Nur Azmi: Behave boys..

THE Malaysian juniors will head for New Delhi today  (Dec 1) morning, at the back of a stern warning from Malaysian  Hockey Confederation (MHC) senior vice president Datuk Nur  Azmi Ahmad for them to behave, on and off the pitch.
    The Junior World Cup will be from Dec 6-15, with Malaysia  opening accounts against New Zealand on day-one of the  tournament.
   “The MHC and its coaching staff have been preparing all of  you to face this moment in new Delhi for the last five years,  and my warning before all of you depart, is that behave on  and off the pitch as you will be carrying the Malaysian flag on  your shoulders,” said Nur Azmi.
    The warning has its merit, as the national Juniors lost the  Sultan of Johor Cup gold medal to India 3-0 when some  players started fighting, not for the ball, but with their  opponents and also the umpires for assumed wrong calls.
    “Always remember, that the umpire is also human and he  can make mistakes but that does not mean that you need to  charge at him in a threatening manner and question his  decision.
    “As this will not only see you receive a card, but also put  your team-mates in trouble when you are sent out, even for a  few minutes.
    “So, behave on and off the pitch, and there is always the  video referral to fall-back to when you think the umpire has  made a wrong call,” said Azmi, who was a former national  player.
    Yesterday, coach K. Dharmaraj’s boys were feted to a  lunch, by one of their sponsors Grays, at the Olympic Sports  Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
    “We have been supporting the juniors for the last four years  to the region of RM100,000.
     “I believe we have a good mix of players with lots of  experience playing together over the years. And after their  performance in the Sultan of Johor Cup, I am confident that  they will rise to the occasion in the Junior World Cup as well,”  said Grays rights holder Kuckreja & Co managing Director  Mohanji Singh Kuckreja.
    After playing New Zealand on Dec 6, the juniors meet South  Africa (Dec 8) and England (Dec 9) to wrap-up their group D  fixtures.
    New Zealand played two friendlies with Australia before  heading for New Delhi, and lost 6-1 and 5-2.