Aim shifted to Rio de Janeiro

TOTAL OVERHAUL: Disappointed MHC president now dreams of 2016 Olympics

Bitterly disappointed at the national team finishing third at the Olympic Qualifier in Dublin last week, MHC president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah is looking into replacing the existing coaching staff, introduce new players, restructure the domestic league and send players on attachment to clubs overseas.

By K.N. Alagesh

THE national team's failure to qualify for the London Olympics could trigger a major overhaul by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) in its search for a squad to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Bitterly disappointed at the national team finishing third at the Olympic Qualifier in Dublin last week, MHC president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah is looking into replacing the existing coaching staff, introduce new players, restructure the domestic league and send players on attachment to clubs overseas.
"There is a possibility of hiring a foreign coach but we are looking at other options. I am also planning to introduce a new breed of players and provide them with exposure in foreign leagues," said Tengku Abdullah whose dream is to see the national team play in the 2016 Olympic Games.
"Our domestic league might have to undergo a revamp. The MHC will also scout for young talent and introduce more youth-based programmes."
Tengku Abdullah confirmed he will be meeting with MHC officials in the next few days to discuss the future of the national team.
Speaking on the Dublin disappointment, Tengku Abdullah said he was especially upset when the team drew 1-1 with Ireland as he was hoping the team would make the final. Malaysia needed a win to make the final with South Korea but the draw against the hosts ended their dream. South Korea beat Ireland 3-2 to secure a berth in the Olympics.
Although the national team's Olympic hopes have been dashed, Tengku Abdullah sees light at the end of the tunnel with the presence of several young players who performed well in Dublin.
"They might be new but they blended well with the senior players and showed good determination. This is a positive sign as they will form the core of the team in the near future," he said.
Tengku Abdullah also disclosed that MHC is considering recruiting senior players, who wish to retire, as part time coaches to help nurture new talent.

Junior Asia Cup: India have Pakistan for company

PIC: K. Dharmaraj

MALAYSIA should cruise into the semi-finals of the Junior Asia Cup in Malacca on May 3-13, judging from the groupings released by the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF).
The hosts are in Group A with South Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka and Iran while in Group B are India, Pakistan, China and Bangladesh.
And Project 2013 coach K. Dharmaraj said his charges should have no problem playing in the semi-finals.
“We only have to beat Japan, Sri Lanka and Iran and should be in the semi-finals with a match to spare against South Korea,” said Dharmaraj who has set his mind on winning the gold medal in Malacca.
Defending champions India have qualified as hosts of the Junior World Cup next year, and they have traditional rivals Pakistan for company.
The AHF have yet to get the green light from the In ternational Hockey Federation (FIH) on how many teams from the Junior Asia Cup will be given berths in the World Cup.
“I will be in Barcelona this weekend to attend an FIH meeting and should get a confirmation from the parent body on how many teams from the Asia Cup will make a direct entry into the World Cup.
“And because India are automatic qualifiers, AHF will propose to the FIH to give our tournament three tickets to the World Cup,” said AHF secretary general Tan Sri P. Ala gendra.
Dharmaraj’s boys will play a series of matches against Pakistan and South Korea starting from April 5, and their last tune-up will be against an Australian club side.
“There is no use in targeting anything lower than the gold medal as we must make the World Cup at all cost. The Korean and Pakistan teams will be down for friendlies and I will use all 35 players I have with me in training to give every player a chance to prove himself before naming the final squad,” said Dharmaraj.
The Junior Asia Cup was supposed to be a 10-team tournament but Thailand withdrew due to domestic rea sons.
For the record, Malaysia have never won the Junior Asia Cup since its inception in Karachi in 1987, with their best being runner in 1992 in Ipoh.
The opening ceremony will be a spectacle to watch on May 2, as plans are afoot for the teams to sail along the Malacca River, past the VIP stands.

Dharmaraj has eyes fixed on gold

PROJECT 2013 won a refreshing gold in the Sultan of Johor Cup but their true test will come in the Junior Asia Cup in Malacca on May 3-13.
Coach K. Dharmaraj's charges finally landed the elusive international gold medal, immaterial whether at senior or junior level, when they beat Australia 3-2 in extra-time in the inaugural Sultan of Johor Cup.
For the record, Malaysia's other hockey gold medals were all won at the Sea Games.
And for the Junior Asia Cup, which also doubles up as a Junior World Cup Qualifier, the target is to finish in the top two and make the grade.
Defending champions India, as hosts of the Junior World Cup, snatched a spot while nine other teams -- Pakistan, South Korea, Japan, China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Iran, Thailand and Malaysia -- will make up the rest.
The top three finishers in Malacca qualify for the World Cup, but Dharmaraj wants the gold medal. "We must not only play in the final in Malacca but also win the gold medal because it is becoming increasingly difficult to play in the World Cup and Olympics as the standard among teams around the world is fast improving," he said.
His confidence stems from the fact that his players made short work out of Australia, South Korea, India, Pakistan and New Zealand to lay their hands on the Sultan of Johor Cup.
"I was fortunate to see for myself lower ranked teams like Ukraine, Chile and Russia play in the Dublin Olympic Qualifier and was shocked at how much they have improved," said Dharmaraj.
"They have strong basics and good dribbling skills, The only area they are lacking is penalty corner executions and also PC defence.
"They lost out in that two areas, but I believe in a few years it will be difficult to make the World Cup and Olympic grades if our juniors do not start having the winning attitude in them."
And that is why even if his charges need only to finish among the top three in Malacca, Dharmaraj wants the gold medal badly.
With the inclusion of brothers Faizal and Fitri Saari into the Project squad, the coach's target is not far fetched.
"Both will be of great help as they showed maturity in their touches in Dublin," said Dharmaraj.

What's next Malaysian HC?

COMMENT By Vijesh Rai (left|)
(NST Sports Editor)

GOING by the silence since the 'Irish tragedy', it would seem that the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) hadn't expected the Olympic Qualifier to end the way it did for the national team.
Not only did Malaysia fail to make the Olympics, they couldn't even make the final of the Qualifier and one wonders which hurt MHC more.
Millions were spent preparing the squad but Tai Beng Hai's men 'emulated' their predecessors from the 2004 and '08 campaigns and will now have to watch the Olympics on television.
The question now is where does hockey go from here?
For sure, the national career of some players is over for MHC has no choice but to start rebuilding immediately for the 2014 World Cup, another tournament that Malaysia have not featured in since hosting the 2002 edition.
There are some who feel that the coaches must be "released" while others opine that MHC's big guns should also do the honourable thing and quit the national body.
One fan even said Malaysia should just forget about hockey -- all team sports for that matter -- as we are lagging so far behind that there is no hope of ever catching up, let alone regaining the lofty heights of once before.
The words may seem harsh to the MHC, especially as it was only about 18 months ago when the national team were lauded for winning silver in the Asian Games but this is the price that has to be paid for failure.
There are some who feel otherwise but the team failed and the onus is now on MHC to convince us that hockey can indeed fly the Malaysian flag high on the international arena.
The whole structure -- from the grassroots to the various national teams -- needs to be revamped and MHC is duty-bound to tell us how it is going to do so.
What it already knows -- after three failed Olympic campaigns -- is that full time training for the national squad doesn't work.
Prior to the Qualifier in Dublin, the national team were grouped together for extended periods of time, were sent on several playing tours but when it came to the crunch, they were found wanting on the competitive stage.
What is worrying is that the Project 2013 team, preparing for the Junior Asia Cup in May, are also in virtual full time training for a championship that doubles up as next year's Junior World Cup Qualifier.
This is an episode that has been repeated regularly over the last decade or so and with the senior team now without anything major to set their sights on for the next 12 months, the fear is the juniors could also join them on the sidelines.
Simply put, MHC has to find a different formula to ensure Malaysia are competitive enough to advance past Qualifiers or even win titles.
Locally, the highest quality competition the players have is the MHL and we know how competitive that is, so MHC has no choice but to set its sights abroad.
This is not a new suggestion but given the failure in Dublin, MHC is left with no other choice.
The silence has been deafening since last Saturday's failure in Dublin and one can only hope that this is because MHC is putting great thought into how hockey is going to rise again.
The real fear, though, is that it is waiting for the storm to subside and for Malaysians to forget that hockey will not, for the third consecutive time, feature in the Olympics.
That would indeed be a tragedy.

Coaches need help

CLOSE ENCOUNTER: This was how close was the South Korea-Ireland final. FIH pic..

HIGH TIME: Parent body must realise this if Malaysian game is to progress

THE Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) must come to terms that the current batch of hockey players need a better coaching set-up to win the next big assignment -- the Asia Cup in 2013.
The Asia Cup, whose venue has yet to be decided, is also the qualifier for the 2014 World Cup which will be held in the Netherlands.
MHC should realise that local coaches need a foreign consultant and must look away from our shores like India looked away from theirs and qualified to play in the Olympics.
No disrespect to the local coaches who handled the team in Dublin, but Tai Beng Hai and Nor Saiful definitely need help in certain areas to strengthen the team.
Most of the players will still be able to give their best, as they did in Dublin, but they need a foreign consultant or coach to take them to a higher level.
MHC president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who is also the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) president, had said before the qualifier that that team need a foreign coach.
But MHC could not secure a good coach as the best were all tied down by contracts.
The failure in three straight qualifiers -- Madrid 2004, Kakamigahara 2008 and now in Dublin -- has made it much more difficult for Malaysia to wake up and play among hockey's elite.
However, all is not lost as the International Hockey Federation (FIH) plans to hold a series of world tournaments and scrap the tough qualifiers for the Olympics and World Cup.
Asia will be represented by South Korea, Pakistan and India in the Olympics, as Malaysia go back to the drawing board and hope the junior team make the cut for the World Cup by becoming champions in the Malacca Junior Asia Cup in May.
Tengku Abdullah has been extremely generous with funding to prepare this team for Dublin, giving them virtually everything they asked for, so it is only understandable that he got angry when the team failed to even make the final.
He left the University College Dublin in a foul mood after Malaysia drew 1-1 with Ireland and he then immediately flew home without watching the Malaysia-Russia match for third placing.
The MHC president has every right to be angry, but he accepted a hot-seat in 2008, knowing fully well that Malaysian hockey, more often than not, promises more than it delivers.
Meanwhile, South Korea snatched the Olympic Qualifiers gold medal from the Irish with only two seconds left, when Nam Yong Lee deflected home, at the University College Dublin grounds, to give his team a 3-2 win and a berth in the Olympics late on Sunday.
"It is good that three Asian teams have qualified for the Olympics, but it was very sad that Malaysia did not play in the final," said Korea coach Shin Seok Kyo.
"I watched the Ireland-Malaysia match on video to prepare for the final, and saw that one penalty corner which led to the Irish scoring, and one yellow card was unnecessarily flashed at Malaysia.
"That was the crucial moment which killed Malaysia's game."