Asian Games Men's Hockey Fixtures

ASIAN GAMES MEN’S HOCKEY FIXTURES (ALL MALAYSIAN TIME)


FIXTURES: TUESDAY -- Group A: China v Singapore (8pm); Group B: South Korea v Oman (6pm).
WEDNESDAY: Group B: India v Bangladesh (1pm), Pakistan v Hong Kong (3pm).
THURSDAY: Group A: Singapore v Oman (2.30pm), Malaysia v South Korea (5.30pm); Group B: Bangladesh v Hong Kong (3.30pm), Japan v Pakistan (7.30pm).
FRIDAY: Group A: Oman v Malaysia (6pm), China v South Korea (8pm).
SATURDAY: Group B: Hong Kong v Japan (1pm), India v Pakistan (3pm).
SUNDAY: Group A: South Korea v Singapore (3.30pm), Malaysia v China (7.30pm); Group B: Pakistan v Bangladesh (2.30pm), Japan v India (5.30pm).


GROUP A
P W D L F A Pts
China 1 1 0 0 7 0 3
Malaysia 1 1 0 0 3 0 3
Oman 1 0 0 1 0 7 0
Singapore 1 0 0 1 0 3 0
Korea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

GROUP B
P W D L F A Pts
India 1 1 0 0 7 0 3
Japan 1 1 0 0 3 1 3
Bangladesh 1 0 0 1 1 3 0
Hong Kong 1 0 0 1 0 7 0
Pakistan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Only a 3-0 win against Singapore

By Ajitpal Singh

THE national hockey team had 16 opportunities, including eight penalty corner attempts, but the Stephen Van Huizen men managed only a 3-0 win over minnows Singapore in their opening Group A match at the Aoti Hockey Stadium.
The team started impressively, taking only seven minutes to sound the board through Hafifihafiz Hanafi’s open play attempt.
The Malaysian fans then must have thought they would be treated with a goal spree after an early goal but it was not to be.
After many attempts, Azlan Misron scored, off a brilliant pass from Baljit Singh Charun, in the 33rd minute before Razie Rahim added the third off a penalty corner set-piece, two minutes later.
In the second half, Malaysia were denied several more opportunities. However, credit must be given to Singapore goalkeeper and captain Ng Wai Chiang, who made several splendid saves to deny Malaysia more goals.
Van Huizen said he was happy with the three points but not the manner his boys won it.
“What’s important is the three points. However, I’m not happy with the way we missed so many sitters,” said van Huizen at the Aoti Hockey Stadium yesterday.
“Anyway, we have another three days to re-group for the next match against South Korea. We need to analyze our game comprehensively to do our best in it.
Malaysia face Korea on Thursday and Oman, on the next day. The team complete their group fixtures against hosts China on Sunday.
RESULTS: Group A -- Malaysia 3 Singapore 0, China 7 Oman 0.
Group B: India 7 Hong Kong 0, Japan 3 Bangladesh 1.
Group A: Malaysia 3 (Hafifihafiz Hanafi 7, Azlan Misron 33, Abd Rahim 35) Singapore 0 H-t: 3-0.
Group B: India 7 (Bharat Kumar 2, Sandeep Singh 4, 18, Sarvanjit Singh 22, Tushar Khandekar 37, Arjun Halappa 38, Shivendra Singh 48) Hong Kong 0 H-t: 4-0.
Group B: Japan 3 (Takahiko Yamabori 47, Katsuyoshi Nagasawa 56, Kazuyuki Ozawa 69) Bangladesh 1 (Krishno Kumir 9) H-t: 0-1.

Malaysia gutsy against Japan

Pic: Norfaraha Hashim (R).

THE Malaysian women’s hockey team put up a credible performance against Japan before bowing out 4-2 yesterday.
Malaysia, ranked 22nd in the world, were down 0-2 to the No 9 in the world, but drew level at 2-2 before losing out on experience in the last nine minutes of the match.
The Japan goals were scored by Kaori Chiba (third, 63rd), Ai Murakami (12th), Miyuki Nakagawa 68th. Noor Hasliza (55th) and Norfaraha Hashim (61st) scored for Malaysia.
Malaysia next play world No 8 South Korea on Tuesday.
In another match, South Korean captain Lee Seon-Ok slammed six goals as the former champions drubbed Kazakhstan 10-3.
The top two teams after the round-robin league in the seven-nation tournament will qualify for the final.

FIH not bothered about Asia

By Jugjet Singh
jugjet@nst.com.my

AUSTRALIA and New Zealand will both qualify auto matically for the Olympics and possibly World Cups after the International Hockey Federation (FIH) gave them a super boost, while Asia were avoided like a leprosy colony.
The FIH released the qualification quotas for the 2012 London Olympic Games, where it gave one ticket to the winners of the Oceania Cup, while: “Therefore, the next highest placed team at the 7th Men’s Oceania Cup qualifies directly for the 2012 Olympics Games, together with the Oceania Champion,” read the FIH website.
This is a mockery as the Oceania Cup men’s tournament since 1999 to 2009 has witnessed Australia winning it and New Zealand emerging second.
And the reason is that in 1999, 2001 and 2003, only both the teams played in the Oceania Cup, while in 2005 Fiji was the third team, in 2007 Papua New Guinea was the third team, and in 1999 Samoa were the third team.
Needless to say, Fiji, Papua and Samoa received the whipping of their lives. Australia are the No 1 ranked team in the World, New Zealand seventh, Samoa 71st, Fiji 72nd and Papua New Guinea 73rd.
The last three spots in the FIH World ranking belong to the three Oceania teams.
The same applies for the Women’s Oceania Cup, where Australia and New Zealand shared the honours, because their opponents had difficulty in even holding the hockey sticks properly.
The FIH snubbed Asia when it maintained that only the Asian Games gold medallist gets a direct ticket to the Olympics, while the second to sixth placed teams play in three other qualifiers which offers only three tickets to the Olympics.
Asia has South Korea, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, China and Japan in the top 20 of the world rankings, but were only given one direct entry.
THE qualification system for the 2012 Olympic Games Men’s Hockey Tournament:
Automatic qualifiers: Host nation – Great Britain; Africa - Champion at Africa Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament’; America - Champion at 16th Pan American Games; Asia - Champion at 16th Asian Games; Europe - Champion at 13th EuroHockey Nations Championship for Men; Oceania - Champion at 7th Men’s Oceania Cup.
Extra quota places: Europe: Two extra quotas; Oceania: One extra quota.

FIH leave Asian hockey out in cold

By S.S. Dhaliwal (pic).

IT’S high time countries from Asia tell FIH to go fly kites.
The money for hockey is in Asia with Pakistan and India the cash cows in terms of TV rights.
Yet the FIH pay scant respect to Asia as evident in the quota system released for the 2012 London Olympics.
Out of 12 places available, one goes to the host country, five to the continental champions and three to ranking of FIH.
So if Great Britain wins the Euro Championships, mind you they play as England there, then there will be another three places for Europe.
And here is where it gets more ridiculous , the champion of Oceania and the runner-up are given places in London. Just how many teams from Oceania are in the top 20 world rankings.
For the Asians, who have South Korea, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, China and Japan in the top 20 of the world rankings, we are given only one spot automatically and the next five have to play with another 13 countries to vie for three spots remaining.
Utter rubbish FIH and this is discrimination against Asia, period.
So AHF should just tell FIH where to go as far as the Olympics is concerned, and forget about the Premier Series.
For once stand up and be counted Asia as for far too long have you been taken to the cleaners by these so called wise men of FIH.
They want our money but not our teams.
Read the FIH Quota System at www.malaysianhockey.blogspot.com.