MHF - "Too many people want to be involved."

As a young boy I was taught the maxim i.e " Too many cooks spoilt the broth". Essentially stating in summary, let the rightful people do the work or the talking. In MHF. it would seem that there are a few who believe that they must be heard and get very "excited" to be quoted for in the papers.

Take the case of Jiwa Mohan being recalled to the national team. This news was made available to the press by the Deputy President. I wonder whether he was deputising for the President or speaking in the capacity of Chairman of the Team Management Committee or just as Deputy President. I also wonder if there was proper sanctioning policies and procedures for Jiwa Mohan's recall, which the Deputy President has exercised.

I ask this because only of late the Manager of the national team seem to confirm of Jiwa Mohan's inclusion. The coaches seem to maintain a "silent" mode, thereby leaving people puzzled with what is happening. I can understand why they are taking such a posture, probably as they cannot confirm the full fitness status of Jiwa Mohan. Rumours indicate that the league and even the team Jiwa Mohan plays for in Australia may not fall into the"high performance" category. Therefore his fitness may be a suspect and what is disappointing is that nobody in MHF want to follow a proper protocol before recalling Jiwa Mohan to the side. The least MHF should have done was to get the Western Australian Sports Institute to do the needful tests. I am sure through the good offices of National Sports Council (NSC) such arrangements could have been made. Maybe the people concerned are so focused that they cannot see anything else.

As stated in my previous article, I am supportive of his recall provided he is fit and can slot into the team easily. I still maintain that view but the relevant people seem to be "cagey" of Jiwa Mohan's fitness status. It is probably a unfit Jiwa Mohan is still better than the existing national players. If so, MHF is in a desperate position and this probably explains why news is being slowly leaked out.

Continuing on the issue of "too many cooks", it was strange to hear contridictory comments from the Secretary of MHF and the National Coach on the status of the pitch condition at Kuantan Hockey Stadium. A week ago the Secretary stated the repaired pitch is in good condition and is ready for the Asia Cup. A few days later the National Coach had his team there and they feel it is "bumpy". Mind you , the national players were training in that ground and therefore they have first hand experience. So, i wonder where the Secretary of MHF gets his facts !!!!! Unless of course the Secretary was in Kuantan and played at that ground. Still he cannot be right, as the national players think otherwise.

This is the sort of contradictory views that put MHF in bad light. Why is the Secretary commenting on pitch conditions. Even if wants to indulge in such areas, at least he must do some background work. Unless his statement is to keep certain parties happy by creating such "make believe" scenario.

All in all it is a nice way of reflecting the capabilities of people holding responsible position. If they are unable to handle their job well, how can Malaysian hockey be in world class status. Asia Cup would give us an insight.