ANOTHER DEFEAT DOWN UNDER

Note: while other media may credit Razie for both goals, the lack of co-operation from team officials in Perth has made my task impossible as I have relied on information from hockey friends who watched the match and kept me abreast via SMS.

A defensive minded Malaysia were beaten 5-2 by Australia at the Perth Hockey Stadium in their second friendly match this evening.

Malaysia opted to have all their players in their own 25 for a large part of the match.

Perhaps the strategy adopted was to counter the strong Aussie side fielded by coach Ric Charlesworth.

Australia had the likes of three times FIH player of the year Jaime Dywer, Matt Ghodes, Christopher Cirello and Kieren Govers.

The team fielded was from a list of 28 Olympic hopefuls from their squad but they failed to get the better of a Malaysian side that opted for "parking the bus" in front of goal tactics.

Australia went ahead in the very first minute through Ghodes.

Although the Aussies were awarded penalty corners in the 17, 19 and 20th minutes, the combined efforts of Baljit Singh and Mohd Madzli Ikmar kept the score intact.

But that did not prevent the Australians for doubling their advantage via Simon Orchard.

Off Malaysia's first foray into the opponents semi circle they were awarded a penalty corner in the 23rd minute.

The attempt by Mohd Razie Abdul Rahim sailed into goal, deflected off a defenders stick.

Australia had another penalty corner but Baljit denied them a clear shot at goal and the halftime score stood at 2-1 in favour of Australia.

Dwyer made it 3-1 in the 44th minute before Ghodes scored his second and Australia's fourth in the 50th minute.

Liam de Young made it 5-1 in the 53rd minute but Malaysia reduced the deficit when Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Jalil pounced on a penalty corner rebound in the 55th minute to reduce the deficit to 5-2.

WHY INVITE ONLY TO HUMILIATE ME - ELYAS

UPDATE - BAM CLARIFIES

  

"Firstly, please allow us to apologise to Tan Sri. It was never an intention to humiliate and embarrass anybody, in particular Tan Sri who we have much respect and admiration. To prove my point, we made sure that we received him during his arrival, and we made sure he was comfortable throughout the function. It was a genuine mistake on our part in making the mistake in placement of the seating for the night. Not wanting to be seen giving any excuse, but having to organise to very important events, i.e the Malaysia Open and the Appreciation Night was indeed overwhelming. In the excitement of wanting to do the best for our ex-greats, we overlooked certain matters, and that we must apologise for it."

Kenny Goh

General Manager

Badminton Association of Malaysia

Tan Sri Elyas Omar is known as the man with the golden touch. Born in 16 November 1936, Tan Sri Elyas rose to prominence in sports when he was the Lord Mayor of Kuala Lumpur from 1981 to 1992. 

As revealed by this blog, Elyas was snubbed by the Badminton Association of Malaysia at a recent appreciation night. And in the video above, Elyas lays bare how he felt by the treatment.

Under the guidance of Tan Sri Elyas, badminton regained some lost glory when Malaysia won the Thomas Cup in 1992. From then on, the badminton scene in Malaysia also changed.

Tan Sri Elyas is also credited for lighting the Kuala Lumpur football team to a higher level when he was the President of the Kuala Lumpur FA from 1984 to 1996. Cycling also enjoyed some steady growth and success when Tan Sri Elyas was heading the national body from 1984 to 1988.

Tan Sri Elyas, was the Sports Commissioner, from 2004 till 2007, also the President of Asian Badminton Confederation (ABC) from 1991 to 1993 and the Vice President of Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) from 1984 to 1998.

He shared his sentiments on various issues with regards to badminton, football and the current state of affairs in sports. This blog will release more video excerpts in the next few days.

IT PAYS TO HAVE CONNECTIONS

The FIH today announced that Singapore will take the place of the United States at the Olympic Qualification Tournament in New Delhi, India from February 18-26.

Singapore, ranked #41 in the FIH World Ranking was contacted to join the six team men’s qualification group after the United States unexpectedly pulled out of the event.

“We were pleased that Singapore agreed on such short notice to take part in the Olympic Qualification event,” said FIH CEO Kelly Fairweather. “It will undoubtedly give its men’s national team valuable experience in a major international tournament.”

The tournament in Delhi will feature a six-team round robin format. Following the round robin, the teams ranked first and second will play for a berth to the London 2012 Olympic Games. The remaining four teams will play placement games for FIH World Ranking points.

ELYAS SNUBBED

Tan Sri Elyas Omar was undoubtedly the man of the hour in 1992 at the Stadium Negara when Malaysia won the Thomas Cup.

But on January 15 this year, the man who came up with the plan to ensure the Thomas Cup made its way to Malaysian shores was virtually snubbed when the heroes of yesteryear of Malaysian badminton were given recognition at a gala dinner at a leading hotel after the Malaysian Open.

The fact that he was not seated on a VIP table was understandable, but not even one word was mentioned about Elyas during any of the speeches somewhat left a sour taste.

Why was it so difficult for BAN to acknowledge the man responsible for the success when all the players from the team were given due recognition and invited on stage to receive a momento?

I was not invited but was informed that Elyas , who was in a wheelchair, felt slighted at the treatment dished out.

Guess that is the way past officials are recognized these days, with a snub.

SSTMI TEAMS RECORD A DOUBLE OVER BJSS

The two teams from SSTMI recorded identical wins over their counterparts from Bukit Jalil in the MHC-MILO-NSC Junior Hockey League matches at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Baru this evening.

SSTMI Thunderbolts defeated BJSS 5-1 and on the adjacent pitch the scoreline was the same for SSTMI who defeated BJSS Juniors, thus putting a dent early on the aspirations of the city teams in the chase for honours in Division One.

And in Seremban, Petaling Jaya City Council went on a goal scoring spree, trashing Tunku Besar Secondary School Tampin 7-0.

Read more...www.mjhl.com.my

UNIKL CONTINUE WINNING WAYS

UniKL Young guns registered their second consecutive win in the MHC-Milo-NSC Junior Hockey League when they defeated Tunku Besar Secondary School 4-0 at the Seremban 2 Hockey Stadium.

And two Group B matches of Division Two, one in Kuala Lumpur and the other in Kuantan had to be called off due to a downpour.

 

Read more...www.mjhl.com.my

ROYAL REBUKE

Watch the video captured by yours truly where His Royal Highness Sultan Azlan Shah, the life president of the Malaysian Hockey Federation takes the national coaches to task on the performance of the team in the match against China, which incidentally Malaysia won 2-0.

 

For more videos and full story, go to www.malaysianhockey.blogspot.com

JUNIORS SHOW THE WAY

Having read the two English dailies this morning, one that projected the excuses dished out by Tai Beng Hai while the other hammered the performances of the team into orbit, I opted to wait till the Project 2013 played China this evening.

And as expected the 2013 squad won 6-2 and I rather talk about their performance instead of dwelling on the excuses offered which was effectively handled in the report today.

Intrigued by the score line, I contacted K. Dharmaraj and sought his comments and what was the difference between his and the national teams performances.

True to his nature, Dharma avoided talking about the national team and spoke just about his players.

"We played our normal game and opted for high press, letting the opponents make the mistakes," said Dharma.

"The players played to their ability and were focused as I had told them the result did not matter but what was important was that they give their best.

"We hope to improve and prove that our win at the Sultan Johor Cup was not a flash in the pan."

The 2013 squad scored through Syamim Yusof (6th minute). Mohd Noor Faez Ibrahim ( 16th minute) and Kevinder Singh (18th minute) for a 3-0 halftime lead.

Dedy Aryandi made it 4-0 in the 39th minute before Sang Yi reduced the deficit in the 43rd minute.

Faez scored his second and Malaysia's fifth in the 51st minute before Amir Farid made it 6-1 in the 60th minute.

For the record 2013 had 3 penalty corners and scored from 2.

TALKING COCK

Well the MHF/MHC Secretary had a field day at the Press Launch of the MJHL this afternoon making snide remarks about my decision to decline the offer from Nestlé to to handle media services.

One of his remarks was that I was upset that he made media statements and that as Secretary he had every right to do so.

And since he has raised that issue publicly, I too shall reply in public via my blog.

Let us take a look at the statement he made yesterday and I reproduce it for the benefit of readers.

"Malaysia Hockey Confederation (MHC) secretary Maninderjit Singh said the MJHL will start as scheduled on Jan 19.

“We are happy to see more teams taking part in the MJHL. Although the Negri team submitted their entry late, the technical committee decided to make an exception,” said Maninderjit.

“We offered newcomers Sapura to play in Division One since they initially asked to play in the top flight.

“But they have also decided to stay put, leaving 17 teams in Division Two. We are happy with the current list and I am sure the Division One competition can go on with nine teams in the fray.”

Firstly the Technical Committee last met in January 6 and after that meeting, when there were only 25 teams confirmed the Chairman Dato Rahim Mohd Ariff made. Statement that they were looking for another team.

The issue of the Pahang team request was never discussed at the meeting.

Sapura were never made an offer to play in Division One and this talk of them declining is a blatant lie.

So with no meeting, who made that decision and what kind of statement us he making?

It is apparent that he is scared of his own shadow and since he has no decency to face up to the truth, let the truth prevail and make public the minutes of the meeting that was held to make the decision about sending a team to play in Division Two public.

Show us the letter to Sapura that offered them a chance to play in Division One and their letter to decline.

If not stop talking cock

BAM OH BAM

Suddenly they have a High Performance Committee, headed by the great Hon. Secretary and assisted by Dato James Selvaraj and Wong Ah Jit.

It was a charade, a hogwash, a show or a circus calling for applicants.

Guess AJ will not be granted a pass to watch the semis and finals of Malaysian Open.

And by the way a retired sports editor was given a MEDIA pass I am told. There I was proven right that only Ah Chong, Ah Fatt or Ah Meng can get passes.

By the way all the names for the Thomas Cup are right but not Fairuz and Zakry.

So will those who made the decision to name the squad resign if we do not make it to the Thomas Cup final rounds.

Do it lah please if you practice what you preach - in the interest of the nation. But then again if you resign you lose the junket to London Olympics right.

And this High Performance Committee was a hogwash of idea that was only decided last night

THIS IS BAM

Well the great administrators of BAM, the tai chi experts will today once again take the BAM Exco members for a ride at the meeting scheduled this evening.

One does not need a crystal ball to gaze into to guess what the decisions will be.

For the future of Malaysian badminton is at stake but some of the Exco members could not care less as all they have been lobbying on the sidelines of the Malaysian Open is just which of them will be the Team Manager for the Thomas Cup.

Who cares if some officials of BAM are scheming to bring in someone from across the causeway to be our High Performance Director?

Who cares that the Hon. Secretary was trying to impose all kind of conditions on the Independant players to spar at BAM but now has to rely on these players to save his own position?

Who cares if Zulfadli Zulkifli who is the reigning World, Asian and Commonwealth Junior Champion is left out of the Thomas Cup squad cos his father will not bow to BAM top guns?

Who cares if Malaysia does not qualify for the Thomas Cup as all of these people are going to London for the Olympics.

The Thomas Cup team will be Chong Wei, Hafiz, Liew, Ariff, Koo, Tan, Mak, Goh, Zakry and Fairuz.

TOM, DICK AND HARRY

NOTE: THIS IS A VIDEO INTERVIEW BY THIS BLOG DURING THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN LONDON LAST AUGUST. AND FIVE MONTHS LATER THIS SAME PERSON SAYS BAM HAS POLICY NOT RECOGNISING BLOGGERS FOR ACCREDITATION,  MAKE YOUR OWN ASSUMPTIONS READERS, IT IS OK WHEN YOU WRITE GOOD THINGS BUT BAD WHEN ONE REPORTS THE TRUTH

Day three of the Malaysian Open and I bumped into the Hon.Secretary of the Badminton Association of Malaysia Ng Chin Chai.

Having known Chin Chai since the 80's and in order to be fair to BAM, I sought clarification as to why I was not given a media accreditation.

He replied curtly that it is the policy of BAM not to give accreditation to bloggers but I was welcome to a guest pass which I declined on principle.

When further pushed as to when BAM came up with this policy, Chin Chai then in turned said that they were merely enforcing the policy set by BWF. ( I shall seek clarification from BWF as it has been indicated by Chin Chai that BWF were responsible for accreditation).

When asked when was this policy enforced by BAM, Chin Chai opted to be evasive, saying that he does not remember.

Now I find it intriguing that BAM sends me the draw, the application form for accreditation together with other media personalities, yet now claim that a policy was in place.

And what I find most disgusting is the fact that they had no issues giving me accreditation last year nor paying me for my stories that they used on their website. All along I was a blogger.

There is a simple explanation to this, some people in BAM are obviously shit scared of my blog and cannot accept the truth.

Just take a look at the media centre and you will find loads of people given accreditation and they do not even have any paper published.

Walk around and you can see Ah Chong, Ah Choy and Ah Meng wearing tags.

So if your name is Tom, Dick or Harry and you kiss ass, you will get free entry.

So next time Chin Chai, I suggest you get your facts right before you blame BWF for denying me accreditation.

Suffice to say BAM, do not tell one lie to cover another as one day you will run out of lies...

MANGLISH?

Please look at this article taken from the official Malaysian Open badminton website this morning at 8.11am.

What more can we say about BAM...

LATEST NEWS

FOUR PEMAIN TERHANDAL MARA KE PUSINGAN KEDUA

12 Jan 2012

Empat pemain perseorangan yang diberi jolokan “Four Heavenly Kings” – Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei, Peter Gade dan Taufik Hidayat – menepati ramalan melepasi halangan pertama masing-masing pada saingan Terbuka Malaysia Maybank semalam.

Antara empat bintang tersebut, Taufik menjadi pemain pertama layak selepas dia menewaskan Chou Tien Chen 21-14, 21-9 pada perlawanan sebelah pagi.

BAN US IF YOU WANT FAM

Terengganu has issued an ultimatum to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) that failure to resolve the foreign players issue will result in both the Terengganu state team and T-Team pulling out of the M-League.

Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said today issued the ultimatum claiming he was disappointed with the FAM and may also seek legal redress to resolve the issue.

"If the issue is not settled, there is a big possibility that both teams from Terengganu will withdraw from the M-League competition. If FAM wants to ban us for 10 years that is their problem...but it is due to lack of professionalism on their part.

"Football is played as a sport to entertain the fans, for fun, so why make it so difficult," he told reporters after a state exco meeting here Wednesday.

Ahmad said he had spoken to a number of legal practitioners and sought their views on the appropriate action that can be taken against FAM.

UPSETS GALORE

Day Two of the Malaysian Open saw a string of upsets, mostly involving Malaysians in the morning session at the Putra Stadium.

With the scoreboard at the centre court yet to be fixed as seen above, not to mention the difficulty to sit on the seat that you paid for, it was a good morning session as so far as the Malaysian players were concerned.

Mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying defeated fifth seeds Chen Hung Ling/Cheng Wen Hsing of Taiwan 21-17,12-21,24-22 to book a place in the second round. 

It was a splendid display by the Malaysian pair who played magnificently and will surely be boosted by this win and make further progress in the tournament.

They will surely fancy their chances against India's V. Diju/Jwala Gutta who were taken to the wire by Singapore's Chayut Triachart/Yao Lei before prevailing 21-13,19-21,21-16.

But the biggest cheer occurred at 1.00pm as unheralded Tee Jing Yee defeated Thailand's Portip Buranaprasertsuk 16-21,25-23,21-10 to book her spot in the second round.

Jing Yee, who had to come through the qualifiers will take on Germany's Juliane Schenk who is the eight seed in the second round match tomorrow.

Ironically both the Malaysian upset wins were achieved in 46 minutes, looks like the spirit of 46 (pun intended) still strives in Malaysian hearts.

Also sent packing were Thailand's Sudket Prapakamol/Saralee Thoungthongkam, the sixth seeds in the mixed doubles event. They were defeated by Russian pair of Alexander Nikolaenko/Valeri Sorokina 21-18,21-19.

Meanwhile KLRC suffered mixed fortunes as Petya Nedelcheva of Bulgaria was defeated by China's Liu Xin 21-9,21-18.

However Pi Hongyan of France sailed easily into the second round, disposing off the challenge from Japan's Saka Satayo 21-13,21-13.

EVEN AJ NOT SPARED

UPDATE:

Even the National Sports Institute photographer was denied accreditation by the BAM General Manager. Mind you NSI provides medical personnel for the event and the photographer was to take pictures of staff at work.

Guess Malaysians are not important to BAM as the foreigners are given accreditation without batting an eyelid. And we thought we were given independence in 1957 but there are still that colonise us, sadly its Malaysians who are doing it.

Guess when the Badminton Association of Malaysia wants to flex their muscles, they even ignore personalities that they were chasing after just weeks ago.

Lt. Col (R) Wong Ah Jit was touted as the next High Performance Director for BAM, with two head honchos of BAM actively pursuing to seek his services.

But when the Malaysian Open got underway, AJ as he is affectionately known, was not given given an invite nor accreditation to view the action at Stadium Putra.

AJ was seeing in the line purchasing tickets outside the Stadium Putra today (Wednesday). But he clarified that he was trying to buy tickets for friends who wanted to see the finals on Sunday.

However he confirmed that BAM had not invited him nor given him a pass to enter the venue and only his official uniform did the trick for him today.

Guess its a case of being used and dumped when BAM desire....

WHAT A RIP-OFF

Take one look at that picture and guess waht was the cost of the meal, inclusive of the drinking water. And this was purchased by a legitimate journalist, not blogger, at the Stadium Putra on Day One of the Malaysian Open.

Well, its best you sit on a chair as you come to terms with the price, a whopping RM12 for that meal. And while BAM receives millions of ringgit from their sponsors, not including the astronomical sum one has to part with to purchase tickets, they just cannot seem to provide some decently priced meals for the fans and officials.

Yup, some of these BA officials will be sitting on cushioned chairs, in air conditioned environments, digging into catered food, but those who actually provide the return of investment will just have to live with part of the sponsors tag.... ROAR...the stomach I mean as paying that much for this food is daylight robbery.

Meanwhile....

Former National pair Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif/Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari, now with the Kuala Lumpur Racket Club (KLRC), made it to the main draw of the Malaysian Open Super Series after winning their qualifying match at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil here today.

The pair who quit the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) fold, took just 26 minutes to beat Taiwan's Liang Jui Wei/Liao Kuan Hao 21-13, 23-21 in straight sets.

"Our understanding is getting better. We are beginning to understand our roles better but we have to improve on our consistency," said Mohd Zakry after their match.

The pair, now under the guidance of former great Razif Sidek, will meet Indonesian pair Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan tomorrow.

Mohd Fairuzizuan said the encounter with the Indonesian pair would be a difficult one since they (Mohd Zakry-Mohd Fairuzizuan) have never beaten the top Indonesian pair.

"However, we roughly know their style of play and if we win tomorrow, we can then target for the semifinal," he said.

The duo, ranked world number 45 in the Badminton World Federation's ranking, and not expected to make the cut for the 2012 London Olympics, have targetted to win at least two titles this year - a Grand Prix Gold event and a Super Series.

Apart from Mohd Zakry-Mohd Fairuzizuan, two other men's pairs also made it to the main draw in the men's doubles, namely Mak Hee Chun/Ong Soon Hock and Ong Jian Guo/Teo Kok Siang.

Hee Chun-Soon Hock beat Rasmus Bondel/Anders Kristiansen from England 21-19, 21-14 while Jian Guo-Kok Siang had to go the distance before overcoming Thailand's Bodin Issara/Maneepong Jongjit 21-16, 15-21, 22-20 in three gruelling sets.

BOUGHT NOT FREE

Some have raised doubts that I have purchased tickets for the Malaysian Open.

So in order to satisfy them and help erase their doubts, I will attach a picture of the tickets I purchased to follow proceedings of the event.

I must reiterate that I did apply for accreditation, as a blogger but was told that it was declined. bviously I am targetted because the websites from Europe and even online journalists from local media have been given accreditation.

The funny thing is that for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi and the World Champs in London, I was given accreditation even though I was a blogger. And my stories even made it to the BAM website, the same organisation that opts to deny me my rights to cover the Malaysian Open without fear or favour.

Guess BAM is trying to pull their weight and I wonder if they will resort to seeking an injunction to keep me away from any of their press conferences in the near future. Childish you may think but ooks like the man pulling the strings has made this personal.

Well as insignificant as they may want to label this blog, there is definitely a fear factor that causes then to prevent me from getting access to the event. Tell you what, you have my seat number as displayed, maybe you might want to make that chair disappear.

Note I purchased the tickets even though the bank that sponsored the event has been my preferred bank since 2001, guess membership has no privileges lah.

Meanwhile....

Indonesian shuttlers will continue their quest to end the title drought in badminton’s top tournaments.

No Indonesian shuttlers qualified for quarterfinals of the first tournament of the season, the Korea Open, last week in Seoul, which extended the country’s title drought to eight consecutive Super Series since mixed doubles pair Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir won the Singapore Open in June last year.

Doubles coach Aryono Miranat said on Tuesday that Indonesian shuttlers, especially men’s and women’s doubles, have a good chance of ending the slump in Kuala Lumpur.

“Several top Chinese men’s and women’s doubles are absent from this tournament. That will mean the titles are wide open to grab,” he said.

“[Without the Chinese players] it still won’t be an easy tournament because Japan and [South] Korea doubles are also hard to beat.

“But, if our shuttlers improve their games and work harder, they have a good chance of winning titles in Malaysia.”

Notable Chinese absentees in the women’s doubles are Korea Open winners Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei, and world No. 1 pair Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang.

It’s been almost four years since an Indonesia won a Super Series women’s doubles title. The most recent was the 2008 Indonesia Open, when Vita Marissa and Liliyana prevailed at home.

There are three women’s doubles combinations that will try to end Indonesia’s drought at Putra Stadium, Kuala Lumpur.

Sixth-seeded Greysia Polii and Meiliana Jauhari will open against Eom Hye-won and Jang Ye-na of South Korea, while 2011 Southeast Asian Games champions Nitya Krishinda Maheswari and Anneke Feinya Agustine have a first round match against qualifiers.

Vita, who now pairs with Nadya Melati, will have a tough first round against No. 5 seeds Cheng Wen-hsing and Chien Yu-chin of Taiwan.

In the men’s doubles, the world’s top three — Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng (China), Lee Yong-dae and Jung Jae-sung (South Korea), and Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen (Denmark) — are also skipping the $400,000 tournament.

This would be a good opportunity for Indonesia’s top pair, Mohammad Ahsan and Bona Septano, to get their career first Super Series title.

The No. 5 seeds will play against qualifiers in the first round, but they were drawn in the same half as second-seeded Ko Sung-hyun and Yoo Yeon-seong of South Korea and host favorites Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong.

Last week in Seoul, Ahsan and Bona were ousted early, losing to unseeded Japan pair Naoki Kawamae and Shoji Sato in the first round.

“I know that we have a big chance to win the title here. But, after the poor result in Korea, we want to be realistic with our chances. I think a semifinal spot would be a good achievement for now,” Bona said.

Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan, who won the Malaysia Open in 2008, will start their campaign against Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif and Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari.

NO ACCREDITATION BUT LIFE GOES ON

For reasons known best to the Badminton Association of Malaysia, I was verbally informed that no accreditation will be given to me as a blogger but I am free to apply and be provided with accreditation as a writer or contributor for a magazine. And the official was kind enough to even offer me a Guest pass in order to gain access to Stadium Putra for the Malaysian Open.

However I humbly declined the offer, stating that I either be granted a media pass as a blogger or none at all. And today being a free entry, I have saved some hard earned money by not purchasing a ticket to view matches today.

But to be safe, I have purchased tickets for the next two days, Wednesday and Thursday, to enable me to watch and report the action from the spectators stand. From Friday onwards I shall watch matches on cable TV and try to provide assessment of the proceedings the way I view it.

So life goes on and lets now look at the morning session of the qualification day.....

There are bound to be issues on Day One of any event and it was no different at Stadium Putra as the portable scoreboards gave loads of headaches to the organisors as can be seen from the picture above, with the third column missing, thus causing the fans to either pay attention to the chair umpire or watch the main scoreboard to keep abreast with the scores. Then there was also the irritation of the courts not taped well and it caused the Malaysian doubles pair of Mohd Lufti Zain Abdul Khalid/Vontus Indra Mawan a place in the next round of the qualifiers.

The Malaysian pair were leading the Thai pairing of Patipat Chalardchalem/Nipithon Puangpuapech 15-13 in the rubber, when play had to be stopped and that handed the initiative to the Thai pair who went on to win the tie.

That setback aside, there was some encouraging performances from the Malaysians and it started from mixed doubles pair Tan Aik Quan/Lai Pei Jing who defeated Indonesia's Markis Kido/Pia Zebadiah Bernadeth 21-15,21-18.

And Lydia Cheah too proved that she is made out of sterner stuff as she came back from a set down to defeat India's PV Sindhu 17-21,21-16,21-18 in 46 minutes.

Liew Darren too accounted for another Indian, this time disposing the challenge of RMV Gurusaidutt 21-16,13-21,25-23.

So things are looking good and life goes on..... for as long as the prepaid internet continues to work and the laptop battery lasts...

WHEN "B" SAMPLE WAS NEGATIVE

Am sorry but beg to differ with National Sports Institute CEO Dato Dr. Ramlan Abdul Aziz with regards to the certainty of a "B" sample being almost impossible to be negative.

There has been a precedent with regards to the "B" sample actually coming out negative.

So really this persecution of the two athletes, with some even going to the extent of labeling them as cheats and the Minister even contemplating taking action against the two national sports associations.

Read on ... The story was published in The Star in 2007.

By: RAJES PAUL

KUALA LUMPUR: His name had been tainted and his reputation was in ruins after failing a dope test.

His mother cried and he almost gave up playing badminton after being banned for two months.

And after months of anguish, anger and anxiety, KLRC Bhd shuttler Sairul Amar Ayob was cleared of any doping violation.

Now the 27-year-old Sairul just wants to focus on winning the last slot to represent Malaysia in the men's singles at the World Badminton Championships which will be held at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil from Aug 13-19.

Lee Chong Wei and Mohd Hafiz Hashim have qualified for the world meet by virtue of being in the top 10 of the world rankings.

The third and last slot is an open race among Sairul, who is ranked 22nd, Lee Tsuen Seng (16th) and Yeoh Kay Bin (24th).

To earn the berth Sairul must give a good showing in the Singapore Open (May 1-6) and the Indonesia Open (May 8-13).

After keeping mum over the dope scandal and suspension, Sairul vented out his frustration over the painful episode yesterday that almost saw the end of his badminton career.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) suspended Sairul from competing in the Malaysian and Korean Opens in January when his sample A taken during a doping test at the Dutch Open semi-finals in October last year turned out to be positive.

Sairul went on to win his first Open title at the Dutch Open. A banned substance dexamethasone that are used in medication for asthma and skin disorder were found in his A sample. However Sairul's suspension was lifted when his Sample B was found negative.

He could have been slapped with a two-year ban if the sample B was found positive.

With the suspension lifted, Sairul competed in the All-England and Swiss Open in March but the demoralised player lost in the first round of both events.

''I did not take drugs to enhance my performances. I felt very frustrated when I was suspended from the two tournaments (Malaysian and Korean Opens). I was punished and my name was smeared even before the verdict of the Sample B was out. My world ranking was affected (he was ranked at the 14th spot then),'' lamented Sairul.

''In fact, I was contemplating to take legal actions against BWF and BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia) because I felt I did not deserve such treatment. But now, I know that they had to follow certain procedures.''

''The worst for me was when my mother called me up crying. She thought I was a junkie and I had to explain to her that I don't do drugs. Fortunately, my brother, who is a policeman, explained the whole situation to her.''

''I am glad that my Sample B was negative. It showed that I did not take drugs. But I will surely be careful of what medication I take in the future,'' he said.

Sairul was grateful that his club led by owner Datuk Seri Andrew Kam stood by him.

''In fact, my club sponsored my trip to Belgium where the B Sample was tested at a laboratory there. It was confirmed negative. I was the happiest person then.''

Sairul hoped to repay his club by winning the world meet berth.

''It will be great if one of the KLRC players can make the cut for the world meet. It could be either Lee Tsuen Seng or me. I will be happy as long as one of the club players make it,'' he said.

''Ultimately, my goal is to represent Malaysia in the next year's Olympic Games in Beijing and the Thomas Cup Finals. I am not getting any younger but I will continue to work hard to improve.''

On his chances in the Singapore Open, Sairul said: ''I will be meeting China's Chen Yu in the first round. It will be tough but I will give him a good fight.''

(thestar.com.my)

INDONS GETTING IT RIGHT

While Malaysian badminton continues its downward spiral, without any real effort save for what David Wee the Development Chairman is trying to do, the Indonesians have taken stock of problems that they face and implement rectification processes in order to attain world standards once again.

Read the article below on how the PBSI starts looking ahead while here in Malaysia distrust rules the roost as Independant players and the club structure continues to be victimized.

As the fortunes of the country’s top shuttlers continue to decline, the Indonesian Badminton Association is well aware of the need to produce a new crop of talent.

Hadi Nasri, head of athletes’ development at the association known as the PBSI, assured fans that youth development efforts were underway.

“We know our senior players have been playing poorly, but trust me that we are trying everything possible for the sake of regeneration, including giving young players more exposure on the world stage,” Hadi said. “We are trying to save our badminton, which has brought pride to the country in world-class competitions, including the Olympics.”

The PBSI has 64 shuttlers in its training camp in Cipayung, East Jakarta, about half of whom are in the youth set-up.

Hadi said the PBSI would continue sending shuttlers to events appropriate to their skill level, which for the youngsters means lower-level events on the International Challenge and Grand Prix circuits.

“Sending them to lower-level tournaments is better for their mental strength. Once they win a tournament, it will grow their confidence to play at a higher level. But if we push them to play in higher-level tournaments, such as the Super Series, and they lose to tougher opponents in the first round, it will hurt their confidence,” he said.

Though perhaps not quickly enough for some observers, green shoots of recovery have started to emerge with youngsters showing well in recent tournaments.

Hera Desi took second in women’s singles at the Malaysia International Challenge in November, losing to teammate Bellaetrix Manuputty. Hera reached the quarterfinals of the India Open Grand Prix Gold a month later, pushing top Japanese shuttler Eriko Hirose to three sets before losing in the quarterfinals.

Elisabeth Purwaningtyas reached the final of last year’s World Junior Championships in Taoyuan City, Taiwan, losing to defending champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand. Those showings have boosted hopes of a resurgence in women’s singles, in which Indonesia has struggled to make an impact since the retirement of Susi Susanti.

Men’s doubles has also shown promise. Andrei Adistia and Christopher Rusdianto reached the India Open Grand Prix Gold final before falling to top-seeded Naoki Kawamae and Shoji Sato of Japan. Afiat Yuris Irawan and Rendy Sugiarto reached the last eight of the Indonesia Open Grand Prix Gold, as did Ricky Karanda Suwandi and Muhammad Ulinnuha.

Suci Rizki Andini and Tiara Rosalia Nuraidah gave the country a welcome boost with their women’s doubles title at the Asian Youth Under-19 Championships in Lucknow, India, last July.

“The PBSI has given them the opportunity. It is now about how hard they try to keep their commitment to play for the country,” Hadi said.

Bellaetrix said she was excited about having the chance to face more international competition.

“It’s good that the PBSI has started to send us on more international tours,” she said. “I heard that they will send me on 10 tours this year, which is good, though it’s still far less than Thailand. They send their young players to 20 tournaments each year.

“Look at Thailand, which trusts its young players. The benefit of sending youngsters is that they play without pressure, which helps their confidence.”

As for the older shuttlers who have struggled to maintain their winning form, the PBSI does not plan to put them out to pasture, Hadi said.

“They will help their juniors as sparring partners during training. It is hard to find sparring partners, and it cost a lot to hire new ones. Other countries such as Japan hire our senior players as sparring partners,” he said.

The regeneration effort will also include coaches, nutritionists, psychologists and talent scouts, he added, as the PBSI keeps its local and national coaches up to date on the latest techniques through workshops.

“We keep in touch with the [Badminton World Federation] to send its experts to share the latest info with our coaches,” he said.

TOP SEEDS PULL OUT

Top doubles seeds, Lee Young Dae and Jung Jae Sung of Korea have withdrawn from the Malaysian Open that is scheduled to commence tomorrow.

Also withdrawing from the Super Series event are P. Kashyap of India from the main draw in the men's singles as well as Dicky Palyama from Holland who was slated to play in the qualifiers.

Thus Muhammad Hafiz Hashim, the first seed for the men's qualifying event is expected to be slated into the main draw.

Women's doubles pair Lotte Jonathans/Paulien Van Dooremalen also have also withdrawn.

More after the Managers meeting this afternoon.

MJHL TO COMMENCE JAN 19

Tunku Besar Secondary School and MSSPP-USM were promoted to Division One of the forthcoming MHC-MILO-NSC Junior Hockey League that will get underway on January 19. And it was decided that PHK-MSS Kelantan, the team that finished at the bottom of Division One last season were demoted to Division Two.

A record number of 25 teams confirmed their participation and with ten tems placed in Division One the remaining 15 teams were placed in two pools for the second division. The top six teams of Division One will be joined by the top two teams from Division Two, after a playoff between the top two teams in each of the two pools of Diision One.

Read more...www.mjhl.com.my

Ruben Emir Gnanalingam calls referee 'blind and bias'

If this was in Malaysia, then surely Ruben would have faced a six month ban akin to what former national coach B. Sathianathan had to endure for speaking the truth.

There is no doublt that the sending off was questionable, and more so given the fact that the Norwich player fell like a deck of cards.

Still we expect the English FA to "investigate" the tweet that Ruben sent out and later deleted as per the story that appeared in The Telegraph today. Read on...

QPR director Ruben Emir Gnanalingam calls referee 'blind and bias' after Joey Barton sent off against Norwich

Queens Park Rangers director Ruben Emir Gnanalingam could face Football Association action for describing Premier League referees as “biased and blind” on Twitter after the dismissal of Joey Barton during the 2-1 defeat by Norwich. 

Gnanalingam, who joined the club’s board of directors in August, where he sits alongside chairman Tony Fernandes, posted his tweet just after Barton’s sending-off for an apparent butt on Norwich's Bradley Johnson. “F------ EPL refs are a big load of b-------!” he wrote. “Biased and blind. Thank you for spoiling the game.” 

Gnanalingam, a Malaysian businessman who is the chief executive of one of the country’s biggest ports, Westports Malaysia, deleted the tweet within minutes. It is not known how many of his Twitter followers would have seen it. 

After the game he sent a tweet to Barton, saying: “We are behind you all the way. Get the lads to keep their heads up and minds focused on the next game. Great goal by the way”. 

Gnanalingam’s earlier tweet could land him in trouble, given that this would not be the first time a QPR director has attracted the FA’s attention with a tweet about referees. 

In September, after Michael Oliver awarded Aston Villa a penalty during a 1-1 draw at Loftus Road, Fernandes tweeted: “The ref is blind. Two clear handballs”. 

In response, the FA wrote to the club to warn them about bringing the game into disrepute. Fernandes was not sanctioned. 

QPR would not confirm on Monday night whether Gnanalingam had written the tweet.

ONLY IN BAM

A year ago Badminton Association of Malaysia was in the news for the wrong reasons.

It was because Datuk Misbun Sidek had quit BAM, something this blog had predicted on September 6, 2010.

Over the year BAM were involved in major controversial matters, topping it was taking away the right of doubles pair Gan Teik Chai/Tan Bin Shen from participating in the World Championships, something that the public were aghast when they found out.

One would expect BAM to handle crisis much better, but creating crisis seems to be the niche in administrative abilities.

For they had an open ended advertisement for the High Performance Directors position, something two top BAM officials were hell bent on taking away from Dato James Selvaraj.

Fine it is your right to advertise but why were there so many different reports on the number of applicants for the BAM Secretary had on a TV talk show commented that there were 16 applicants.

Now one paper reports that there were 20, another says 19, the third says 17 and even the number to call for interview is a guessing game with some saying 4,5 and so forth.

What the paper did get wrong was the date for the interview as its on Tuesday Jan 3 and not Monday Jan 2.

On top of that BAM have called in persons who did not apply as two of the candidates, one whom I can name as Wong Ah Jit, did not apply but were approached by BAM.

Now it goes to show the sincerity of the BAM officials, for the interview is a hogwash as they have initiated discussions with NSI for Ah Jit's services.

Now that alone is something for MACC to ponder for BAM is misleading the public and there is an element of fraud by advertising and not letting the due process take place by letting those who applied by considered.

If from the 16 original applicants no one is deemed to be qualified, them only head hunting should start.

And let me clear the air, never did I ever even consider applying for the position so cut the bull of a story that a BAM official is spreading.

Changes in BAM, it can only happen when we fail to make the Thomas Cup and not win gold in London.