitate the athletes' preparations for international high-performance competitions. He later died in a plane crash at Tanjung Kupang, Johor in December 1977. The Agriculture Minister was on board the flight from Penang and was killed together with 99 others when the MAS 737 exploded in mid-air before crashing into a swamp.

Tan Sri Abdul Samad Idris (1976-80) Negri Sembilan 

Though he was inclined towards arts and culture, Abdul Samad first raised the idea of semi-professionalism in sports, especially soccer, hockey and badminton. Now the Finas chairman.

Datuk Mokhtar Hashim (1980-82) Negri Sembilan

Mokhtar became the youngest Cabinet member following Samad's resignation in 1980 and he quickly formed a task force chaired by Datuk (now Tan Sri) Elyas Omar to look into establishing the NSC, with Noh Abdullah as the first director-general. During his tenure, NSC became a vital arm of the Ministry with the sole aim of enhancing high-performance training and development programmes for athletes.

Datuk Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (1982-83) Penang

A deputy director-general of the Ministry before venturing into politics in 1974, Abdullah became acting Minister when Mokhtar was charged in court. Abdullah encouraged larger participation of the private sector in sports.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (1983-84) Penang

During his brief tenure, Anwar who was also the Umno youth head, pushed ahead with the plans to make the National Sports Complex at Bukit Jalil (suggested in the 1970s) a reality.

Datuk Seri Dr Sulaiman Daud (1984-86) Sarawak

A dentist by profession, Sulaiman initiated the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in 1986.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (1986-89) Pahang

Najib became the youngest Sports Minister in 1986 at the age of 33 and was eventually hailed as one of the best the country has ever had.

The former Petronas executive who was thrown into the political arena following his father's death in January 1976, was instrumental in the successful staging of the 1989 SEA Games.

The contingent registered Malaysia's best ever finish with 67 gold, 78 silver and 70 bronze. Najib too suggested the allocation of an area for the sport school at Bukit Jalil and was behind the introduction of the National Sports Policy in 1988.

Datuk Annuar Musa (1990-93) Kelantan

A town planner and a former 400m runner at university level, Annuar is best remembered for his role in the successful bidding of the 1998 Commonwealth Games. He too saw Malaysia regain the Thomas Cup in 1992 after a lapse of 25 years.

Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman (1993-1995) Johor

An academician who came up with the Rakan Sukan programme, revolutionising the whole concept of funding in an area long dependent on Government handouts for survival. The adoption of the various sports by corporate giants was a boon (Petronas-MABA, EON-BAM, SRAM-YTL, to name a few) although certain associations managed to alienate their partners.

Ghani too proposed the Sports Development Act to police sports associations and curtail rampant malpractices, bickering, infighting and mismanagement.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin (1995-1999) Johor

A reluctant Minister who turned out to be a successful one. Under Muhyiddin, Malaysian sports reached a low with the soccer bribery scandal in 1995 but rose to an all-time high with the enormous success of the 16th Commonwealth Games in September 1998.

KL'98 were a spectacle not only in terms of organisation but also the overall performance when we enjoyed our best outing by winning 10 gold, 14 silver and 12 bronze medals to be placed fourth out of 70 countries.

The former Muar district officer oversaw an aggressive Jaya'98 programme since 1995, the inaugural Formula 1 Grand Prix, as well as the initial lobbying to host the 2006 Asian Games and 2008 Olympic Games.

Datuk Hishammuddin Tun Hussein (1999-) Johor

 It's interesting to see whether Hishammuddin, who is also the acting head of Umno Youth, possesses the political will to plug the loopholes in the Sports Development Act, offer solutions for soccer to regain its status as the premier sport and unite youths and students at grassroot level through systematic and interactive programmes.

Majlis Olimpik Malaysia (MOM) didakwa melanggar perjanjian dengan Mesuma Sports Sdn Bhd, untuk hak bagi penolakan pertama (right of first refusal) selaku penaja dan pembekal utama pakaian sukan untuk kontinjen negara dalam temasya sukan antarabangsa naungan MOM.

Writ saman dikemukakan oleh peguamcara Mesuma Sports selaku plaintif dalam Mahkamah Tinggi 3 Ogos lalu, dengan menamakan MOM, Presiden Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja'afar, Naib Presiden, Datuk Low Beng Choo dan Setiausaha Kehormat, Datuk Sieh Kok Chi, sebagai defendan-defendan.

Dalam tuntutannya, plaintif menuntut ganti rugi daripada defendan atas sebab pelanggaran perjanjian dan hak untuk penolakan pertama apabila membenarkan pihak ketiga yang dinamakan sebagai Sunrise Pte Ltd pembekal peralatan sukan jenama Yonex untuk membekalkan pakaian tajaan tanpa memberi plaintif hak melaksanakan penolakan pertama.

Perkara ini disahkan oleh pemilik Mesuma, George Heng.



"Peguamcara saya Tetuan Shearn Delamore bertindak mengemukakan writ saman dan penyataan tuntutan minggu lalu, MOM diberi 14 hari untuk memfailkan memorandum kehadiran atau menyatakan kesediaan untuk mencari jalan penyelesaian," katanya.

Saman ini dikemukakan hanya beberapa hari sebelum tarikh tutup pencalonan untuk mesyuarat agung pemilihan MOM. Tarikh tutup ialah esok menjelang mesyuarat pemilihan 22 Ogos nanti.




Tunku Imran dikhabarkan akan dicabar oleh bekas presiden Persekutuan Hoki Malaysia (kini Konfederasi Hoki Malaysia (KHM) yang kini menjadi presiden Persatuan Golf Malaysia (MGA), Tan Sri Anwar Mohd Noor.

Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria, pengerusi Institut Sukan Negara (ISN) yang juga Timbalan Presiden Persatuan Badminton Malaysia (BAM), Presiden Persatuan Badminton Kuala Lumpur (KLBA) dan Bendahari Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia (FAM), disebut-sebut tampil mencabar kedudukan Tan Sri Mohd Noor Rahim selaku Timbalan Presiden atas sokongan Tunku Imran dan Kok Chi.

Bekas pemimpin No 2 KHM, Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad dan Presiden Kesatuan Olahraga Malaysia (KOM) Datuk Karim Ibrahim antara yang disebut-sebut bakal bertanding untuk kerusi naib presiden MOM.

Barisan naib presiden MOM 2013-2015 ialah Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, Tan Sri Halil Abdul Mutalif, Beng Choo, Prof Datuk Dr Zakaria Ahmad dan Datuk Paduka Mumtaz Jaffar (kuota wanita).

Apakah Beng Choo sanggup turun pangkat untuk mencabar Kok Chi selaku setiausaha kehormat MOM?

Benarkah orang suratkhabar Rosmanizam Abdullah yang pernah menjadi penolong bendahari kembali beraksi dalam MOM?

Benarkah Karim menerima ugutan bunuh semata-mata kerana berhajat untuk masuk MOM?

Bagaimana saman ini dapat mempengaruhi keputusan dalam mesyuarat pemilihan?

Drama sukan Malaysia, sehebat senario politik! Haha!

The twist and turns of events leading to the Olympic Council of Malaysia's biennial general meeting tomorrow is unprecedented. While the cloak-and-dagger stuff is what newshounds thrive upon, it is saddening to note officials from the umbrella body - supposedly the paragons of sportsmanship and virtue - have sunk to such depths in the jostle for positions, which come with privileges, perks and access to the who's who in the world of sports.

True that I congratulated Datuk Low Beng Choo, a candidate to succeed Datuk Sieh Kok Chi as the secretary general, in Astro Arena's show called Kafe Sukan live on Monday, which also featured former NSC director-general, Datuk Wira Mazlan Ahmad.

Mazlan did not hide his support for Kok Chi, whom he described as virtually indispensable owing to his vast knowledge of sports, crucial to organising a successful 2017 SEA Games to be hosted by Kuala Lumpur.

As far as I was concerned, Beng Choo was always the natural choice to take over from Kok Chi, despite having once withdrawn from challenging the latter for the secretary's post in the 2009 elections. Read Beng Choo v Kok Chi

Question is, will Beng Choo win uncontested or Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, nominated for the post but somehow intriguingly and suspiciously suspended by Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) two days ago, be allowed to stand?

Danyal was accused of passing racist remarks in a group discussion over the whatsapp application during the IOC General Assembly, successfully hosted by OCM, to which he was quick to deny.

"This is a fabrication. IOC reps were misinformed on the privacy and controlled daily working chit chat net. Tunku Imran understood and supported my reasons for the  very harmless remark between me, the Cdr and security volunteers. IOC and Tunku Imran acknowledged that remark had been taken out of context by some vindictive parties," said Danyal.

Danyal's position came into question after he was suspended by the OCA from engaging in any activities related to OCA. To me this is a last-ditch attempt to discredit Danyal.

To illustrate OCM's sincerity in espousing the democratic and fair play principles, Danyal should be allowed to contest. Let the delegates choose. Otherwise things could really turn ugly and the Sports Commissioner may have a headache dealing with the aftermath!

Whoever wins face a huge challenge. For decades the umbrella body suffers from the perception that it only springs to life when an international multi-sports event is just around the corner - be they the SEA Games, the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games or the Olympic Games.

Since Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja'afar defeated incumbent the late Tan Sri Hamzah Abu Samah in the elections in 1998, OCM appears to have taken a friendly approach and supportive of elitist sports such as squash, cricket and golf.

While Hamzah was seen as being able to protect OCM affiliates from getting trampled upon by the authorities, Tunku Imran does not prefer the confrontational approach.

Interviewing Philippe Troussier in Hong Kong in mid-1999 was memorable for a lot of reasons. His answers reflected his philosophy in football.




WIDELY-TRAVELLED Frenchman Phillippe Troussier, now charting the fortunes of Japan soccer, has often been described as aloof and a figure the media love to hate. In an exclusive interview with Troussier in Hong Kong during the Olympic qualifiers first leg last week, Mailsports' Rizal Hashim gained an insight into his personality.

Sunday Mail: How are you adapting to life in Japan?
Troussier: I spent an eventful decade in Africa. Now after ten months in Japan, I can sense a different kind of challenge. My 10 years in Africa was a great human experience which is certainly useful to help me adapt to a different culture, food and environment. Now I feel very much at home in Japan. But what excites me is the fact Japan soccer is on the rise and we have the 2002 World Cup to look forward to. I have a great group of executive officers in Japan FA (JFA) to facilitate my job, the working atmosphere is wonderful and it is an honour to be part of the team. I have a large and interesting group of players to work with, which makes things a little bit easier on the pitch.

SM: How do you explain the negative reports on your relationship with JFA?
T: I believe most of it is an exaggeration. But I'm very forthright in my approach. There are things that need to be changed in order to move forward. I let my feelings known to JFA and there have been both negative and positive reactions to them.

SM: Have you mastered the Japanese language?
T: No, I have no intention to master the language. But I learn the language for my casual life. I want to communicate with the waiters in the restaurant, hail a taxi or share a joke or two with my players outside our working hours. On a professional level, I need a translator simply because it is important to avoid any confusion. I don't want my bad Japanese to create chaos. The presence of an interpreter is important to convey exactly what I want. Anyway Japanese is a difficult language to master. But it does not pose any problems for me. Football is universal. In the end what matters is the performance of the team on the football field.

SM: How is your relationship with the Japanese media?
T: I think I have a love hate relationship with the media, even during my days in Africa. But throughout this Hong Kong mission, I've banned the players from reading the newspapers. I've requested my staff in Tokyo to collect all the newspapers and magazines and let the players read all the reports upon their return from Hong Kong. I want the boys to focus on this mission where they have to play eight matches in 20 days. I want them to have enough recuperation period and a relaxed atmosphere without the added pressure from the media. In Japan, I cannot share something with the journalists. Unlike in France where I can share my views with certain journalists off the record, in Japan it's almost impossible. Sometimes journalists have to understand the job and the views of a coach. You have to respect the coach's professional approach. There are things which you cannot publish when told in confidence. In Nigeria, the media gave the impression that I was a difficult person to work with. I was called too strict, authoritarian, cannot communicate properly and short tempered all the time. Sometimes it's better to keep a distance between the media and the coach. I don't have problems dealing with the press. In fact I believe I give them something different to write. I think the press need somebody different to project an image for their commercial purposes. Sometimes when I feel like keeping quiet, people ask me, `What's wrong with you Monsieur Troussier, are you sick?' Personally, I treat the media as part of my staff, not to make enemies with.

SM: Your Olympic team appear to attract attention from a large section of the Japanese media.
T: It's good that (Hidetoshi) Nakata is not with the team. Otherwise there would be another 200 journalists accompanying him which would instantly add more pressure to the side. It would have been nice to have Nakata with us, especially since this team do not know Nakata personally and they have never played together with him. It's good to show the players that Nakata is also a mere mortal. Here he is, he's just like you, with two feet and two hands. Already we have 200 journalists following the team to Hong Kong and we certainly do not need another 200 to scrutinise every movement of the players.

SM: Why was Nakata excluded from your Olympic plans?
T: There are many reasons for that. First he has reached a different plane. He is a world class player, having acquitted himself well in Serie A. But I'm under pressure from the Fifa rules which stipulate that clubs can release their players only 48 hours before the international match. But I'm very happy with my group and I believe we can survive the first round or even the second round without Nakata. But I would dearly love to have his services if we qualify for Sydney.

SM: What is the greatest challenge you face in Japan?
T: Although Japan are already considered a powerhouse in Asia, we are nowhere near the top. We must play outside the continent in order to progress. This applies to all the teams in Asia. I'm not sure J-league experience is enough for international matches. We have reached a certain level but it is far from what I want. My mission is for all our national teams to be exposed to matches outside the continent. We have played Korea and China countless times. To move forward, we have to play stronger oppositions all the time. Spending a week in Africa, Europe and Latin America is much better than spending four weeks in Japan. That is why we should have a uniformed schedule. But the domestic fixtures do not correspond with the international calendar. I plan to play the nations from the top 15 bracket like Scotland, Denmark and Norway more often to give the players confidence. Playing the top five is too difficult at this moment. But we have shown progress, as illustrated by our successful outing in the Youth World Cup in Nigeria. I believe majority of the players like (Shinji) Ono, (Masashi) Motoyama, (Junichi) Inamoto and (Tomoyuki) Sakai will play important roles in the near future and could well feature in the 2002 World Cup.

 * Troussier is 44 years old and had previously coached Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and South Africa before taking up the Japanese offer on the advice of former Nagoya Grampus Eight coach Arsene Wenger. His contract with JFA ends in June 2000 but if Japan qualify for the Asian Cup, it is automatically extended until after the tournament.

This piece appeared on The Malay Mail on June 30, 1999. And my, things are slow moving la in Malaysia...



THE Japan FA yesterday shared their recipe for success with Malaysia - a combination of hard work, high-quality coaches at grassroots level and a sound development programme which offers a schoolboy up to 600 competitive matches by the time he finishes high school.

The six-man FAM delegate were given a low-down on how the rising sons of Asia have evolved into a footballing force after launching their youth development system in 1980.

FAM assistant secretary Yap Nyim Keong, head of academies Datuk Paduka Ahmad Basri Akil, director-general of education Datuk Shukor Abdullah and FAM director of coaching Ronald Smith, FAM council member Dell Akbar Khan and national Under-19 coach B. Sathianathan were briefed by three JFA personnel.

The three are JFA director of coaching Kohzo Tashima, head coach of the regional development JFA youth system, Tetsuaki Tsukuda and chief staff of planning department at J-League Takehiko Sano. The study group also took the opportunity to visit the Japan organising committee for the 2002 World Cup Korea-Japan (JAWOC). They were hosted by JAWOC deputy general secretary Hiroshi Ushijima.

These are the steps taken by JFA to improve their standards.

* They send coaches to Europe for 10 days or two weeks to training camps for training centre coaches. For example, they will spend several days in Holland, France, Germany and England to update their knowledge;

* There is no youth league but the schools play among themselves in a very competitive environment via several tournaments lined up for them throughout the year;

* Altogether, there are nine regional training centres and 47 prefecture training centres and district training centres all over Japan.

* In many prefectures and districts they already have one group of about 30 players in each age group for Under-12 right up to Under-18;

* The aim of the training centre system which began in 1980 were:

 i) to identify the most talented players in the country in each age group and to mould them into creative players;
ii) to practise the consistent, systematic coaching based on the coaching guide which is used by all football coaches in Japan (from professionals right up to school teachers;
iii) to raise the standard and the ability of the coaches and to introduce and to spread information to each region;

* There are three age categories - Under-17, Under-14 and Under-12 and there are four categories of training from district training centre which is held several times a month and followed by approximately once a month at the 47 prefecture training centres and several times a year at the nine regional training centres culminating with five days a year at the national training centre in Shizuoka.

* They choose the 16 best players from each region from all categories. So there are 144 players from each age category.

* The Japan school system are made up of three levels - primary (age six-12), junior high school (13-15) and high school (16-18). The players in each category play up to 80-100 matches a year and by the time they leave school they will have played 600 matches.

WHAT THEY OBSERVED

RONALD SMITH (FAM director of coaching)

I gained some accurate information on developments behind the scene from the people who matter most - the coaches at grassroots level. (Tetsuaki) Tsukuda is not only a member of the JFA technical comittee but also the head coach of the nine regions under the JFA youth system. Interestingly, (Kohzo) Tashima, who is the JFA director of coaching, coaches the national Under-15 side as well. I wouldn't know of such arrangements if I hadn't come here. This, inevitably, gives them the credibility as they get to practise what they preach. They are well-informed young coaches who are up-to-date in their knowledge of modern soccer. Not someone out of touch who keeps harping on what they did 10 years ago. Tashima and Tsukuda are doing two jobs at the same time. Not only are they involved in coaching youngsters, they are also heavily involved in producing a new generation of high-quality coaches. These young coaches participate actively in developing football by giving input to the JFA coaching structure. We found out just how much schoolboys in Japan play football. Tsukuda told us most schoolboys in Japan play up to a 100 matches a year, most of us were startled by the figure. But this reinforces in my mind what needs to be done to find a way to enable our youngsters to play soccer competitively for a longer period. Once the system is in place, the next step is to identify talent. People might say playing 100 games could be detrimental to a schoolboy's overall progress but just take a look at the current Japanese Olympic side. They are the flagship of the system. It's a matter of either you overdo it or you give them just enough matches to improve. But in our case, we should push the players to play as many matches as possible.

DATUK AHMAD BASRI AKIL (FAM head of academies)

WHAT we gathered was that we need cooperation from all quarters. We need the large participation of the public, the parents, the teachers, coaches, schools, institutes of higher learning and the relevant authorities. Secondly, we must put our heart and soul into implementing the policies. JFA even have a mission statement to push everybody towards the same direction to set long-term targets. They are already talking beyond the 2002 World Cup. To me, the study tour is not a waste of time. We used to beat Japan in the 70s when we were more concerned with the threat posed by South Korea. Now Japan have attained a certain measure of success. So we need to find out for ourselves the reason for the recipe behind the success. And despite the success, Japan face difficulties in financing the development projects. In that sense, we are luckier as Malaysia have the financial muscle and the resources. The issue here is whether we can go ahead with the implementation on a full scale.

DATUK SHUKOR ABDULLAH (Director general of education)




WE will definitely look into organising more competitive matches among schoolboys. Frankly, I believe interest in soccer among today's generation has dwindled resulting in a smaller base of players at school level. We are extending the annual Malaysian School Sports Council (MSSM) calendar to allow the players to play competitive soccer for a longer period. For example, Fourth Formers can play several short tournaments in August. Last year, we launched a championship among premier schools. Next year, we are coming up with an inter-school league to create wider interest in soccer. This competitive environment will definitely improve our standard. At the moment, we are also contemplating having one officer at the education district office to coordinate all soccer activities at district level.

DELL AKBAR KHAN (FAM council member)

THE fact that the J-League imposed certain conditions for aspiring clubs to become members indirectly force them to put greater emphasis on youth development. For example, a J-League team structure must consist of a first team, a reserve team, a young team (Under-18), a junior youth team (Under-16) and a Under-12 side. So these teams must operate under a unified system for fostering players in order to produce as many calibre players as possible. We bemoan the lack of facilities but I believe one way to compensate for the lack of football fields in KL is by letting two or three schools share one pitch.

In August 24, 1999, I wrote a preview ahead of the youth development workshop conducted by the National Sports Council (NSC), expecting changes to be implemented...

THE youth development workshop at the National Sports Council (NSC) today is set to moot the idea of a complete restructuring in the FA of Malaysia (FAM).

The proposals, assuming they be implemented, will not exactly launch Malaysian soccer into orbit but at least, we would have a solid base to identify the best young players from.

* FAM must be independent of the State FAs
The FAM council are the highest authority in Malaysian soccer. They are the policy-makers. Most of them are representatives of the State FAs who do not give two hoots about development. And they too have been relying on FAM for grants rather than sourcing their own income.

Conclusion - Amend the FAM constitution to enable the national body to shift focus towards developing the sport. FAM must be run by technical people and corporate figures with the principal office-bearers as figureheads.

* A new league structure run by a separate entity.
The time is ripe for a separate entity to run the M-League, similar to the J-League in Japan. The J-League, introduced in 1993, requires each club to set down deep roots throughout its home community, with the corporate sponsors providing crucial back-up with their administrative skills. The J-League's board of directors and auditors are elected by the general meeting. The executive committee consists of the chairman, directors with specific responsibilities and one representative selected from each club. The board of directors is the J-League's highest authority in deciding the aims and policies of the league. The executive committee puts those aims and policies into effect as well as deliberating and deciding on matters entrusted to it by the board of directors. And not everybody can play in the J-League because there are five conditions to be met - Incorporation, players and coaching licences, team structure with emphasis on junior teams, stadia facilities and contributions to home community. Incorporation means each club must be a registered corporation specialising in football. This is to ensure that each club provides a secure management base which serves as an effective vehicle for players, coaches and other club officials.

Conclusion - it's worth a try. But are we bold enough? And can we see a league without the likes of Terengganu, Kelantan or Melaka?

* Players' education
If the two proposals are implemented, then FAM can emulate the Japan FA (JFA) by drawing up a complete coaching system designed to produce creative players. Of utmost importance is football education for players from the age of eight - the dos and don'ts as well as the motivational, technical and tactical aspects of the beautiful game.

Conclusion - We are different from the Japanese but why should that be a hindrance? Malaysia used to whip Japan in the 70s and 80s until they decided to commit themselves to soccer while Malaysia have been irresponsible in letting the youth development in our game drop in standard.

* Coaches' education
FAM director of coaching Ron Smith has recently pointed out a fact - how youth coaches tend to emphasise on results rather than education. Most coaches, Smith said, want results even at school level which in turn puts fear and pressure to the young players. In Japan, JFA have devised a modern training module which is updated regularly, to be implemented at all levels. Therefore all coaches, from the schools right up to the J-League, adopt the same methods and principles of soccer. JFA have also introduced a coaching licence - more of a certificate on how to organise games for the young - called the Boys and Girls licence. The emphasis is to enjoy the game. Only from the ages of 15 that the players are taught the basic tactical movements.

Conclusion - We have nothing to lose but everything to gain if we adopt the same attitude.

Pautannya baca di sini

Selaku wartawan, aku diajar bukan saja membuat laporan permainan, bahkan analisis, komentar dan profil atlet. Menghimpun pengalaman sepanjang tugasan bersama Berita Harian dan The Malay Mail, aku berkongsi ilmu dengan pembaca EPLx Kosmo! yang kemudian dijenamakan semula sebagai Rembat Kosmo! Atas syor bekas wartawan New Straits Times dan setiausaha akhbar Tun Daim Zainuddin, Rashid Yusof, aku menjadi editor sisipan EPLx Kosmo pada 2009. Tamat setahun, kontrak aku dengan syarikat yang menaja sisipan tidak diperbaharui, tetapi Pengarang Kosmo, Baharom Mahusin (kini Datuk) mencadangkan sisipan itu diteruskan dengan nama lain, iaitu Rembat Kosmo! juga pada setiap Sabtu. Sisipan itu memberi ruang 60 peratus kepada bola sepak luar dan bakinya bola sepak tempatan.






S. KUNANLAN


S. Kunanlan
Tarikh lahir: 15 September, 1986
Asal: Semenyih, Selangor
Sekolah: SJK Ladang Semenyih, SMK Engku Hussin, Semenyih
Posisi: Tengah
Pencapaian: Mewakili pasukan Bawah 18 Selangor, skuad Piala Presiden Negeri Sembilan, juara Piala Malaysia 2009, juara Piala FA 2010, naib juara Piala Malaysia 2010.

Jantung Harimau Malaya

JIKA bekas bintang Selangor, K. Sanbagamaran, satu ketika dahulu berbasikal ke sekolahnya di Kajang sebagai latihan menguatkan paru-paru, S. Kunanlan memiliki ketahanan menyempurnakan larian jarak jauh.

Daripada perlumbaan 1,500m, 3,000m lari berhalangan, 5,000m hingga merentas desa, Kunanlan mencipta nama sebagai pakar lari jarak jauh di peringkat remaja. Bahkan dia pernah menduduki tangga keenam acara merentas desa perlumbaan di peringkat daerah Hulu Langat.

Hasilnya, lahirlah seorang pemain bola sepak berbakat yang memiliki kepantasan, kerajinan dan tidak kenal erti lelah.

“Saya main bola sejak kecil. Terpilih mewakili sekolah rendah SJK Ladang Semenyih selaku seorang pemain tengah, saya juga cukup meminati acara larian jarak jauh. Kalau acara merentas desa, saya sudah bertanding sejak umur 10 tahun.

“Kalau kategori Bawah 12 tahun, jaraknya 6km, Bawah 16 tahun 8km, Bawah 18 tahun 10km. Kami sekeluarga memang aktif dalam olahraga,” imbas Kunanlan yang kini antara tonggak tersenarai dalam minda Datuk K. Rajagobal.

Di sebalik ketrampilannya selaku pelari jarak jauh, bakat Kunanlan dalam bola sepak tidak terpendam begitu saja.

Atas dorongan gurunya, Kunanlan menjadikan kebolehan berlari itu sebagai aset. “Saya bermain di tengah, di penjuru dan pernah juga main stopper,” kata Kunanlan.

“Tapi pada satu hari, jurulatih Cikgu Zulkifli beri saya tugas sebagai pemain sayap.”

Cemerlang di peringkat sekolah dan seterusnya daerah, Kunanlan menjalani ujian pemilihan Bawah 15 Selangor.

“Saya gagal kerana dianggap terlalu kecil. Saiz jadi penghalang,” katanya.

Sekali lagi Kunanlan mencuba nasib dengan skuad Bawah 18 Selangor tetapi kurang bernasib baik. Lalu dia membawa diri ke Seremban untuk menyertai Liga Dunhill Menteri Besar.

“Hendak cuba masuk akademi, saya dah terlebih umur, jadi akhirnya saya terpilih menganggotai skuad Piala Presiden Negeri Sembilan.”

Jika ada pemain utama yang tercedera, Kunanlan dipanggil oleh jurulatih Negeri Sembilan ketika itu, Hatem Souissi.

Pintu buat Kunanlan terbuka apabila Wan Jamak Wan Hassan menggantikan Hatem. Itu antara tindakan paling awal Wan Jamak setibanya di Seremban.

“Saya masih ingat ketika menguruskan Telekom Melaka, kami ada berdepan dengan Negeri Sembilan yang memiliki seorang pemain sayap yang pantas dan tidak kenal penat. Jadi apabila tiba di Seremban, Kunanlanlah nama pertama yang saya cari,” kata Wan Jamak.

Dari situ, Kunanlan memikat perhatian B. Sathianathan yang memanggilnya untuk latihan pusat menjelang Pestabola Merdeka.

“Tapi saya kena gugur,” kata Kunanlan.

Nama Kunanlan sangkut selaku anggota skuad utama ke Sukan SEA Laos pada 2009 dan dia tidak menoleh ke belakang lagi.

Di sebalik kerajinan, kelajuan dan kepintaran menewaskan bek kanan lawan, hanya satu kelemahan Kunanlan - lemah di depan gol.

Apabila dihidangkan dengan peluang keemasan, biasanya Kunanlan kaget.

Sepanjang musim, Kunanlan hanya mencetak satu gol, ketika menentang T-Team. Disebabkan kekurangan dari segi menyudahkan peluang, sepakannya diselamatkan penjaga gol Singapura, Izwan Mahbud, seawal minit ke-10.

Apapun, anak Semenyih ini jantung Harimau Malaya.

K. Gurusamy Govandar
Tarikh lahir: 11 Januari,1989
Asal: Semenyih
Posisi: Tengah
Sekolah: SK Tamil Rinching, SMK Engku Hussin, Semenyih, Sekolah Sukan Bukit Jalil (SSBJ) Pencapaian: Pingat emas Sukan SEA 2009, juara Piala AFF 2010.


K. GURUSAMY


Guru yang mendahului zaman

K. Gurusamy Govandar sudah biasa melampaui zamannya. Seawal usia 9 tahun, dia sudah dipanggil mewakili pasukan Bawah 12 tahun sekolahnya, sebelum bakatnya diketengahkan di peringkat Majlis Sukan Sekolah-sekolah Malaysia (MSSM).

Ketika rakan-rakannya di SRJ Tamil Bandar Rinching, Semenyih, sibuk mentelaah pelajaran dan menghafal sifir, Gurusamy menghafal arahan jurulatih.

Pada usia 10 tahun, dia sudah menyarung jersi sekolah dan daerah. Sebagaimana “senior”nya di Semenyih, S. Kunanlan, yang aktif dalam acara merentas desa, Gurusamy juga gemar mengeluarkan peluh dan menguji kekuatan paru-parunya menerusi larian itu.

“Mungkin dari situ saya dapat tenaga berlebihan untuk bermain bola sepak tanpa mengenal penat,” kata Gurusamy, ditanya mengenai keupayaannya menjana jentera tengah sama ada untuk skuad Olimpik mahupun pasukan kebangsaan.

Disebabkan keinginan bermain bola sepak, Gurusamy banyak menghabiskan waktu lapangnya di padang di depan rumahnya di Taman Manickavasagam.

“Saya dan kawan-kawan gemar bermain bola dan buat perlawanan persahabatan dengan pasukan dari taman lain, biasanya pada setiap Sabtu. Kadang-kadang sanggup saya tak pergi sekolah tapi asyik main bola, dari pagi hingga petang,” katanya.

Di kalangan keluarganya yang besar, Gurusamy tidak berseorangan meminati sukan kegilaan ramai itu. Abangnya Mogan pernah beraksi dalam Piala Milo, Depan Sakti pula menyarung jersi Selangor musim ini, manakala adiknya Visunathan bersama Shahzan Muda.

“Kami bukan saja aktif dalam bola sepak, tetapi juga olahraga. Saya mewakili Hulu Langat dalam merentas desa,” katanya.

Lebih terkenal sebagai pemain tengah bertahan yang ditugaskan memperkasakan benteng pertahanan, Gurusamy yang mewakili Selangor sejak dari peringkat Bawah 12 tahun, pernah menjalani ujian pemilihan bersama akademi Negeri Sembilan tetapi tidak diterima masuk.

Bagaimanapun Gurusamy akhirnya diserapkan ke dalam program elit di Sekolah Sukan Bukit Jalil (SSBJ) pada 2005, lalu terus terpilih ke dalam skuad Bawah 20 Rajagobal ke Piala Lion di Singapura.

“Saya pun terkejut kerana pada usia 16 tahun, biasanya kena masuk pasukan Bawah 17 tahun dulu. Setahun kemudian saya terpilih menganggotai skuad Bawah 20 ke pusingan akhir Kejohanan Asia di India,” katanya.

Skuad muda pada 2006 itu membentuk teras barisan kepercayaan Rajagobal hari ini. Antaranya Aidil Zafuan Abdul Radzak, Amar Rohidan, Asraruddin Putra Omar, Safiq Rahim dan Khyril Muhymeen Zambri yang menjadi sebahagian daripada kejayaan Sukan SEA Laos 2009 dan Piala AFF 2010.

Meminati gaya permainan bintang Liverpool, Steven Gerrard dan tonggak Barcelona, Xavi, Gurusamy harus menjadi nadi penting dalam perancangan Ong Kim Swee untuk perhitungan pra-Olimpik serta Sukan SEA kelak.

“Saya berharap dapat membantu pasukan negara mengekalkan pingat emas yang dimenangi di Laos,” katanya. Di sebalik kesibukan mengawal pertahanan, Gurusamy juga pandai mencium peluang menggegar jaring lawan.

Jaringannya hasil lambungan jarak jauh ketika menentang Syria masih kekal dalam ingatannya, selain ledakan menentang Arab Saudi. Gurusamy juga tidak menghiraukan kritikan berikutan kegagalan pasukan negara mara ke pusingan ketiga pra-Piala Dunia zon Asia.

“Kami kena tebus di Sukan SEA dan pra-Olimpik,” katanya ringkas.


WAN ZACK HAIKAL WAN NOR

Melupakan raket demi sepatu bola

KERANA hujung sepatu bolanya, nama Wan Zack Haikal Wan Nor meniti di bibir peminat.

Meluru menyambut lorongan tepat Gary Steven Robbat dalam petak penalti, Wan Zack menjolok bola ke gawang melepasi terpaan penjaga gol Lebanon, Mohd Dakramanji, baru-baru ini, bagi menjamin tempat anak didik Ong Kim Swee di kalangan 12 pasukan terbaik Asia yang merebut tempat ke Sukan Olimpik tahun depan.

Peminat menyamakan senario gol itu, yang disempurnakan pada minit ke-42, dengan kaedah lazim Barcelona menggegar jaring lawan - hasil penyudah penyerang berikutan lorongan tajam dan tepat daripada pemain tengah.

“Sebenarnya ia hasil kerjasama sepasukan. Bagi saya hendak menyamakan gol itu seperti mana yang biasa dibuat Barcelona terlalu tinggi. Saya dan rakan-rakan tidak boleh terlalu berbangga kerana misi belum selesai. Apapun saya gembira menyumbang tenaga bagi menghidupkan impian Olimpik negara,” kata pemain berasal dari Maran, Pahang itu.

Bermula sebagai penyerang di Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Maran, Wan Zack dikurniai kepantasan semula jadi yang menyeksa lawan.

Disebabkan ketangkasannya, pemain berusia 20 tahun itu aktif dalam olahraga dan badminton ketika di bangku sekolah.

“Saya mewakili sekolah dalam acara pecut 100m dan 200m, bahkan pernah mewakili zon. Saya juga giat dalam badminton. Apabila guru mempelawa murid untuk menjalani ujian pemilihan, saya pergi.

“Akhirnya saya muncul juara perseorangan daerah Maran dan mara sehingga ke suku akhir peringkat negeri Pahang,” katanya mengimbas kenangan manis ketika remaja.

Apabila terpaksa memilih di antara badminton dan bola sepak, anak bongsu daripada sembilan beradik itu tidak perlu berfikir dua kali.

“Minat saya hanya satu - bola sepak,” katanya.

Terpilih mewakili pasukan sekolah-sekolah Bawah 12 tahun Malaysia ke Saitama, Jepun, pada 2003 sesudah menonjol bersama skuad Pahang yang bertanding dalam kejohanan Majlis Sukan Sekolah-sekolah Malaysia (MSSM) berbentuk karnival di FAM, Wan Zack tidak menoleh ke belakang.

Senarai penyertaannya dalam bidang sukan memudahkan Wan Zack menyertai SMK Kuala Lanar, Kuala Lipis, sekolah yang dianggap akademi sukan negeri.

Sejajar dasar Sekolah Sukan Bukit Jalil (SSBJ) yang membuka pintu kepada pelajar Tingkatan Empat, Wan Zack dipelawa menjalani ujian pemilihan di bawah kendalian Aminuddin Hussein dan Ahmad Fairuz Yunus.

Mengutip pengalaman bersama pasukan Bawah 16 tahun yang dikendalikan Robert Alberts dan Kim Swee di Hertfordshire dan Slovakia, Wan Zack cuba mencuri tempat dalam Harimau Muda di bawah K. Rajagobal pada 2008.

Namun dia digugurkan. Ini memaksa Wan Zack mengasah bakat bersama Felda United yang ketika itu dibimbing Reduan Abdullah, disusuli E. Elavarasan.

Apabila Kim Swee dilantik mengurus Harimau Muda B dengan Harimau Muda A dikendali Azraai Khor Abdullah selepas Rajagobal diangkat menjaga pasukan senior kebangsaan, Wan Zack kembali diberi perhatian.

Kini Wan Zack bersaing dengan Wan Zaharulnizam Wan Zakaria untuk mendapat kepercayaan Kim Swee bagi mengisi posisi sayap kanan. Dalam arena bola sepak tempatan, Wan Zack bukan berseorangan dalam membawa nama arwah bapanya Wan Nor Wan Ahmad yang meninggal dunia dua tahun lalu.

Abangnya, Wan Azwari, beraksi selaku pemain pertahanan dengan Johor.

“Setakat ini, kami hanya pernah bertembung sekali, dalam perlawanan persahabatan,” kata Wan Zack yang gemar bermain snuker di masa lapangnya.

Biodata
Wan Zack Haikal Wan Nor
Tarikh lahir: 28 Januari, 1991
Asal: Maran, Pahang
Posisi: Sayap kanan
Sekolah: SRK Maran, SMK Kuala Lanar, Kuala Lipis, Sekolah Sukan Bukit Jalil (SSBJ)
Pasukan: Felda United, Harimau Muda B, Harimau Muda A
Hobi: Bermain snuker, permainan konsol
Masakan kegemaran: Ikan patin masak tempoyak


MAHALLI JASULI

 TERUJA KONGSI BILIK DENGAN AMRI

 APABILA seawal usia tiga tahun didedahkan kepada bola sepak, tidak hairanlah sukan itu dijadikan kerjaya oleh Mahalli Jasuli.

“Sejak saya di tadika lagi saya dibawa bapa (Jasuli Sarafi) ke Stadium Merdeka untuk menyaksikan Selangor atau Kuala Lumpur beraksi,” kata Mahalli mengimbas detik-detik awal berjinak dengan bola sepak.

“Selangor ketika itu ada Malek Rahman dan Azman Adnan. Kuala Lumpur ada Liew Kim Tu.”

 Mencapai usia 12 tahun, Mahalli, anak sulung daripada tiga beradik yang berasal dari Selayang Baru, sudahpun menyarung jersi Selangor.

Sambil bermain, Mahalli tetap berkunjung ke stadium untuk mencari sumber inspirasi.

“Idola saya Amri Yahyah. Saya pun minat jersi bernombor 17 kerana Amri,” dedah Mahalli.

“Saya tidak dapat gambarkan perasaan saya apabila terpilih mewakili negara, beraksi pula di sisi Amri. Bukan itu saja, saya juga ditempatkan sebilik dengan Amri, tidak kira sama ada untuk tugasan dalam negeri atau luar negara. Jadi saya selalu ambil kesempatan bertanya kepada Amri bagaimana untuk memperbaiki kelemahan.”

Mahalli kini bek kanan tetap buat pasukan negara sekalipun tidak demikian keadaannya ketika anak buah K. Rajagobal memulakan kempen Piala Suzuki AFF di Jakarta tahun lalu. Jika diikutkan dari segi usia dan pengalaman, Mahalli di tempat ketiga di belakang Razman Roslan dan Sabre Mat Abu.

Namun prestasi Razman ketika tewas 5-1 kepada Indonesia pada perlawanan pembukaan kurang meyakinkan.

Mahalli diberi peluang pada pertemuan dengan Thailand yang berkesudahan 0-0, lantas dia tidak menoleh ke belakang.

Sambil sibuk menjalankan tugas mengekang pemain sayap kiri lawan, Mahalli gemar menyusup ke kubu lawan.

Dalam keghairahannya menyerang, sepakannya terbias ke gawang Laos ketika Malaysia menang 5-1.

Pada final pusingan pertama di Stadium Nasional, Bukit Jalil, Mahalli melambungkan bola tepat ke kepala Safee Sali yang menanduk jaringan kedua peribadinya untuk menjadikan kedudukan selesa pasukan negara mendahului Indonesia 3-0.

“Saya ingat saingan Piala Suzuki bukan saja kerana kita menang tetapi juga kerana saya tidak beraksi pada perlawanan pertama dan terakhir,” katanya yang digantung secara automatik akibat menerima kad kuning kedua pada final pertama di Bukit Jalil.

Sumbangan Mahalli sedikit sebanyak menebus “dosanya” sesudah dibuang padang oleh pengadil Australia, Ben Williams, ketika Malaysia tewas kepada China pada Sukan Asia di Guangzhou, November lalu.

“Itu kad merah pertama dalam kerjaya saya. Saya harap ia juga yang terakhir,” kata Mahalli mengenang detik tendangannya ke luar padang yang mendorong Williams melayangkan kad kuning kedua kepada pemain itu. Seterusnya Safiq Rahim dibuang padang kerana protes berlebihan.

Setelah mewakili SK Selayang Baru dan seterusnya Selangor untuk pertandingan Bawah 12 tahun Majlis Sukan Sekolah-sekolah Malaysia (MSSM), Mahalli yang meminati bintang Liverpool, menggilap bakatnya di Sekolah Projek di Shah Alam sebelum terpilih menyertai program elit Sekolah Sukan Bukit Jalil (SSBJ) kendalian Aminuddin Hussein dan Ahmad Fairuz Yunus.

“Dari tingkatan satu ke tingkatan tiga, saya beraksi di penjuru. Di Bukit Jalil, saya banyak beraksi selaku pemain tengah.”

Mahalli kemudian terpilih menganggotai skuad Bawah 19 Selangor selaku penyerang.

“Saya ada juga jaringkan tujuh gol dan agaknya sebab itu saya dapat peluang sertai skuad kebangsaan Bawah 19 tahun kendalian K. Rajagobal dalam Liga Perdana.”

Mahasiswa dalam jurusan Pembangunan Manusia di Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Serdang, Mahalli kini antara yang tertulis selaku tonggak skuad pra-Olimpik bimbingan Ong Kim Swee. Akan tiba masanya Mahalli pula menjadi idola.

Mahalli Jasuli

Tarikh lahir: 2 April, 1989
Asal: Selayang Baru
Pasukan: Harimau Muda A
Pencapaian: Pingat emas Sukan SEA Laos 2009, juara Piala Suzuki AFF di Jakarta 2010.


HELMI REMELI

Dari Kedawang ke Kuala Terengganu

MEMBANCUH simen, menyusun botol minyak gamat, mengail ikan, berniaga laksa dan menjaga lori keluar masuk dari lokasi pembinaan - antara kerja-kerja yang pernah dilakukan Helmi Remeli sebelum takdir menentukan rezekinya hadir dalam bola sepak.

Memori kais pagi, makan pagi itu belum terpadam daripada kotak pemikiran bek kanan Terengganu itu.

Bahkan ia menyedarkan Helmi, anak kelahiran Kedawang, Pulau Langkawi, agar tidak lupa asal-usulnya sekalipun sudah meniti kejayaan. Dalam tempoh seminggu bulan lalu, Helmi mengecap nikmat berganda.

Pada 4 Jun, dia menyarung jersi kebangsaan buat julung kali menentang Hong Kong. Genap seminggu kemudian, dia membantu Terengganu menjulang Piala FA, membenam Kelantan 2-1 di Stadium Nasional, Bukit Jalil.

“Alhamdulillah, saya amat bersyukur, terharu dan bangga atas pengalaman itu. Detik manis bermain untuk negara disusuli kejayaan memenangi Piala FA,” kata Helmi mengulas minggu yang cukup manis itu.

“Ia mengubat kecewa saya yang tidak bermain selama lebih enam bulan musim lalu akibat kecederaan lutut.”

Keputusan Datuk K. Rajagobal membuka pintu kepada Helmi pada usia 26 tahun cukup dihargai bek kanan yang pernah menyarung jersi Kuala Muda Naza itu.

“Saya tidak sangka terpilih mewakili negara pada usia ini. Ketika dimaklumkan akan bermain melawan Hong Kong, saya cemas. Begitu juga pengalaman bermain depan stadium yang dipenuhi penonton pada final Piala FA. Tapi bila sudah bermain, tekanan itu mula dilupakan,” katanya.

Sekalipun bola sepak menjulang nama Helmi, dia sebenarnya mewakili daerah Langkawi dalam ping pong ketika zaman persekolahannya.

“Saya bermain bola sejak bersekolah di SK Kedawang tetapi lebih cenderung bermain ping pong hingga mewakili Langkawi dalam kejohanan empat penjuru dan Piala Menteri Besar.”

Selepas menamatkan pengajian di SMK Kedawang, Helmi memutuskan menolak tawaran ke Tingkatan Enam, sebaliknya berazam mencari pekerjaan tetap.

“Sambil itu, saya membantu bapa dalam kerja pembinaan, membancuh simen dan bertukang. Ibu pula berniaga laksa. Kemudian saya mendapat kerja di sebuah hotel sebagai beach boy dengan gaji RM300 sebulan. Tidak sampai setahun, saya mendapat kerja di kilang minyak gamat.”

Hala tuju hidupnya berubah pada 2004 apabila seorang jurulatih mencadangkan Helmi menyertai sekumpulan pemain dari Langkawi untuk menjalani ujian pemilihan skuad Piala Emas Raja-raja Kedah.

“Saya terpilih bermain sebagai pemain tengah,” katanya.

Dari situ, bekas jurulatih kebangsaan, Ahmad Shafie, mempelawa Helmi menyertai Kuala Muda Naza.

“Saya timba pengalaman selama tiga musim, beraksi di bawah tiga jurulatih. Saya didedahkan bermain semua posisi, bahkan pernah menjadi back-up striker buat Akmal Rizal Rakhli.”

Apabila Irfan Bakti Abu Salim menelefonnya mengajaknya berhijrah ke Terengganu pada hujung 2009, Helmi sedang menimbang tawaran sebuah pasukan di utara.

Mujur buat Helmi, keputusannya ke Pantai Timur melapangkan rezekinya.

Helmi Remeli
Tarikh lahir: 24 Mac, 1985
Asal: Kedawang, Langkawi
Pasukan: Terengganu, Kuala Muda Naza
Posisi: Bek kanan
Pencapaian: Juara Piala FA 2011

PERSIAPAN menjelang Sukan Asia di Tehran pada 1-15 September, 1974, tidak seperti diduga. Tujuh belas pemain dikehendaki melaporkan diri ke latihan pusat pada 11 Ogos dan berlepas ke Iran pada 23 Ogos tetapi anak didik Allahyarham Jalil Che Din hanya berangkat ke Tehran, empat hari kemudian.

KES jurulatih merajuk, kecederaan yang menimpa bek kanan utama, perbezaan kem pemain mengikut sentimen kenegerian – antara masalah dalaman skuad bola sepak negara menjelang dan ketika Sukan Asia 1974 di Tehran rancak berjalan.

Hanya beberapa minggu selepas skuad negara merangkul Piala Merdeka di Ipoh, misi lebih besar menanti anak didik Jalil, bekas pemain pertahanan negara era 1950-an yang juga seorang pegawai Penjara.

 Tanpa beberapa tonggak seperti penjaga gol Lim Fung Kee dan perancang utama Wong Choon Wah yang berhijrah ke Hong Kong sejurus misi di Pestabola Merdeka serta Shaharuddin Abdullah, skuad negara menyiapkan diri ke Tehran dalam suasana yang kurang ideal.

 Setiba di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Subang, Sabena Airlines, syarikat penerbangan Belgium, memaklumkan penerbangan ditunda dan penumpang terpaksa berlepas mengikut jadual seterusnya, iaitu empat hari kemudian disebabkan masalah teknikal.

 Pemain tengah, Datuk Shukor Salleh, mengenang detik itu. “Disebabkan masalah tayar pesawat yang mengakibatkan penerbangan ditunda, penumpang ditempatkan di Hotel Equatorial di Kuala Lumpur waktu itu,” kata Shukor.

Apa yang berlaku seterusnya? Benarkah pemain memulau jurulatih? Benarkah pemain hanya dihadiahkan seutas jam berjenama selepas menduduki tangga ketiga? Siapa 17 pemain yang tersenarai?

Kisah selanjutnya, muat turun majalah digital arena di appstore  atau playstore.

Published in The Malay Mail, July 20, 2007. Shortly after the disastrous Asian Cup outing.


Dear Tuanku, Tan Sri, Datuk, and office bearers and salaried staff of FAM,

RE: Future of FAM and football in Malaysia

I HOPE this letter reaches the most esteemed gentlemen at Wisma FAM safely.

I'm writing to you because I'm convinced, like the rest of this football-crazy nation, that there is an urgent need to address pertinent issues with regard to the future of Malaysian football.

It is my wish that this time, the content of this letter is not ignored or thrown into the waste paper basket, which has happened all too often in the past.

I must salute FAM deputy president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah for his decision to quit a body that he was closely associated with for the past two decades.

In no way Tengku Abdullah would be branded a coward. Together with his father and FAM president Sultan Ahmad Shah, Tengku Abdullah initiated the move to introduce semi-professional football in the country 18 years ago, but it has borne little fruit.

We have to acknowledge that although the pro-league has become an industry in its own right, it has resulted in the State FAs going all out to find means to break the wage structures for sub-standard footballers as a shortcut to success.

Therefore, it's time that we chart a clear and determined course and chart/formulate a new strategy to rejuvenate the game at all levels.

The media stand ready to offer our full support in this difficult, but necessary endeavour. 

As recent events have demonstrated, we can no longer depend on FAM to deliver.

Our embarrassing defeats to China, Uzbekistan and Iran were disastrous, and this should serve as the catalyst for change.

In my humble opinion, change must come from the top.

Although FAM cannot be faulted entirely for the present mess we are in, the national body must shoulder a major portion of the blame.

I would not want to cling on days of yore, when Abdul Ghani Minhat, Syed Ahmad Abu Bakar, Mokhtar Dahari, Soh Chin Aun and R. Arumugam endeared themselves to the Malaysian public.

They came from working-class families, having grown up playing in the kampung or padi fields and rubber plantations.

In sharp contrast, today's youngsters spend only a fraction of their time at playgrounds or parks. The ever-increasing demands of school and academic life, the competitiveness of the job market and the incredible technological advances - notably the Internet - make them prisoners of the indoors.

To ensure football stays relevant to today's generation, it requires a different strategy. To this end, FAM needs new faces who are receptive to fresh ideas.

# FAM has little choice but be independent of the State FAs if we want to break free from this mediocrity.

Suggestion: Amend the FAM constitution to enable the national body to shift its focus towards developing the sport. FAM must be run by technical people and corporate figures with the principal office-bearers as figureheads. Identify a young general secretary with no political affiliation, whose main task is to implement policies and head the secretariat.

# A new league structure run by a separate entity.

Suggestion: The time is ripe for a separate professional and profit-driven entity to run the M-League, similar to the J-League in Japan. A board of directors should be the M-League's highest authority in deciding the aims and policies of the league, while the executive committee puts those aims and policies into effect.

# Players' education

 FAM, with the help of the Ministries of Education and Youth and Sports, can draw up a complete coaching system designed to produce creative players. Of utmost importance is football education for players from the age of eight - the dos and don'ts as well as the motivational, technical and tactical aspects of the beautiful game.

Suggestion: Do it!

# Coaches' education 

 Youth coaches tend to emphasise on results rather than education. Most coaches want results even at school level which in turn puts fear and pressure on the young players.

Suggestion: Enjoy the game, before we teach the players the basic tactical movements when they reach 15. Given the magnitude of the problem, admittedly FAM needs help from all parties, especially the Government machinery, public and parental understanding as well as media support. However, there is a need for FAM to prove to the public and the stakeholders that they are willing to change. In this regard, Sultan Ahmad Shah as president, can advise the delegates to be receptive of reforms. Or else, please make way for new blood.

A nation's fate depends on the bounce of a little ball. Well-honed and experienced natural talents on the pitch, produced as a result of good governance off it, can always change its course.

Sincerely,

Rizal Hashim,
Bangsar.

Anda pernah baca Road Map yang dirangka bekas Pengarah Teknikal Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia (FAM), Robert Alberts? Sedikit perkongsian...waktu itu Setiausaha Agung FAM Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad.

"Hang ngaji mana?" itu soalan pertama yang terpacul dari mulutnya. Typical seorang wartawan - direct dan straight to the point. Satu hari awal tahun 2000, pertemuan di apartment Othman Abu Bakar dan Fadilah Jantan di Bandar Sri Damansara. Itu ujian pertama yang harus aku tempuhi dalam laluan melamar Intan.
Saksikan bingkisan Kahar. Kenangan bersama OAB.

 

Exactly a decade ago, my story hit the front page of the Malay Mail. The old Malay Mail. The paper that was owned by the New Straits Times.


To those who do not understand English, go ahead and use google translate. Easy life eh.


FOOTBALL in Malaysia is at its lowest ebb.

Never before have Malaysia been ranked as low as 146 in the FIFA world rankings, raising the roof of the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

Compounding matters is the game's domestic guardians, the FA of Malaysia (FAM), who are apparently in crisis.

They were asked to resign en bloc by Kalabakan Member of Parliament, Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh yesterday.

It is learnt a big pow-wow is scheduled soon to resolve a power struggle involving the key players in the FAM secretariat in Kelana Jaya.

Allegations of kickbacks, lack of transparency and favouritism within the headquarters have been circulating in football fraternity, threatening to derail Malaysia's effort of climbing to a respectable standing in the eyes of the world.

It is learnt FAM are split into two camps with both sides trying to oust each other.

FAM deputy president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, however, denied any knowledge of a leadership crisis or moves to remove the top brass.

"Honestly, that's news to me. Further more I've been away (for the World Cup)," Tengku Abdullah told Mailsport last night.

FAM general secretary Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad could not be reached for comment as he is with the national Under-20 team, who are competing in a youth tournament in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Yesterday, Abdul Ghapur who was a former Sabah FA president, caused an uproar when he challenged FAM's office-bearers to resign en bloc after Youth and Sports Ministry parliamentary secretary S.A. Vigneswaran told the House that Malaysia were 146th in the world football ranking.

"I am challenging FAM officials from the top to the bottom to quit en bloc. We hand over FAM (management) to MyTeam, maybe there'll be some hope," he said, to the thumping of the table by some Members of Parliament in support of the challenge.

MyTeam are a private initiative to unearth new football talents under a reality programme.

Abdul Ghapur added 30 years given to FAM to revive the glorious days of Datuk Abdul Ghani Minhat and Mokhtar Dahari were too long.

Malaysia's best ever placing was 75th when the FIFA rankings were introduced in August 1993.

The team have never quite recovered from the Chiangmai SEA Games debacle in 1995 when Malaysia dropped to 112th.

Since then, Malaysia have hovered around the 100-120 bracket.

The only time Malaysia managed to sneak into the top 100 was October 2003, at 99th.

During question time, Vigneswaran said, while the Ministry were disappointed with the drastic drop of standards, he denied the FAM leadership did not work hard to improve the situation, pointing out that the Malaysian Under-20 team had qualified for the Asian Youth Championship to be held in India in October.

Responding to Abdul Ghapur's attack, Larut MP Datuk Raja Ahmad Zainuddin Raja Omar who is a vice-president of FAM, said the country ought to open her doors to highly talented foreigners to become naturalised citizens.

"If we study the make-up of several European nations in the recently concluded World Cup, they were either naturalised citizens or children of immigrants.

"In this era of globalisation, perhaps this is the way forward," said Raja Ahmad, adding that the National Sports Council (NSC) had granted citizenship to race walker Yuan Yufang, shooter Irina Maharani and weightlifter Hidayat Hamidon prior to the Commonwealth Games in 1998.

MM says: Abdul Ghapur's stint as the Sabah FA president in 94-95 ought to enlighten him on the challenges facing Malaysian football. As such, is there any agenda behind his remarks?