Tengku Majid to stand amid intimidating SMS

THE Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) nominees for their Oct 31 election stuck to their guns, even after one aspiring deputy president received an intimidating SMS, as none of them withdrew when the deadline ended yesterday.
The deputy president's post will see incumbent Nur Azmi Ahmad being challenged by current vice-president Datuk Dr S.S. Cheema, former deputy president Tengku Majid Sultan Iskandar and former international Abdul Hadi.
In the vice president's race eight will go to the ballot and they are incumbents Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh, Datuk Rahim Ariff and M. Gobinathan.
The newcomers are Ow Soon Kooi, Johari Abdul Aziz, Mohinder Singh, Manjit Majid Abdullah and Rahim Ahmad.
Tengku Majid said he will stand even after receiving an intimidating SMS: "I received an SMS which said the president (Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah) does not support my move to stand for deputy president.
"I have spoken to the president and he told me that he does not have a preffered team for the elections and that he can work with anybody who is given the mandate by affiliates. He said he does not have a problem with me standing for deputy."
Part of the SMS, forwarded by Tengku Majid to this scribe, read: "Looks like we want to work with you but you don't want to work with us. Our common enemy xxx will win if we don't plan and work together.
"It is an open secret that president is not keen in you being DP when he is there. If you lose you can never come back to MHF. I know you can contribute alot to MHF but you must be patient to win. If you believe me than work with me, if not all the best to you.
"I am 16 years in MHF. I have never lost in any MHF election. The people I support always win including you previously. Give a deep thought."
The SMS spurred Tengku Majid to go the distance: "If I am elected I will not meddle with the national team as there are already too many people running the show up there. I am more interested to revive hockey at the states and club level, and that will be my passion for the next four years."

Easy fixtures in Asia Games

THE Malaysian men's hockey team received a favourable fixture for the Guangzhou Asian Games as they open accounts against Singapore. But they could find themselves without a chief coach.
After playing Singapore, Malaysia will have a day's rest before meeting South Korea and Oman back-to-back.
Hosts China will square off against Malaysia after another day's rest.
"Yes, the fixtures are very kind to us because earlier I had feared that we would have to play Korea and China back-to-back. Or that Korea and China will play in the last game.
"However, having said that, reaching the semi-finals is still in the hands of the players, as they have to perform in every match," said chief coach Stephen van Huizen.
It is highly likely that Korea will seal one semis ticket, while Malaysia and China will fight for the second spot in their final Group A match.
Van Huizen was injured during the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi when he missed a step, and the early indications are that he fractured a bone in his back.
"I have gone for an X-ray and the pain is still there. I will only find out in a few days time how serious the injury is," said van Huizen.
The women will play India, followed by Japan, Korea, Kazakhstan and Thailand.
MEN -- Group A: South Korea, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Oman; Group B: India, Pakistan, Japan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong.
WOMEN -- China, Japan, India, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Thailand.