THE Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) nominees for their Oct 31 election stuck to their guns, even after one aspiring deputy president received an intimidating SMS, as none of them withdrew when the deadline ended yesterday.
The deputy president's post will see incumbent Nur Azmi Ahmad being challenged by current vice-president Datuk Dr S.S. Cheema, former deputy president Tengku Majid Sultan Iskandar and former international Abdul Hadi.
In the vice president's race eight will go to the ballot and they are incumbents Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh, Datuk Rahim Ariff and M. Gobinathan.
The newcomers are Ow Soon Kooi, Johari Abdul Aziz, Mohinder Singh, Manjit Majid Abdullah and Rahim Ahmad.
Tengku Majid said he will stand even after receiving an intimidating SMS: "I received an SMS which said the president (Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah) does not support my move to stand for deputy president.
"I have spoken to the president and he told me that he does not have a preffered team for the elections and that he can work with anybody who is given the mandate by affiliates. He said he does not have a problem with me standing for deputy."
Part of the SMS, forwarded by Tengku Majid to this scribe, read: "Looks like we want to work with you but you don't want to work with us. Our common enemy xxx will win if we don't plan and work together.
"It is an open secret that president is not keen in you being DP when he is there. If you lose you can never come back to MHF. I know you can contribute alot to MHF but you must be patient to win. If you believe me than work with me, if not all the best to you.
"I am 16 years in MHF. I have never lost in any MHF election. The people I support always win including you previously. Give a deep thought."
The SMS spurred Tengku Majid to go the distance: "If I am elected I will not meddle with the national team as there are already too many people running the show up there. I am more interested to revive hockey at the states and club level, and that will be my passion for the next four years."
Friday, October 22, 2010
Easy fixtures in Asia Games
THE Malaysian men's hockey team received a favourable fixture for the Guangzhou Asian Games as they open accounts against Singapore. But they could find themselves without a chief coach.
After playing Singapore, Malaysia will have a day's rest before meeting South Korea and Oman back-to-back.
Hosts China will square off against Malaysia after another day's rest.
"Yes, the fixtures are very kind to us because earlier I had feared that we would have to play Korea and China back-to-back. Or that Korea and China will play in the last game.
"However, having said that, reaching the semi-finals is still in the hands of the players, as they have to perform in every match," said chief coach Stephen van Huizen.
It is highly likely that Korea will seal one semis ticket, while Malaysia and China will fight for the second spot in their final Group A match.
Van Huizen was injured during the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi when he missed a step, and the early indications are that he fractured a bone in his back.
"I have gone for an X-ray and the pain is still there. I will only find out in a few days time how serious the injury is," said van Huizen.
The women will play India, followed by Japan, Korea, Kazakhstan and Thailand.
MEN -- Group A: South Korea, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Oman; Group B: India, Pakistan, Japan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong.
WOMEN -- China, Japan, India, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Thailand.
After playing Singapore, Malaysia will have a day's rest before meeting South Korea and Oman back-to-back.
Hosts China will square off against Malaysia after another day's rest.
"Yes, the fixtures are very kind to us because earlier I had feared that we would have to play Korea and China back-to-back. Or that Korea and China will play in the last game.
"However, having said that, reaching the semi-finals is still in the hands of the players, as they have to perform in every match," said chief coach Stephen van Huizen.
It is highly likely that Korea will seal one semis ticket, while Malaysia and China will fight for the second spot in their final Group A match.
Van Huizen was injured during the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi when he missed a step, and the early indications are that he fractured a bone in his back.
"I have gone for an X-ray and the pain is still there. I will only find out in a few days time how serious the injury is," said van Huizen.
The women will play India, followed by Japan, Korea, Kazakhstan and Thailand.
MEN -- Group A: South Korea, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Oman; Group B: India, Pakistan, Japan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong.
WOMEN -- China, Japan, India, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Thailand.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Hadi in battle with big boys
ABDUL Hadi aims to take the bull by its horns in the Oct 31 Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) elections after he was nominated by Perak for the post of deputy president.Hadi, a former national player and a terror in attack with Mirnawan Nawawi, has served as Perak HA deputy president for three terms, and feels the the time is right for him to serve in MHF.
He will be challenging incumbent Nur Azmi Ahmad, who received four nominations, Datuk Dr S.S. Cheema (two) and Tengku Majid Sultan Iskandar (one vote) for the deputy president's post.
MHF president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah was returned unopposed when nominations closed on Oct 15.
"I was nominated by my home state and agreed to stand for the second post because I feel MHF needs fresh blood to pump in new ideas," said Hadi.
"Nur Azmi was a vice-president for two terms, and then a deputy for one term. Cheema has been a vice-president for four terms, while Tengku Majid was a former deputy president.
"I am the fresh face, and since all the other three have served their time, I feel the delegates should choose someone with fresh ideas." And the former international is not going to lobby any state for the post as he feels they should know who can elevate the sport if given a chance.
"The sport has seen a steady slide for the last 10 years under current MHF officials. As an example, we were silver and bronze medallists in the Commonwealth Games, but have dropped to eighth in the recent Games in New Delhi, which is our worst performance.
"So, the sport needs people who can contribute to its development and I am available to make a concerted push for the next four years.
"It is not my style to pick up the telephone and lobby affiliates to vote for me. All I ask is for them to make the right choice after weighing up the factors that I have mentioned," said Hadi.
Hadi has stood for the post of MHF vice-president a few times but did not succeed.
"I am not trying to parachute to the second position. I have a good working track record with Perak HA and was also a member of various committees in MHF. I have experience from the bottom and being a former player, I understand what needs to be done to achieve the president's target of breaking into the top-10 bracket in the world." The balloting for the vice-president's posts is also expected to be intense, as eight will be vying for four posts.
Incumbents Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh, Datuk Rahim Ariff and M. Gobinathan received eight, nine and six nominations respectively.
The newcomers are Ow Soon Kooi (four), Johari Abdul Aziz (three), Mohinder Singh (one), Manjit Majid Abdullah (four) and Rahim Ahmad (one).
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Shock turns to confidence for Azmi
INCUMBENT Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) deputy president Nur Azmi Ahmad was caught off guard when he found out that there will be three challengers for his post in the Oct 31 elections when nominations closed on Friday.
Nur Azmi was confident that, with his track record in the MHF, he would retain the post unopposed but in came the nominations for MHF vice-president Datuk Dr S.S. Cheema (two), former deputy president Tunku Majid Sultan Iskandar (two) and former hockey player Abdul Hadi (one).
However, Nur Azmi is ready to face them.
“I felt that I had done enough in the past two years to warrant another term unopposed, and was shocked when three others were also nominated by MHF affiliates,” said Nur Azmi. “I will let my track record speak for me.
“I also feel that the challenge is from outsiders, and Cheema was another surprise.”
Nur Azmi received four nominations, and said his recent networking with affiliates indicated that he is still the preferred choice.
“I have done my homework, and the feedback from affiliates is encouraging. In the last elections, I was in a similar situation (with three challengers) but two pulled out, and I won with a comfortable margin — that’s why I am not overly worried,” said Nur Azmi.
Cheema and Ken Pereira withdrew from the deputy president’s race in 2008, and Nur Azmi went on to beat Tunku Majid by a 12-vote margin. Cheema also had nominations for vice-president which he went on to win.
However, this time, Cheema is going for broke and is very unlikely to withdraw from the race.
Nur Azmi was a two-term vice-president before he threw caution to the wind and challenged Tengku Majid in 2008, and came out smelling like a rose.
The president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah has been returned unopposed, while there will be eight candidates for the vice-president’s post.
Incumbents Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh, Datuk Rahim Ariff and M. Gobinathan received eight, nine and six nominations respectively.
The newcomers are Ow Soon Kooi (four), Johari Abdul Aziz (three), Mohinder Singh (one), Manjit Majid Abdullah (four) and Rahim Ahmad (one).
Nur Azmi was confident that, with his track record in the MHF, he would retain the post unopposed but in came the nominations for MHF vice-president Datuk Dr S.S. Cheema (two), former deputy president Tunku Majid Sultan Iskandar (two) and former hockey player Abdul Hadi (one).
However, Nur Azmi is ready to face them.
“I felt that I had done enough in the past two years to warrant another term unopposed, and was shocked when three others were also nominated by MHF affiliates,” said Nur Azmi. “I will let my track record speak for me.
“I also feel that the challenge is from outsiders, and Cheema was another surprise.”
Nur Azmi received four nominations, and said his recent networking with affiliates indicated that he is still the preferred choice.
“I have done my homework, and the feedback from affiliates is encouraging. In the last elections, I was in a similar situation (with three challengers) but two pulled out, and I won with a comfortable margin — that’s why I am not overly worried,” said Nur Azmi.
Cheema and Ken Pereira withdrew from the deputy president’s race in 2008, and Nur Azmi went on to beat Tunku Majid by a 12-vote margin. Cheema also had nominations for vice-president which he went on to win.
However, this time, Cheema is going for broke and is very unlikely to withdraw from the race.
Nur Azmi was a two-term vice-president before he threw caution to the wind and challenged Tengku Majid in 2008, and came out smelling like a rose.
The president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah has been returned unopposed, while there will be eight candidates for the vice-president’s post.
Incumbents Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh, Datuk Rahim Ariff and M. Gobinathan received eight, nine and six nominations respectively.
The newcomers are Ow Soon Kooi (four), Johari Abdul Aziz (three), Mohinder Singh (one), Manjit Majid Abdullah (four) and Rahim Ahmad (one).
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Former captains raring to contribute..
TWO former national skippers will be involved in the intense eight-corner fight for four vice-president’s posts in the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) elections on Oct 31.
Both are Olympians who played alongside each other, and while Ow Soon Kooi chose to leave the police force early, Superintendent Mohindar Singh will retire in a year-and-a- half’s time.
Soon Kooi received four nominations, while Mohindar one, and they will be up against three incumbents and three new challengers.
Incumbents Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh, Datuk Rahim Ariff and M. Gobinathan received eight, nine and six nominations each.
And the other three challengers are Johari Abdul Aziz (three), Rahim Ahmad (one) and Manjit Majid Abdullah (four).
“I am where I am today because of hockey and my main agenda to stand for election is to give back to the sport which I love,” said businessman Soon Kooi.
Soon Kooi and Mohindar played together in the 1976 Montreal Olympics where Malaysia finished eight out of 11 teams. Malaysia beat Argentina 2-0 then, and M. Mahendran scored in the 68th minute while Soon Kooi scored in the 69th minute.
As for Mohindar: “My whole live has revolved around the sport, and I also started the Police Hockey Association and we fielded a team in the Malaysia Hockey League.
“There were certain restrains which saw me relinquish the president’s post and I am now the deputy president of the Association,” said Mohindar.
Both the skippers have been keeping a close watch on the national team, and feel if they win in the elections, their work is cut out for the next four years.
“From what I watched on television during the Com monwealth Games, there is still much work to do to improve the team’s world ranking. For one, the national side lacks depth on the bench and this indicates the talent pool is shrinking,” said Sook Kooi.
Mohindar feels the same: “I have volunteered my time, with he knowledge that there is much work to do in the next four years if I am elected. For starters, we need to have a bigger pool of talent to select from, if we want to achieve results in the next decade.”
The post of deputy president will see a four corner fight among incumbent Nur Azmi Ahmad (four nominations), MHF vice-president Datuk Dr S.S. Cheema (two), former deputy president Tunku Majid Sultan Iskandar (two) and former hockey player Abdul Hadi (One).
The president, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, was returned unopposed when nominations closed on Friday.
Both are Olympians who played alongside each other, and while Ow Soon Kooi chose to leave the police force early, Superintendent Mohindar Singh will retire in a year-and-a- half’s time.
Soon Kooi received four nominations, while Mohindar one, and they will be up against three incumbents and three new challengers.
Incumbents Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh, Datuk Rahim Ariff and M. Gobinathan received eight, nine and six nominations each.
And the other three challengers are Johari Abdul Aziz (three), Rahim Ahmad (one) and Manjit Majid Abdullah (four).
“I am where I am today because of hockey and my main agenda to stand for election is to give back to the sport which I love,” said businessman Soon Kooi.
Soon Kooi and Mohindar played together in the 1976 Montreal Olympics where Malaysia finished eight out of 11 teams. Malaysia beat Argentina 2-0 then, and M. Mahendran scored in the 68th minute while Soon Kooi scored in the 69th minute.
As for Mohindar: “My whole live has revolved around the sport, and I also started the Police Hockey Association and we fielded a team in the Malaysia Hockey League.
“There were certain restrains which saw me relinquish the president’s post and I am now the deputy president of the Association,” said Mohindar.
Both the skippers have been keeping a close watch on the national team, and feel if they win in the elections, their work is cut out for the next four years.
“From what I watched on television during the Com monwealth Games, there is still much work to do to improve the team’s world ranking. For one, the national side lacks depth on the bench and this indicates the talent pool is shrinking,” said Sook Kooi.
Mohindar feels the same: “I have volunteered my time, with he knowledge that there is much work to do in the next four years if I am elected. For starters, we need to have a bigger pool of talent to select from, if we want to achieve results in the next decade.”
The post of deputy president will see a four corner fight among incumbent Nur Azmi Ahmad (four nominations), MHF vice-president Datuk Dr S.S. Cheema (two), former deputy president Tunku Majid Sultan Iskandar (two) and former hockey player Abdul Hadi (One).
The president, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, was returned unopposed when nominations closed on Friday.
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