Hosts Negri make the semis grade...

HOSTS Negri Sembilan scraped into the semi-finals of the MHC-Milo-NSC-MOE National Under-14 by the skin of their teeth when they beat Terengganu 1-0 at the Seremban Two Stadium yesterday.
    The hosts needed a win after Penang had defeated Perak 2-0 in an earlier match but missed many chances in the first half.
   But Shafiq Mohd Zapi’s strike in the 40th minute will see them play five-times champions Kuala Lumpur in the semi-finals.
   The other semi-finals will be between Perak and Johor.
   Ironically, Negri Sembilan born Madzli Ikmar is coaching Kuala Lumpur and will plot the downfall of his state.
     “Sentiments will be set aside as I have to be professional in carrying out my job. But Negri are no pushovers as they play with their heart and it was evident in the match against Terengganu,” said Madzli.
     “They have been improving in every match, and its not going to be an easy ride. Still I am confident that my team has what it takes to make the final.”
    Johor beat Perlis 5-0 with goals from Taufik Kamjai (2nd minute), Amirul Hanis  (28th), Shafiq Hassan (52nd, 58th) and Zulsafiq Amirul (65th minute) to book their spot.
    Earlier in the morning, defending champions Kuala Lumpur laboured to a 2-1 win over Kelantan.
      Perak who had already assured themselves of the top spot in Group B and the result would have not affected their position. And on the top of that they had two players on a yellow card each – Muhd Zaidi Mat Sait and K. Hariharan.
     “With the semis only 24 hours away we did not want to risk playing our first team and it was also to rest some key players as we are in a group that requires teams to play an extra match,” said Perak team manager Manjit Singh.
     “The semis aginst Johor will be tough as they have shown marked improvement. We need to get a result within the regulation time or we might be in trouble.”
    RESULTS: Group A -- Kuala Lumpur 2 Kelantan 1, Johor 5 Perlis 0, Pahang 2 Selangor 3.
   Group B: Kedah 1 Malacca 3, Perak 0 Penang 2, Terengganu 0 Negri Sembilan 1
   TODAY: Semi-finals -- Kuala Lumpur v Negri Sembilan (4pm), Perak v Johor (6pm)
   

 FINAL STANDINGS

GROUP A

                                P        W       D        L        F        A        Pts
K. Lumpur              5         4        1         0       14       5           13
Johor                       5         3        1        1        17       4           10
Selangor                  5         3        0        2         11     9            9
Kelantan                  5        2        1         2         4       6            7
Pahang                    5         0        2        3         4      14           2
Perlis                       5         0        1        4         2       13          1


GROUP B

                                P        W       D        L        F      A        Pts
Perak                       6         5        0         1        15      4           15
N. Sembilan            6         4        1         1        15      9           13
Penang                    6         4        0         2        23      13         12
Terengganu             6         2        2         2         11      8           8
Malacca                  6         2       1         3           8      16           7
Sabah                      6         1        1         4          8      17           4
Kedah                     6         0        1         5          4       17           1

Midnight date with the Poles...

THE Champions Challenge I starts in Buenos Aires, Argentina today, with Malaysia hoping to make the grade to the Champions Trophy next by snatching the gold medal.
    The tournament also provides valuable ranking points for the taking, as the format is very accommodating as all eight teams move into the quarter-finals stage irrespective of their outcome in the group stages.
   In the fray against World No 13 Malaysia in Group A are South Korea (No 7), Canada (14), and Poland (19).
   In Group B Argentina (10), South Africa (12), Ireland (15) and Japan (16).
    And three of the teams have the London Olympic pedigree to back on with Korea finishing eighth in London, while Argentina and South Africa claiming 10th and 11th respectively.
    Malaysian coach Paul Revington, a South African, has said many times and reiterated during the final selection that he only has gold on his mind.
    “I want to inculcate a winning attitude among the players by changing their mind-set. Instead of thinking we are 13th in the world, we must start to think that we can win the Champions Challenge and move into the Champions Trophy bracket,” he had said.  
   And the South African selected a squad packed with international experience in a bid to capture the title in Quilmes.
   Defender Amin Rahim (32-years-old, 277 caps), striker Chua Boon Huat (32, 306 caps), goalkeeper Roslan Jamaluddin (34, 174 caps) and Azlan Misron (29, 277 caps) are among the experienced hands.
   While the exciting young talent in the group are teenagers Fitri Saari (14 caps) and his brother Faizal (21, 87 caps) and debutant Faiz Helmi Jali (18, 0 caps) also gaining selection.  
     Malaysia will open their campaign against Poland today at 12 midnight, as Argentina are 11 hours behind.
    Their next opponents are South Korea also at midnight on Sunday, while their final Group A opponents are Canada on Tuesday at 11pm.
    Poland, the 2011 World indoor silver medallists, will be  coming into this tournament as the lowest ranked team, but their talented squad must not be under-estimated.
    Team captain Dariusz Rachwalski is one of the most skilful and creative players in the game, while the experience of Miroslaw Juszczak (173 caps), Tomasz Gorny (108 caps) and outstanding goalkeeper Arkadiusz Matuszak (97 caps) ensures that they are certainly not in Argentina just to make up the numbers.
    Poland coach Karol Sniezek has named 14 players under the age of 25 including two 20 year olds who will make their international debuts at the tournament – Adrian Krokosz and Mateusz Stotko.

A PHATALOGICAL LIAR..

By http://www.malaysianhockey.blogspot.com/

Remember that face for he has ridiculed Malaysian hockey, both the teams and fans as HOOLIGANS. And in an interview with a Dutch website, umpire Coen van Bunge who was one of the two neutral umpires at the Sultan of Johor Cup 2012 claims amongst others:

- that he sent Malaysian captain Mohd Nor Faeez Ibrahim to the sin bin in the Malaysia v Australia match was because Faeez "touched" him.

- that the drum beating was "rhythm of death".

- that spectators were seated near him and he had to stay out of their way.

- that after the match there were four officers surrounbding him and that he was almost pushed out of the field.

- that he was escorted back to hotel with four officers and a gun weilding officer stood in the hallway of his hotel room.

This is something that the Malaysian Hockey Confederation needs to raise with FIH and there is video evidence to show that the so called four officers never touched him, and that his fellow umpires plus Technical Officials were the one who provided safe passage for him to leave the field, and perhaps the most damning that Faeez never laid a finger on him

 
The translation ( via Google translate ) reads as follows:

Referee Coen van Bunge whistled recently in Malaysia six nations tournament for players under 21. He got to do with real hockey hooligans, says the arbitrator in the Spits.Bunge whistled the match between host Malaysia and Australia. After a short time he gave two yellow cards to players of Malaysia, all hell broke into the stadium - where five thousand men sat - loose. 'One Malaysian player slipped by me and protested vehemently his Australian opponent because I had no map data for an offense, "explains Van Bunge from the newspaper. "Because of the protest I gave him yellow. Immediately afterwards came the leader of Malaysia to redress me and touched me when I showed him yellow. ""The crowd was incredible pounding and especially the hard core left with their drums in a kind of rhythm of death made themselves heard," says the 31-year division. "The spectators sat on n as three meters from the ground and I tried but a little out of their stay."In the final phase, according to the newspaper again 3-2 for Australia. Then Van Bunge totally screwed. "Immediately afterwards there were four officers around me, that I almost pushed off the field. Meanwhile, from the stand a glass bottle, plastic bottles and even a stick of a flag thrown at me. "Then the arbitrator under an escort of four officers drove back to his hotel. He was also escorted to his room. "There was still an hour an agent with gun in the hallway and I was advised that evening at the hotel to stay and room service to order."When asked whether Van Bunge in the future going to Malaysia to whistle, replies the thirties that he certainly would. "All in all it is a very frightening experience as five thousand spectators so terrible rage against you, and I hope something like that never really more to do. But next time I would definitely go back to Malaysia to whistle. I just think that she would not be so quick to ask. "

Please visit http://www.hockey.nl/26015/van-bunge-agent-zat-met-pistool-op-de-gang for the original posting.

Scheidsrechter Coen van Bunge floot onlangs in Maleisië een zeslandentoernooi voor spelers onder de 21 jaar. Hij kreeg daar te maken met echte hockeyhooligans, vertelt de arbiter in de Sp!ts.

Van Bunge floot de wedstrijd tussen gastland Maleisië en Australië. Nadat hij binnen korte tijd twee gele kaarten gaf aan spelers van Maleisië, brak de hel in het stadion - waar vijfduizend man zat - los. ‘Een Maleisische speler gleed volgens mij uit en protesteerde heftig omdat ik zijn Australische tegenstander geen kaart had gegeven voor een overtreding’, legt Van Bunge uit aan de krant. ‘Vanwege het protesteren gaf ik hem geel. Direct hierna kwam de aanvoerder van Maleisië bij mij verhaal halen en raakte me aan waarop ik hem ook geel toonde.’


‘Het publiek ging ongelooflijk tekeer en vooral de harde kern liet met hun trommels in een soort van ritme des doods van zich horen’, zegt de 31-jarige scheids. ‘De toeschouwers zaten op zo n drie meter van het veld en ik probeerde maar een beetje uit hun buurt te blijven.’


In de slotfase werd het volgens de krant nog eens 3-2 voor Australië. Toen was Van Bunge helemaal de klos. ‘Direct na afloop stonden er vier agenten om me heen, die me zo ongeveer het veld af duwden. Ondertussen werden er vanaf de tribune een glazen fles, plastic flessen en zelfs een stok van een vlag naar mij gegooid.’

Vervolgens werd de arbiter onder een escorte van vier agenten terug naar zijn hotel gereden. Hij werd ook nog eens begeleid naar zijn kamer. ‘Er zat nog een uur lang een agent met pistool op de gang en er werd mij geadviseerd om die avond in het hotel te blijven en roomservice te bestellen.’

Op de vraag of Van Bunge in de toekomst weer naar Maleisië gaat om te fluiten, antwoordt de dertiger dat hij dat zeker zou doen. ‘Al met al is het een heel angstige ervaring als vijfduizend toeschouwers zo verschrikkelijk tegen je tekeergaan en ik hoop iets dergelijks echt nooit meer mee te maken. Maar een volgende keer zou ik absoluut weer naar Maleisië gaan om te fluiten. Ik denk alleen dat ze me niet meer zo snel zullen vragen.’