New goalie helps Penang beat UITM in Premier League

Debutant goalkeeper Khairul Amri Sallehuddin will retain his starting place for Penang after winning praises in the Panthers’ 1-0 Premier League win over UiTM FC.

The 24-year-old Khairul, Perak’s second choice custodian last year, was making his first appearance in the Panthers’ starting 11 in place of the out-of-favour G. Jeevananthan.

Jeeva, the former Selangor and Armed Forces goalkeeper, received plenty of flak from fans over his performance in the 5-1 thrashing by Police a fortnight ago.

Khairul put in a solid shift against the university team at the City Stadium on Friday, and delivered a clean sheet for Penang.

“I will keep faith with Khairul for our next match against Perlis on Monday. He was confident between the posts and did enough to convince me that he deserves his starting place,” said Penang coach K. Devan.

“I made several changes, especially in defence, to face UiTM. There was a marked improvement in the performance but we still lived dangerously in the second half, after failing to get the second goal to kill off the tie. I will likely maintain this winning line-up for our next game.”

South Korean midfielder Lee Kil-hoon scored the only goal of the match from a freekick in the 11th minute. The win helped the islanders move up to fifth with six points from three games and, more importantly, get over the demoralising defeat against Police.

“I consider our heavy loss against Police as a one-off bad performance. It is not fair to single out one or two players for criticism as the entire team played badly that day.

“By bouncing back against UiTM, we put the defeat behind us and restored the team’s confidence. This win is for the fans and the FAP (Football Association of Penang), who gave us full support when we were down,” said Devan.

Besides Khairul, another player who featured the full 90 minutes for the first time was Angolan forward Titi Buengo.

Although the towering striker failed to score, Devan was happy with Buengo’s contribution.

“I did not start Titi before this as he was not match fit when he joined us. He was brilliant against UiTM, especially in the first half. He looked tired in the final 20 minutes but I’m confident he’ll get better with more matches under his belt.”

For UiTM, the first defeat in three matches leaves them in seventh spot on four points. They are now five points behind leaders Police, who maintained their 100% start to the season with a 1-0 home win over Sabah.

Sabah are one of three teams, together with DRB-Hicom and Perlis, without any points after three rounds of Premier League matches.

Penang to hold selection trials for Under-19 players

The Football Association of Penang (FAP) will be holding selection trials to select under-19 players to play for the state this season at the Padang Sony, Seberang Jaya, near here beginning this Friday.

FAP administrative officer Hamzah Mohd Ismail said the selection was to give an opportunity to Penang-born players who have potentials and are interested in football to represent the state.

"The selection would be open to those who were born in and after 1993," he said in a statement here Monday.

Hamzah said those interested could come to the field from 4pm until 6pm.

Cambodian club Preach Khan Reach beat Penang in FA Cup

Cambodia's Preach Khan Reach (PKR) FC marked their entry into the M-League with a sluggish 2-1 victory over Penang in Saturday's FA Cup first round match.

Prior to the team's arrival in Kuala Lumpur two days ago, the players did not train as they were more interested in partying following their 2-1 victory over NagaCorp FC to retain their Hun Sen Cup on Feb 12.

Coach Sam Vandeth said  his players partied continuously before boarding the flight to Kuala Lumpur.

"My players did not give their best today (Saturday) as they were tired. We partied a lot after our success in the Hun Sen Cup,"   Vandeth said  at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Saturday.

"We are, however, happy to make a winning  start in the FA Cup. Malaysian football is on the rise and we are honoured to be playing in this tournament.

"My team only had two days of practice before this match. We will be better prepared for the second round."

After making several schoolboy errors inside Penang's penalty box, PKR finally took the lead in the 28th minute through Phanny Ratha before Prak Mony Udom added their second by latching onto a through pass before flicking the ball over goalkeeper Shukor Abd Malek in the 86th minute.

Penang captain Hasmawi Hassan  scored a consolation goal  two minutes before time.

PKR will face KL SPA FC  in the two-leg second round tie on March 2 and 10, while Penang  make their debut in the FAM League on March 4.

FA Cup results: Sime Darby 2 Sabah 0, Felda Utd 0 Pahang 1.

Perlis beat Kelantan to win Champion of Champions inter school tournament

Perlis won the inaugural Champion of Champions football tournament when they held their nerve to beat Kelantan 4-3 on sudden death penalties in the final at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium yesterday.

The score at the end of the regulatory 60 minutes was 0-0 and it was 3-3 at the end of the five penalty shootouts.

The first attempt at goal in sudden death fell to Kelantan but striker Ahmad Tasnim Nasir shot straight to Perlis keeper Shahzwan Shafri instead.

Perlis' Muhammad Akmal Salleh the stepped up to send the ball to the right of the goal well beyond the reach of Kelantan custodian Muhammad Azri Abdul Ghani.

Perlis coach Mohd Shahabuddin Kadir said: "The game was very close and when it came down to penalties, it was really anybody's title."

With the rain showing no relief since Saturday night, the quality of the game yesterday was affected as neither team could display their hard running short passing game.

The usually nippy Kelantan winger Wan Alif Aiman Rosmaidi rarely got the ball into the Perlis box where at the end of the first half, striker Muhammad Syaiful Alias only got one shot in which was saved by Shazwan.

The win for Perlis saw them bagging RM10,000 while Kelantan walked off with RM7,500.

Kedah scored some consolation when they won third place after beating Penang 2-0 in the game that was played earlier in the morning.

Kedah's goals were scored by Faez Faizal Nor in the 37th minute and Mohd Izwan Ghazali four minutes later. Kedah bagged RM5,000 while Penang  took home RM2,500.

The Champion of Champions is supported by the National Football Development Committee, which is chaired by Datuk Razali Ibrahim, the deputy Sports Minister.

Medical institution to sponsor Penang football team

Renowned  medical studies institution Allianze University College of Medical Sciences (AUCMS) has allocated RM1.5 million annually for football sponsorship in Penang.

AUCMS president Datuk Dr. Zainuddin Wazir said they would sponsor the Penang Football-AUCMS team for two years, starting next season.

"AUCMS will fund RM1.5 million a year to cover salary, players and officers' allowances, transport, medical and rehabilitation costs," he said.

"We'll also have full management of the team while basic matters will be handled by the Football Association of Penang (FAP)," he said after the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two parties here, Monday.

AUCMS was represented by its Dean of Sports Science Faculty Dr Hamdan Mohd Ali, who is also team manager, while FAP honorary secretary Datuk Mohd Ridzwan Bakar signed on its behalf.

Apart from funds, Dr Zainuddin said the university college would also sponsor medical officers, physiotherapists, a dedicated medical and physio clinic and experienced administrator for the team.

"They will train at the Bertam field near the AUCMS college in Kepala Batas," he added.
Meanwhile, Mohd Ridzwan said more than 90 percent of last season's players have been dropped and replaced with new and younger ones.

"I'm confident the new line up would be able to compete and achieve better results for the coming season," he said.

Penang scouting for coaches for President Cup team

The Football  Association of Penang (FAP) is looking for three coaches for its President Cup campaign.

Its secretary, Datuk Mohd Ridzwan Bakar said FAP were scouting for a football coach, a goalkeeper coach and a fitness coach and candidates with experience at the club, school or state levels would have the edge.

He said candidates for a football coach must have an A or B licence coaching certificate certified by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The goalkeeper coach candidates must a C licence coaching certificate recognised the FAM and the AFC with priority given to candidates who have attended the FAM basic goalkeeping course, he added.

For a fitness coach, he said priority would be given to candidates who passed at least level one of Sports Science under the National Coaching Certification Scheme.

Applications must be made in writing to the FAP, No. 9, Jalan Scotland,  10450 Penang and for further enquiries, contact Mohd Nazir Adanan at 016-4523490 or Hamzah Mohd Ismail 019-3297003.

Financial problems affecting Penang team

Financial problems stretched back since 2009 have played a huge role in Penang''s decline in the Premier league, said Football Association of Penang (FAP) president Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohd Hashim.

He claimed that the Penang government was not committed in helping the state team restore their glory by not providing any funds and financial aid since two years ago.

"We did get RM250,000 each from the Penang Water Supply Corporation and the Penang Development Corporation in 2009. No allocation was forthcoming from the state government for two years now.

"I understand that, the FAP used to get an allocation of RM3 million a year from the state government to manage the state team and run football development programme," he told reporters after the FAP annual general meeting here recently.

Zahrain said as a result, the FAP had to raise its own fund besides seeking financial aid from the federal government.

He said the FAP was embarking on a transformation programme to relive the state''s football glory and hoped the state government to join hands to make it a success by putting politics aside like Kelantan, whose performance soared way above expectations.

Penang fared badly in the Premier League last season and finished at the wrong end to the table and relegated to the Super League next season after recording 20 losses, one win and one draw.

In another development, Zahrain said the FAP would host a football carnival in September to unearth new talents at Universiti Sains Malaysia with 32 teams vying for the Penang Yang di-Pertua Negeri Cup and RM10,000 in September.

On financial misappropriation allegation in the FAP, he said internal investigations on irregularities in financial management and administration of the state team were still being pursued.

MOE League Cup : Terengganu-Malacca and Kedah-Perlis in the Finals

Terengganu will face Malacca in the Under-14 category while Kedah will meet Perlis in the Under-17 category of Minister of Education League Cup (MELC) finals.

SMK Bukit Nenas of Terengganu will face Malacca's SMK Seri Kota in the final of the Under-14 Minister of Education League Cup (MELC) on July 26.

SMK Bukit Nenas, losing finalists last year, upstaged defending champions SMK Tunku Anum of Kedah 2-0 in Alor Star in the first leg semi-final and 1-0 at home in the second leg.
Mohd Zalanie Zakaria scored the only goal of the second leg in the 66th minute.

"Playing against Tunku Anum was quite stressful. We knew anything could happen, so we did not pressure the players too much," said SMK Tunku Anum team manager, Norizan Mohamed.

In the other semi-final, SMK Seri Kota came from a goal deficit in the first leg to beat SMK Seberang Temerloh of Pahang 4-0.
The scorers for the Malacca side were P. Yugan (7th minute), Muhammad Haziq Iskandar Khalid (18th), Muhammad Hazim Razali (52nd) and Muhammad Najmuddin Samat (70th).

"The players showed good discipline and they worked hard," said SMK Seri Kota coach Mohd Faimi Abu.

In the Under-17 Ministry of Education Youth League, SMK Tunku Anum of Kedah reached the final after beating SMK Seberang Temerloh of Pahang 5-4 on penalties after regulation time ended 1-1. Khairun Annas Ibrahim (87th minute) cancelled out SMK Seberang Temerloh's 47th minute strike through Mohd Rafani Wahab. The score in the first leg in Alor Star was 1-1.

SMK Tunku Anum's opponents in the final will be SMK Syed Hassan of Perlis.

After losing 2-0 at home last week, SMK Syed Hassan powered to beat SMK Mutiara Impian of Penang 5-2 with goals from Mohamad Safiuddin Md Salim (4th, 75th minute), Alif Che Zahir (42nd) and Mohamad Syafiq Azmi (47th, 75th).
The scorers for SMK Mutiara Impian were Amirul Syazani Roslan (17th) and Muhamad Faizat Mohamad Ghazli (40th).

Penang hold trials to select players for next season

The Penang Football Association will hold trials to select players for next season, during the weekend.

 PFA honorary secretary Mohd Ridzwan Bakar said the first of the trials would be held at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) field.

 "We are looking for players to represent the state in the M-League and players interested to attend the trials should be at the field by 8.30am while the trials will go on until 3.30pm," he said in a statement here today.

 Apart from finding players for the team that will feature in M-League, the association will also select players for their Presidents Cup competition.

 Players above 18 can attend the trials while those interested can contact Nazir Adanan or Hamzah Mohamad Ismail at 04-2272330 for information.

MOE League Cup : Defending champions beaten

A BRACE from striker Solahudin Mahmud gave SMK Bukit Nenas of Terengganu a well deserved 2-0 win over defending champions SMK Tunku Anum of Kedah in the Under-14 Minister of Education League Cup (MELC) first leg semi-finals last Saturday.

In the match that was played in Alor Star, the home team started brightly but it was Solahudin who gave the lead to the east coast team with a close range effort in the 11th minute.

And with just four minutes left of the first half, Solahudin was again on target to give SMK Bukit Nenas a psychological advantage for the return tie in Kuala Terengganu on Saturday.

"We played very well and we are really proud of the boys," said Zainuddin Mohd Zain, the chief coach of SMK Bukit Nenas.

"We have taken a big step for a place in the final this year, so we just have to make sure that we play as well in the return tie.

"We lost to Kedah in the final last year, so we have a good chance of returning that favour this time round."

Incidentally, SMK Tunku Anum had also lost the Charity Shield to SMK Bukit Nenas at the start of the 2011 season.

Kedah were not at all disappointed with the defeat at home as they were confident that they would overcome the deficit in the return tie.

"We are believers in the adage that 'in football anything can happen'. Both teams are equal in terms of strength and I believe that we have a decent shot for the return tie," said Basirul Abu Bakar, the coach of SMK Tunku Anum.

"Our defence was a little off and we only have ourselves to blame for the loss. But we told the players that they must learn from this defeat.

"In Terengganu, we will be attacking all the way. We must win to qualify for the final and defend the crown we won last year."

In the other semi-final, SMK Seberang Temerloh of Pahang carved out a 1-0 advantage at home over SMK Seri Kota of Malacca.

The only goal of the game came off Mohamad Abdullah in the 33rd minute of play.

In the first leg semi-finals of the Under-17 Ministry of Education Youth League, SMK Tunku Anum of Kedah were denied a win at home when they were held 1-1 by SMK Seberang Temerloh of Pahang.

In the other semi-final, SMK Syed Hassan of Perlis failed to take advantage of playing at home when they went down 2-0 to SMK Mutiara Impian of Penang.

Penang and Kelantan win national schools championships

GEORGE TOWN: Penang had targeted to capture two titles in the national schools football championships in George Town recently, but ended up with only one

.

The hosts were confident of winning the Boys' Under-12 and Under-15 crowns but suffered the heartbreak of losing to Kelantan in the Under-12 final in a penalty shoot-out.

In the Under-15 final against Kuala Lumpur at the George Town City Stadium, Penang's Muhammad Asyraf Zainol's 22nd minute strike was enough to make them champions.

The topic of the day was the Under-12 final between Kelantan and Penang at the Penang Free School ground. Penang, clearly the better team, lost.
 

Penang's Under-15 coach Azhar Abdul Rahman said of the present squad, eight players are still eligible for next year's competition.

"Normally we will have two teams in each age-group category, so with the eight experienced players and a few from the other team, there will be a more formidable team next year.

"I can safely say that Penang should be able to retain the title next year."

Azhar picked twins Muhammad Nazrul Najmi Md Noor and Muhammad Nazrul Naim Md Noor, and brothers Muhammad Firas Asyraaf Zaharul and Muhammad Faiz Akmal Zanarul, and Muhammad Syafiq Rizuan as the players to watch out for.

He said this batch of players, who are mostly from the elite Penang Free School, are disciplined, have great teamwork and perform to instructions.

They are also scoring academically, as evident by their many As in their UPSR examinations.

The coach said many of the boys were offered places at the Bukit Jalil Sports School but they preferred to continue studying locally, especially at Penang Free School, and play football.

He believes that if this team were kept together, the future of Penang football will definitely be bright.

Penang legend Namat gets Datukship

Former national footballer Namat Abdullah was taken aback when he learned that he would be bestowed the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri which carries the title "Datuk" in conjunction with the 73rd birthday of Penang Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas tomorrow.

Namat, 64, said he was informed of the honor via a letter he received three days ago from the office of the state secretary requesting his biodata.

"I am very touched by the show of appreciation although I have long retired," he said.
"I never dreamed that I would be conferred such an award in my life."

The Butterworth-born Namat, who was capped 115 times for the country, continues to play in friendlies with other retired footballers in and outside the country.

"I am active in the team of former national players. Other than that, I take care of my grandchildren," Namat said. He has 12 from his seven children.

 Namat, who retired as a prison warden, was in the Malaysian team competing in the 1972 Olympics in Munich and in the 1974 World Cup qualifying team.

FAP’s lack of vision affecting Penang footbal

NOT many who follow the domestic football scene would realise that there is a state team missing from either the Super League or Premier League this year.

Malacca, who are plying their trade in the less-publicised FAM Cup, were relegated to the third-tier competition at the end of the 2010 season.

Now, another state team – Penang – will be heading to the FAM Cup after the completion of the Premier League final round fixtures.

To say that Penang have been poor this year would be an understatement.
The islanders never really looked like climbing off the foot of the table the entire season, and that is where they will end their miserable 2011 campaign.

Up until June 17, the Panthers garnered a solitary point from their first 20 matches.
With relegation already a certainty, they provided a tiny amount of consolation to their suffering fans with a 4-2 victory over Penang club side Sinar DiMaja Kepala Batas in the penultimate league tie.

Not surprisingly, the Penang supporters are not venting their anger at the playing squad. And all three coaches who have been in charge at one time or another – Robert Scully, Shukor Salleh and Ahmad Yusof – are seen to have done the best with the limited resources provided to them.
Instead, it is the Football Association of Penang’s (FAP) shoddy administration and lack of vision that have earned the ire of the supporters.

The writing was already on the wall for Penang following the exodus of experienced and bright young talents since 2008.
The unpopular RM2,000 salary cap introduced since 2009 has seen many talented players shunning the state. Reports in local dailies of the Penang players not being paid their salaries for the first few months of this year justified the low morale and spirit around the squad and the string of embarrassing defeats on the pitch.
Despite the continuous slide of the Panthers, the FAP management, led by president Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohd Hashim, have decided to soldier on.

In his defence, Zahrain did make several changes to the top hierarchy of the FAP recently, but it is deemed by the supporters to be a case of being too little too late.
The current predicament of the state football side is evidence that wholesale changes are needed. And it is time for new faces, with fresh ideas, to take charge of FAP.

Dedicated people with a true love for the sport are waiting in the wings, willing to shoulder the burden of lifting the fortunes of Penang football back up.
But first, they need to be given the chance to do so.

The last time Penang won a significant domestic trophy was back in 2002, when Irfan Bakti led the islanders to the FA Cup.
While Irfan was back on the podium to win the same trophy again with Terengganu last month, Penang’s fortunes have plummeted to new depths.

Consider this plea from a Penang fan – it’s time the FAP clean up their act by minimising the politicking and concentrating on putting up a team capable of earning immediate promotion to the Premier League in 2012.
Kelantan have shown that it could be done.

The Red Warriors bounced back from the depths of the FAM Cup in 2005 to win the Malaysia Cup last year and become one of the top teams in the country.

There is still hope for Penang.

Penang to lodge MACC report on management of state team

The FA of Penang will be lodging a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission against the team's management following the dismal showing of the team in the Premier League this season.

Its president Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim said the decision to lodge the report was taken at a meeting of the association's committee recently.

 "We suspect there is some "fishy business going on. Penang being relegated from the Premier League is unacceptable," he told reporters here Monday.

Penang finished last in the Premier League after only managing one win and a draw while losing 20 matches.