Good hosts, but what about the team?

11/12/2000

THE 2002 World Cup hockey tournament will be a showcase of organisation
because the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF), with help from the National
Sports Council (NSC), are masters of ceremonies.
Additional seats will be fitted at both hockey stadia in Bukit Jalil
and, no doubt, teams and officials from the 16 competing countries will
have the best food and accommodation.
But what about the national team? As seen at the Sydney Olympics, the
team have mastered the skills of defending but the forwards have not done
their bit.
Malaysia held eventual champions Holland 0-0; then fought tooth-and-nail
with Pakistan and were 1-0 up with only 37 seconds left on the clock but
Pakistan showed us that deadly forwards are what we need for points with a
smartly placed goal to snatch a draw.
Some may say Malaysia had a good outing at the Sydney Olympics but
history does not forgive mistakes, no matter in how many nano-seconds they
are made, and the records will forever show that we finished 11th in a 12-
team tournament.
Cynics will argue that that finishing second last has become a habit for
hockey these days.
Unlike soccer, the hockey team have been consistently qualifying for the
World Cup and Olympics but they have not returned with encouraging
results.
In fact, they finished 11th at the 1998 World Cup and also at the 1996
Atlanta Olympics. In the 1998 Asian Games, Malaysia finished fifth, one of
their worst showings in recent years.
In short, qualifying for the Olympics and World Cup cannot be the
standard set for future hockey teams.
But all is not lost, because the coaches and team managers are virtually
working around the clock to form a decent side with warnings to all in the
training squad that no individual is too big to be dropped if he does not
put his heart and soul into it.
Also MHF, wiser from past experiences, will come down hard on those who
quit national training without valid reasons. From now on, those who
withdraw from the squad without valid reasons will find themselves barred
from all MHF organised tournaments for 2001.
When Malaysia hosted the World Cup in 1975 on grass, we finished fourth.
So when the Cup makes a return in 2002, anything less will be deemed a
failure, no matter how many books have been written from praises lavished
on our organisational skills.
Centrehalves S. Kuhan, K. Keevan Raj and forward Suhaimi Ibrahim, who
are expected to rule this decade, shoulder a heavy burden. But this comes
with the job and they should start getting used to it by now.
The yardstick on our progress can be gauged in the Azlan Shah Cup next
year which will probably see Olympic champions Holland, Germany, India,
Pakistan and South Korea in action.
Even Australia, England and South Africa have written to MHF saying they
want a piece of the action as well. That should make the Azlan Shah
feature about half of the teams who will be taking part in the 2002 World
Cup.
Maybe the men in yellow will show us what they are made of in the
tournament.
In October 2001, when the National Juniors take part in the Junior World
Cup in Hobart, Tasmania, we will again get an early preview of what the
national team are capable of.
Chua Boon Huat, S. Shankar, Jiwa Mohan, Zaharin Zakaria, Mohamed Fairuz
Ramli, Redzuan Ponirin, Tajol Rosli and Mohamed Amin Rahim will be among
those seeing action in Hobart and these are some of the versatile players
that MHF have in their stables right now.
At the wink of an eye, the promising ones will also see action in the
2002 World Cup and this augurs well for the developemnt of hockey. For far
too long, we have been relying on the old horses, having time and again
recalled retired players to fill the vacuum in defence and attack.
And since the International Hockey Federation (FIH) have agreed to make
the 2002 World Cup a 16-team affair, the players must also be physically
fit to play more matches against the best in the world.
Malaysia have qualified by virtue of being hosts as have defending
champions Holland.
They will be joined by the five continental cup champions and another
nine teams from the qualifiers which will be played in Edinburgh, Scotland
on July 17-29.
MHF, realising Malaysia might find the going tough in the existing
system of four groups of four, where one defeat may spell the end of our
campaign, are pushing for a two-group format of eight teams, which means
the top four in each group will get another chance.
If this move is sanctioned by IHF, Malaysia are assured of a top eight
finish in 2002 and the fan support will be there in all the matches. But
let's not wait for a favour from IHF because we still have about two years
to prepare a potent side from our junior ranks.
Let's play the game in regulation time and not wait for EXTRA TIME or
sudden death to decide our fate in 2002.
(END)