NATIONAL chief coach Stephen van Huizen has selected 30 players after watching the Razak Cup in Kuantan, and S. Selvaraju is not among them.Selvaraju, a hard-running forward, did not play in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) as well as the Razak Cup, as he chose to play in the French League.
“I have given the training list to the MHF (Malaysian Hockey Federation) for endorsement and I was told they will make the announcement soon.
“I am not at liberty to disclose names, but all those who played in the MHL as well as the Razak Cup were eligible to be called up for national training,” said Stephen.
The newly appointed coach said he did not name Selvaraju because he does not know the players status.
“He chose to play in the French League instead of the MHL and Razak Cup so I do not know his progress. He was carrying an injury before he went to France, and since I do not know if he has recovered or not, I have left out his name.”
However, Jiwa Mohan, who is working and playing in Australia, will be considered if the MHF and National Sports Council (NSC) can foot his bill.
“Jiwa played in the MHL and his situation is different because of the cost factor involved. If the MHF and NSC are willing to foot his travelling and other bills, he will be considered because we have to important tournaments back- to-back and we need a big pool of players in training,” said Stephen.
Malaysia will play in the Azlan Shah Cup in a months time, and after that it is the Commonwealth and then Asian Games.
Team manager Datuk Dr S.S. Cheema, who was New Delhi during the World Cup, said this is Malaysia’s best chance to win the Asian Games gold medal.
“India and Pakistan are no longer strong sides and South Korea are only relying on fitness. I did not see anything special in the Korean side during the World Cup, and I personally feel that if Malaysia are to win gold in the Asian Games, this is the right time to make a serious push,” said Cheema.
An Asian games gold will take Malaysian directly into the 2012 London Olympics, without having to go though another tough qualifier.
