HEADS were expected to roll during the Malaysian Hockey Federation's
(MHF) eagerly anticipated council meeting in Kuala Lumpur yesterday but
it turned out be a dull affair instead.
MHF president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah was expected to take
drastic action after Malaysia's debacle in the Champions Challenge II in
Dublin but head coach Tai Beng Hai and his assistants survived the chop.
The issue of coaching committee chairman Dr Balbir Singh, who was
alleged to have made appointments before seeking the approval of its
members, was also not discussed.
Tengku Abdullah was said to be immensely disappointed with Malaysia's
performance in Dublin, leading to speculation that he was contemplating
resigning.
Tengku Abdullah did not speak to the media after the council meeting
but MHF deputy president Noor Azmi Ahmad attributed this to another
meeting the president had to attend in Putrajaya.
Noor Azmi said speculation about Tengku Abdullah's future with MHF was
not raised and neither did he hint about wanting to leave the
association.
"The failure in the Champions Challenge in Dublin was discussed. Tengku
Abdullah was disappointed that Malaysia couldn't achieve the target of
becoming champions and could only finish fourth," said Noor Azmi.
"However, Tengku Abdullah has not taken any drastic action and still
has faith in Beng Hai, who must take serious measures to help the
Malaysian senior squad show improvement again.
"All coaches will retain their positions while the sub-committees will
remain status quo.
"Beng Hai's next mission is to guide Malaysia in the World Cup
qualifiers in New Delhi later this year where they must finish champions.
"Beng Hai came into the fray in January and he should be given time and
it will not be a good move to hire a new coach with the World Cup
qualifiers just four months away."
Noor Azmi also stated that Tengku Abdullah had urged the sub committees
to avoid internal bickering and work more professionally to bring
positive changes to MHF and Malaysian hockey.
