THE MALAYSIA Hockey League (MHL) Division One and Women's tournament will begin today, with hope of new talent emerging from the ranks.
The Premier Division will take off with double champions Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) playing Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) in the Charity Shield on Sunday.
The six-team Premier Division has 24 foreign players, and established national and former national players. The only bright sparks for development here are UniKL Young Guns who parade 11 2016 Junior World Cup trainees, and Tenaga Nasional fielding 90 per cent youth.
Malaysia Hockey Confederation (MHC) CEO K. Logan Raj said: "Event though the Premier Division looks like its heavy with foreign players, the reality is that we need to keep its prestige to attract the fans as well as give our local players a chance to learn by playing and adapting themselves in different situations."
The other three in the Premier Division are Sapura, Tenaga Nasional and Maybank.
Tenaga Nasional are the only team without foreign players, and they will stick to their vision of nurturing locals from their partner school -- Sekolah Sukan Tunku Mahkota Ismail.
UniKL are also continuing their proud tradition in nurturing juniors.
"We had 12 UniKL players in the last Junior World Cup squad (which finished fourth in New Delhi) and this MHL team would have 11 2016 Junior World Cup trainees.
"In the short history of our club (established 2009) we have managed to nurture many players with our junior development programmes. The MHL will see 11 Junior World Cup trainees, and hopefully it will benefit them when they play in the Junior Asia Cup (in Kuantan, which is a JWC qualifier)," said team manager Faiz Isa.
As for the Charity Shield, KLHC will be gunning for their fourth shield, while THT their first. For the record, the Charity shield also offers three points to the winner.
KLHC won the Shield in 2011, 2012 and 2014. The other three editions were won by Tenaga Nasional in 2009, 2010 and 2013.
"With all our foreign players (four Argentines and a Pakistan) having arrived on Wednesday, we will surely be looking to claim the early three points," said THT coach Sarjit Singh.
As for KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj, he prefers the underdogs tag.
"THT would like a good start, just like any other team, but I'm happy to play the underdogs against early favourites THT, and if we can't claim not full points, at least one point would do in the opener."
TODAY: Division One A: MSP-YP-SSP v MSNT-THT (Kuantan, 5pm), MBI v MASUM-USM (Azlan Shah, 5pm), TNB Thunderbolts v BJSS (Taman Daya II, 5pm); Division One B: Nur Insafi-Penang Hockey v UiTM (Sg Petani, 5pm), Politeknik v SSTMI (Taman Daya I).
Women: MSNT-PHT v ATM Pernama (SHBB, 5pm).
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Mike: Forget about current batch...
OLYMPIAN Maninderjit Singh feels the current senior national team should be disbanded as Malaysia look forward to four major tournaments in the next five years.
This came about after Brazil qualified for the semi-finals of the Pan American and met the criteria set by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) to play as Olympic hosts.
Brazil upset United States 3-1 in a penalty shoot-out, after 1-1 regulation score, and dashed World League fifth reserves Malaysia's hopes of playing in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016.
"With no more chance of playing in next year's Olympics, the current senior squad should be disbanded and plans be formulated leading towards qualifying for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
"Looking at the age of this team, about eight of them would be too old to play good hockey by the next Olympics, and also, there are three more important tournaments to qualify and play in," said Maninderjit who also briefly held the post of secretary in the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC).
And there are three tournaments in 2018. World Cup, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.
"A detailed plan leading to the qualifications of the World Cup and Olympics must be formulated, and targets set for the men's and women's as well as both the junior teams.
"The MHC must also come out with a code of conduct for players, as this was one of the problems which led to a dismal outing in many previous tournaments," said Maninderjit.
Malaysia ranked 12th in the World, last played in the Olympics in Sydney 2000, where Maninderjit was a defender.
"The CEO (K. Logan Raj) must also monitor the progress of all four teams and call for a monthly review. The task is heavy, but Malaysia must wake up early, or they will find themselves playing in qualifiers without any real hope of playing in the World Cup and Olympics," said Maninderjit.
MHC have already received the World League Semi-finals report from coach Tai Beng Hai and and it will be reviewed by the coaching committee either at the end of the month or first week of August.
And when the MHC Executive Board meets in the middle of August, they are expected to name a foreign coach, highly likely Australian Terry Walsh, to become the Technical Director and chart Malaysia's path towards the 2018 World Cup and the 2020 Olympics.
This came about after Brazil qualified for the semi-finals of the Pan American and met the criteria set by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) to play as Olympic hosts.
Brazil upset United States 3-1 in a penalty shoot-out, after 1-1 regulation score, and dashed World League fifth reserves Malaysia's hopes of playing in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016.
"With no more chance of playing in next year's Olympics, the current senior squad should be disbanded and plans be formulated leading towards qualifying for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
"Looking at the age of this team, about eight of them would be too old to play good hockey by the next Olympics, and also, there are three more important tournaments to qualify and play in," said Maninderjit who also briefly held the post of secretary in the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC).
And there are three tournaments in 2018. World Cup, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.
"A detailed plan leading to the qualifications of the World Cup and Olympics must be formulated, and targets set for the men's and women's as well as both the junior teams.
"The MHC must also come out with a code of conduct for players, as this was one of the problems which led to a dismal outing in many previous tournaments," said Maninderjit.
Malaysia ranked 12th in the World, last played in the Olympics in Sydney 2000, where Maninderjit was a defender.
"The CEO (K. Logan Raj) must also monitor the progress of all four teams and call for a monthly review. The task is heavy, but Malaysia must wake up early, or they will find themselves playing in qualifiers without any real hope of playing in the World Cup and Olympics," said Maninderjit.
MHC have already received the World League Semi-finals report from coach Tai Beng Hai and and it will be reviewed by the coaching committee either at the end of the month or first week of August.
And when the MHC Executive Board meets in the middle of August, they are expected to name a foreign coach, highly likely Australian Terry Walsh, to become the Technical Director and chart Malaysia's path towards the 2018 World Cup and the 2020 Olympics.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Brazil blank out Malaysian hopes...
WORLD League fifth reserves Malaysia will miss the Olympics yet again, when Brazil upset Unites States in the quarter-finals of the Pan American Cup.
Olympic hosts Brazil were set a target of finishing top-six in the Pan Am by the International Olympic Council (IOC) and the International Hockey Federation (FIH) -- and they held US 1-1 in regulation and beat them 3-1 in shoot-out to qualify.
After the completion of the World League Semi-finals in Argentina and Belgium, the FIH had announced Canada as first reserves, followed by Spain, Ireland, New Zealand and Malaysia.
The reserves would qualify based on double qualifications in Continental tournaments as well as if the hosts failed to finish top six, with a higher ranked team taking the first bite.
Eight teams have already qualified for the Olympics, and this leaves only four more and fifth reserves Malaysia are out of the running.
Teams which had already qualified are Asian Games Champions India, Brazil, and six World League teams in Germany, Netherlands, Argentina, Australia, Belgium and Britain.
The four reserves would know their fate based on double qualifications in the Pan Am, the European Championships, and Oceania Cup.
Even fourth reserves New Zealand are in a limbo, as their door only opens up if South Africa win the Africa Cup. This is because the South Africa Olympic Council had said that even if they win, they will not send a team to the Olympics because they did not qualify for the World League Semifinals.
National Sports Institute director general Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz summed it up when he said: "In any sports, the athlete or team must desire victory more than those who support them. So we need to embed the culture of seizing the opportunity by being in control and dictating matters."
Malaysia lost control when they went crashing 3-2 to India in the quarterfinals stage in Belgium.
The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) have already started looking for a foreign coach to prepare Malaysia for the 2020 Olympics, and president Datuk Sri Subahan Kamal had said before departing for Belgium: "To be fair, we just inherited this team and have given them all the support to give their best in the World League. But in the same breath, we are already looking and working towards the 2020 Olympics."
For the record, Malaysia last played at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
KLHC want one back...
DOUBLE bridesmaid Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) will open their Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) campaign against nemesis Terengganu Hockey Team in the Charity Shield on Aug 2.
And KLHA coach K. Dharmaraj is looking for at least one title, but its not the Charity Shield.
"We have yet to train as a complete team but with help from five Pakistan and a German, I believe my outfit is ready to wrestle back at least one title from THT this season," said Dharmaraj.
The Pakistani players are midfielders Waseem Ahmad and Fareed Ahmad and forwards Muhammad Umar Bhutta and Ali Shan. German forward Philipp Stahr, who played for Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) the last two years, will turn out for KLHA this season.
"Muhammad Rizwan Senior was also initially slated to play for us, but he picked up an injury and will be replaced by another Pakistan player soon."
On the local front KLHA have No 1 penalty corner flicker Razie Rahim.
"Since I have the best penalty corner flicker in the country I decided not to sign a foreign flicker as Razie did a good job last season. Only that we were unlucky against THT," said Dharmaraj.
In last season's League title decider, KLHC beat Terengganu 2-1 at Bukit jalil, but lost the away game 1-6 in Kuala Terengganu.
And in the Overall title final, after a 3-3 draw, THT won the shoot-out 2-1.
"And since Terengganu still have the best locals again in their outfit, they will start as the favourites but we will not make it easy for them," said Dharmaraj.
The other notable locals in KLHC are goalkeeper Roslan Jamaluddin, defender Shukri Mutalib and midfielder Nabil Fiqri.
As for THT, they have until June 26 to sign their six foreign players, and coach Sarjit Singh is still keeping the cards close to his chest and said: "I can't release their names yet".
THT's seven national players are goalkeeper Hafizuddin Othman, defender Azlan Misron, midfielders Shahrun Nabil and Fitri Saari and forwards Faizal Saari, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin and Firhan Ashaari.
And KLHA coach K. Dharmaraj is looking for at least one title, but its not the Charity Shield.
"We have yet to train as a complete team but with help from five Pakistan and a German, I believe my outfit is ready to wrestle back at least one title from THT this season," said Dharmaraj.
The Pakistani players are midfielders Waseem Ahmad and Fareed Ahmad and forwards Muhammad Umar Bhutta and Ali Shan. German forward Philipp Stahr, who played for Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) the last two years, will turn out for KLHA this season.
"Muhammad Rizwan Senior was also initially slated to play for us, but he picked up an injury and will be replaced by another Pakistan player soon."
On the local front KLHA have No 1 penalty corner flicker Razie Rahim.
"Since I have the best penalty corner flicker in the country I decided not to sign a foreign flicker as Razie did a good job last season. Only that we were unlucky against THT," said Dharmaraj.
In last season's League title decider, KLHC beat Terengganu 2-1 at Bukit jalil, but lost the away game 1-6 in Kuala Terengganu.
And in the Overall title final, after a 3-3 draw, THT won the shoot-out 2-1.
"And since Terengganu still have the best locals again in their outfit, they will start as the favourites but we will not make it easy for them," said Dharmaraj.
The other notable locals in KLHC are goalkeeper Roslan Jamaluddin, defender Shukri Mutalib and midfielder Nabil Fiqri.
As for THT, they have until June 26 to sign their six foreign players, and coach Sarjit Singh is still keeping the cards close to his chest and said: "I can't release their names yet".
THT's seven national players are goalkeeper Hafizuddin Othman, defender Azlan Misron, midfielders Shahrun Nabil and Fitri Saari and forwards Faizal Saari, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin and Firhan Ashaari.
Beng Hai placed in a grey spot...
NATIONAL chief coach Tai Beng Hai is still unsure of coaching Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) side Sapura this season.
His contract with the national team expires end of July, while the MHL starts on Aug 1, but he is unsure if he will be allowed to coach a club side, if his contract with the national team is extended.
"I am still not sure about my contract with the national team, and if it is extended, will I be allowed to coach a club side? Many questions have to be answered before I can comment on Sapura," said Beng Hai.
In the meantime, Sapura are being handled by former national player Nishel Kumar.
"Sapura and two other teams had wanted to secure Korean players for the MHL, but after Korea failed to qualify for the Olympics, almost half the team have been called up for national duty, and it looks like many teams will be playing with local players in the MHL this season," said Beng Hai.
On the pros and cons of national coaches coaching club sides, Beng Hai said: "If national coaches are not allowed to coach clubs due to clauses in their contracts, can the other coaches continue with the same system because all the national players play in the MHL.
"There should be continuity in the coaching system, and having said that, the Premier Division is only for six weeks and personally I feel we should be allowed to handle clubs.
"I will wait for news on my contract, and the clause in it before I can decide on coaching Sapura."
Beng Hai coached Sapura last season, but then, he was not the national seniors coach.
National juniors coach Arul Selvaraj does not have a similar problem, because his contract allows him to coach a club side. Arul has been coaching UniKL as well as the juniors.
The MHL will have six teams this season, with double champions Terengganu Hockey Team the team to beat, while the other's are Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club, Sapura, Maybank, UniKL and Tenaga Nasional.
THT coach Sarjit Singh said he is trying to secure five top foreign players: "Since the closing date to sign foreign players is July 26, I'm still negotiating with five top players and it looks promising. I can't reveal their nationality, sufficient to say they are calibre players and will help THT defend their double."
His contract with the national team expires end of July, while the MHL starts on Aug 1, but he is unsure if he will be allowed to coach a club side, if his contract with the national team is extended.
"I am still not sure about my contract with the national team, and if it is extended, will I be allowed to coach a club side? Many questions have to be answered before I can comment on Sapura," said Beng Hai.
In the meantime, Sapura are being handled by former national player Nishel Kumar.
"Sapura and two other teams had wanted to secure Korean players for the MHL, but after Korea failed to qualify for the Olympics, almost half the team have been called up for national duty, and it looks like many teams will be playing with local players in the MHL this season," said Beng Hai.
On the pros and cons of national coaches coaching club sides, Beng Hai said: "If national coaches are not allowed to coach clubs due to clauses in their contracts, can the other coaches continue with the same system because all the national players play in the MHL.
"There should be continuity in the coaching system, and having said that, the Premier Division is only for six weeks and personally I feel we should be allowed to handle clubs.
"I will wait for news on my contract, and the clause in it before I can decide on coaching Sapura."
Beng Hai coached Sapura last season, but then, he was not the national seniors coach.
National juniors coach Arul Selvaraj does not have a similar problem, because his contract allows him to coach a club side. Arul has been coaching UniKL as well as the juniors.
The MHL will have six teams this season, with double champions Terengganu Hockey Team the team to beat, while the other's are Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club, Sapura, Maybank, UniKL and Tenaga Nasional.
THT coach Sarjit Singh said he is trying to secure five top foreign players: "Since the closing date to sign foreign players is July 26, I'm still negotiating with five top players and it looks promising. I can't reveal their nationality, sufficient to say they are calibre players and will help THT defend their double."
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