Easy to fix quarter-final opponent

CHAMPIONS CHALLENGE 1 MOCKERY...
Fact 1: Eight teams in two groups of four each, but FIH approve a fixture with Quarter-finals.
Fact 2: Malaysia can afford to lose to Argentina, Japan and Canada in Group B but will still play in Quarter-finals.
Fact 3: The trick to the semi-finals is to choose and pick your Quarter-finals opponents, and if need be, drop a match or two in the Group stages, so that the crossover in the Quarter-finals will see your team play against a weaker opponent.
Fact 4: Group matches have been turned into warm-ups and teams will not play all out, to avoid injury and cards. If I was the Malaysian coach, I will rest some key players in the three Group matches to expose my substitutes.

AZLAN Misron returns to the fold, as coach Tai Beng Hai named his players to finish among the top-five in the Champions Challenge I in Johannesburg, South Africa on Nov 26-Dec 4.
Malaysia are in Group B with Argentina, Japan and Canada. In Group A are Poland, South Africa, Belgim and India.
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) have made the pool matches into a mockery, after they drew a quarter-finals fixture in an eight-team tournament.
It means, even if Malaysia lose all three matches against Argentina, Canada and Japan; they will still play in the quarter-finals.
And one win in the quarters will see them play in the semi-finals, and achieve their top-five target.
Azlan, a former skipper and 28-years-old, was left out of the Asian Champions Trophy in Ordos because a drop in form, but he fought back his spot in the national team after a good show in the Malaysia Hockey League.
Hafifi Hafiz Hanafi, who opted out of Ordos for personal reason, is also back.
The youngest player in Beng Hai's squad is 18-year-old Firhan Ashaari, who will receive a great exposure ahead of the Junior World Cup Qualifier in Malacca in May.
The other players eligible to play in the Junior Asia Cup is 20-year-old Faizal Saari.
Both the players were spared from playing in the Sultan Of Johor Cup, because the coach was afraid they would suffer from fatique.
MALAYSIA: S. Kumar (gk), Roslan Jamaluddin (gk), Izzat Rahim, Azammi Adabi, Amin Rahim, Marhan Jalil, Izwan Firdaus, Madzli Ikmar, Faizal Saari, Shahrun Nabil, Sukri Mutalib, Firhan Ashari, Azlan Misron, Razie Rahim (Capt), Hafifi Hafiz Hanafi, Baljit Singh, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, Azreen Rizal.
Coach: Tai Beng Hai; Team Manager: George Koshy.

Malaysia have Korea for company

ITS official, Malaysia will play in Dublin, Ireland, for a ticket to the London Olympics and South Korea are the only higher ranked team in the group.
The Qualifier, to be held on March 11-18, will only offer one ticket to London, so Malaysia (ranked 14th) must beat world No 6 Korea, Ireland (17th), Russia (20th), Chile (24th) and Ukraine (31st).
The other men's Qualifiers will be held in India on Feb 15-26 and Japan on April 25-May 6.
India, ranked 10th, will have Canada (11th), France (18th), Poland (19th), Egypt (25th) and United States (26th).
While in Japan, ranked (15th), the other teams are Spain (four), China (16th), Austria (21st), Czech Republic (23rd) and Cuba (39th).
The Malaysian women's team (ranked 23rd), will play in the Japan Qualifier with the hosts (ninth), Azerbaijan (15th), Chile (17th), Belarus (22nd) and Trinidad & Tobago (35th).
The grouping was announced yesterday after the International Hockey Federation (FIH) held their Executive Board meeting in Lausanne over the weekend.
On the men’s side, the teams that are already qualified for the 2012 Games are Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa.
Nationl chief coach Tai Beng Hai said the Malaysian group will see a tough fight between Malaysia, Korea and Ireland for the single spot.
"But having said that, we must not be overly confident against the other lower ranked teams in our group, as all of them are also capable of playing good hockey.
"I believe at this stage, it does not matter which group we are in, but making the best of what we have in Dublin and since there is only one ticket, we will fight for it till the end," said Beng Hai.
Malaysia drew 2-2 with South Korea in the Group stages of the Asian Games, and are no longer pushovers.
"Our players have shown that they no longer fear playing the Koreans and this is a plus sign that must be duplicated in Dublin," said Beng Hai.
The Azlan Shah Cup will most probably held in February next year, and it will be the final tune-up before the biggest test for Beng Hai's charges in Dublin.

Malaysia to play in Ireland?

THE International Hockey Federation (FIH) have decided to stick to India as one of the Olympic Qualifier hosts in and executive board meeting in Lausanne yesterday.
India hockey have been embroiled in a power tussle between two bodies, and the FIH had earlier snatched the Champions Trophy from them and awarded it to New Zealand isntead.
And it was also reliably learnt that the other two hosts are Ireland and Japan.
The Malaysian team, going by their 14th ranking in the World, should play in the Ireland Qualifier which is also expected to have South Korea in it.
India's only hurdle in the Qualifier is likely to be Canada, while In the Japan leg, Spain will be the major powerhouse.
The FIH will make an official stand soon, but it was reported in the Hindustan Times: "The decision (to allow India to host) to this effect was conveyed to sports minister Ajay Maken by FIH president Leandro Negre on phone from Lausanne, Switzerland. The Olympic qualifiers are scheduled from February 15 next year."
The FIH also, said the Hindustan, will recognise Hockey India (HI) as the national federation for the sport, as rival bodies have gone to court to stake their claim.

Olympic Qualifier stays in India

http://www.hindustantimes.com

Ending the suspense over India's future in international hockey, the game's world governing body FIH on Saturday decided to conduct the Olympic Qualifiers in India next year and continue to recognise Hockey India (HI) as the national federation for the sport. In a major decision, the
FIH's executive board in Lausanne unanimously decided to conduct the Olympic Qualifiers and other major hockey events in India, a move which is bound to come as a relief for hockey lovers.
The decision to this effect was conveyed to sports minister Ajay Maken by FIH president Leandro Negre on phone from Lausanne, Switzerland. The Olympic qualifiers are scheduled from February 15 next year.
Maken expressed satisfaction at the decision to conduct the Qualifiers and termed it as a “suitable and logical conclusion” to the efforts that were made by the ministry, HI and the FIH.
With time running out for India to save the hosting rights of next year's Qualifiers, FIH had summoned HI to present its case before the world body's executive council on Saturday.
Paying the price
India had already paid the price for the long-standing power tussle between HI and Indian Hockey Federation over the governance of the game, with the FIH taking away hosting rights of Champions Trophy.
The FIH had also warned that India could be banned from international hockey if the issue of governance was not sorted out. HI was represented in the Lausanne meeting by its secretary-general Narinder Batra and vice-president Rajeev Mehta.
The FIH had made it clear that it was not in favour of two bodies.

Malaysia good for more gold

MALAYSIA ripped the form-book apart when they became champions of the inaugural Sultan of Johor Cup without two of their best strikers, and are now looking to romp away with the Junior Asia Cup title in Malacca in May.
The Project 2013 players made do without Faizal Saari and Firhan Ashaari, both in training for the Champions Challenge I in South Africa -- but will have them for the Malacca tournament which doubles up as a Junior World Cup Qualifier.
And after snatching the gold from Australia in a thrilling match, the Project boys now are in demand.
"Australia, India and Pakistan have requested for five matches each, and I will have to plan a schedule to fit their requests in the run-up to the Junior Asia Cup," said Project 2013 coach K. Dharmaraj.
And how does he see his side with the inclusion of Faizal and Firhan?
"It will be a much stronger side to complement my first-11 because in Johor, we did not have depth in the bench and I had to use some of my strikers and defenders for 70 minutes in most of the matches," said Dharmaraj.
And what went right in Johor?
"Malaysia had always had exciting forwards but were told to perform midfield as well as defensive duties as we tend to hold back in matches.
"All I did was told my players to go ahead and play their game, and the strikers did their job, and the same went for the midfielders and defenders.
"There was no need to fall back too much and chase the ball, which in the end tend to tire the strikers who had to double up as defenders like in basketball," said Dharmaraj.
And the goalkeeping department, which was a thorn in the side during their Tours of Europe and Oceania?
"Both my goalkeepers (Hazrul Faiz and Hafizuddin Othman) were well below the standard of goalkeepers in teams which we played in Europe and Australia and New Zealand during our Tours.
"However, they learnt by watching those goalkeepers play and also, more emphasis was placed on them in the last month and it paid off handsomely."
Hazrul was even named as the Man-of-the-Match Final as well
Best Goalkeeeper of the Tournament, and that speaks for itself.
Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahamd Shah went into the pitch and hugged the boys after they beat mighty Australia, and it should be inspiration enough for them to win more gold medals in tournaments to come.

Roll of Honour
Champion: Malaysia
Runners-up: Australia
Third: South Korea
Fourth: India
Fifth: Pakistan
Sixth: New Zealand

Man-of-the-match (final): Hazrul Faiz (Malaysia)
Best player of tournament: Fitri Saari (Malaysia)
Best goalkeeper: Hazrul Faiz (Malaysia)
Top scorer: Noor Faeez Ibrahim (Malaysia) – seven goals.
Fairplay Trophy: New Zealand