Making Police reports: Is it the end of MHF's responsibilities?

I was quite happy that MHF made a police report on the allegations of match fixing. However, I must say I was not completely thrilled because they did not wait for the Management meeting to have it endorsed prior to proceeding with the report. Why they did not go down that route is only best known to the leadership in MHF.

I then had the opportunity to read Datuk Mazlan's column in the Malay Mail 2 days ago about hockey. As a former Director General of National Sports Council (NSC), he questioned the wisdom why an in-house investigation was not carried out before proceeding with the police report. I thought it was a normal question. So, why MHF you did not undertake such an exercise?

Of course one can sit and speculate but it would not provide a definite answer. The best I could think is that there were too many allegations which may bog down the whole of MHF. Hockey would then end up being 2nd fiddle in its own house. If so, why not let the Management committee debate it first. Maybe it is damage control. This will continue to bug me for sometime.

Interestingly, Datuk Mazlan co-related the failure of MHF to hold an in-house investigation to the aspect of development of hockey. Peculiarly, MHF had handed the age group hockey back to MSSM, which essentially leaves a vacuum in grass root development. In Datuk Mazlan's words, if you are unable to carry out an in-house investigation then it would be very difficult to undertake grass root development, which itself is a mammoth undertaking. That may be one aspect but would Malaysian hockey pay a even greater price in the future because of this vacuum? At this stage it is difficult to know where Malaysian hockey is heading. One thing is for sure: not to the Olympics.

Not only have MHF made a police report, I also understand that a few of the coaches too have been busy with their reports to the police. Allegation after allegation, and these coaches must be stressed out. It seem MHF had left them to sort out their matters with the police. This to me is not a fair approach. They are paid by NSC and employed by MHF and it is only proper that MHF held a hearing and cleared them. Maybe because the allegations were unidentified communications, it would be difficult for MHF to purse the hearing. Well, at least the police would have do the needful!

It is only a question of time before we get to the back of all these allegations once the Police concludes its investigation. Lets wait patiently.