Voice-in-Sports

MHF elections: "Status quo and no room for former internationals."

2010-11-02T16:55:00.006+08:00

5 posts were up for grab last weekend in the MHF election at their BGM. The contest was for Deputy President (DP) and for 4 Vice Presidents (VPs) and interestingly the winners hold the posts for 4 years. There were 4 contenders for DP including the incumbent, a former DP, a incumbent senior VP and a former national hockey player. As for the VPs, there were 8 candidates including 3 incumbents, an Affiliate VP, 3 former hockey internationals and a Secretary of an Affiliate.

Once every 2 years, although now it shall be once in 4, the delegates to the BGM have that very important role when they carry with them the ballot paper that dictates collectively who would be occupying the various posts to lead the MHF Management Committee. Whilst the TM returned unopposed during the nomination, it would seem the contestable posts have enough candidates reflecting a growing interest in MHF. This obviously gives the impression that the TM must have done a good job at the helm of MHF and that there are more than sufficient candidates who want to be part of his new team.

Last Sunday the delegates silently spoke through their ballot. If there is anything we can infer from the results of 4 incumbents reelected and an Affiliate Secretary becoming the 4th elected VP, it is that the delegates were pleased with the TM and his team for the last 2 years. Although the Deputy President may have been a close call, still he was reelected. We can sit and gossip till the "cows come home" but the point is the results of the election reflect a "status quo".

Notwithstanding this, it must be recognised that the TM had taken an ethical position of remaining clear of the election by not naming his team and above all he chose not to exercise his vote. In that sense the results had more significant meaning for it was free of any of TM's influence. The TM must be praised for such a stance as in this way he shall always be the unifying force for Malaysian hockey.

The other inference that could be made from the results is that there was no room for the former internationals. 4 former internationals were in the race, 1 for DP and 3 were for VPs. Of the 4, 3 were former national captains and save for 1, the 3 others were involved with the Affiliates. For whatever reasons the delegates did not give these former national players the sufficient votes to get them past the post. It would seem that even if you serve the country as a former national player or as national captains, there is no guarantee that such credentials can hold in an election. It shows the delegates have their own mind and candidates must be fully aware of this.

Now that the election is over, the various parties if it did exist, must get back together and work for the betterment of Malaysian hockey. The TM has kept his bridges well intact and therefore he is the unifying force, which means we must give him our full support to ensure his vision to make Malaysian hockey as a highly world ranked nation materialises. This has to be the immediate mission and with the TM at the helm nothing is impossible.

TM need the right people who can serve Malaysian hockey properly and are loyal to the President.

2010-10-29T23:49:00.007+08:00

TM is the Crown Prince of Pahang and is conducting himself regally in his position as President of MHF. Staying away from the "bitching" that is taking place in the contest for Deputy President (DP) and Vice Presidents (VPs), the TM is probably doing the right thing. Someday in the future all of us would be his "raayat" and therefore wanting to interfere in the process of an election by stating who he thinks should be in the MHF Management team would probably be shortsighted. This is where the TM displays his "greatness" as he gives every candidate the fair opportunity to participate without being biased if they are genuine in their endeavours.

Strangely, this outlook of the TM may create a "dichotomy" in MHF. The TM's greatness may permit the candidates with varying outlooks to solicitor support in whatever manner they deem fit to get voted to the positions. This may not give a "team" spirit in the new MHF Management as people with different outlooks may pull MHF in different directions. This itself in the initial period may give rise to sufficient confusion including distraction and disturbances which may take the focus from MHF. It is not because the TM is not in control of the situation, rather it would be his nature to permit everyone the opportunity to give their views and some may take this as a licence to push their agenda. The time-wasting that may be caught in the "verbal diarrhoea" may in a way be an "opportunity cost" to Malaysian hockey as to the delays in implementing programmes to shift Malaysian hockey to world class.

The proponents of "verbal diarrhoea" generally have the ability to be the centre of attraction so as they can become closer to the TM for reasons best known to them. Of course it is not difficult to guess the reasons and it is mind boggling on the measures they take. The sad aspect of this is that these people do not have an "iota" of knowledge of what to do and they use their external sources to "feed" them with pertinent points to make them look extraordinary. Rather than being creative they display their skills in "punching holes" on other people's work. It is "dulling other people's boots" rather than "shining their own" that is their modus operandi in showing off themselves. The glaring aspect of all this is how they are able to be present at functions where the TM and certain VVIPs are present and yet they do not appear at any other times when they are most needed.

These are the people whose whole actions contradict the famous statement of late President John F Kennedy ie "ask not what the country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country". Similarly these people are there in hockey to derive something from hockey rather than giving something to hockey. Of course there are exceptions and mind you a very few only.

This is where the delegates to the BGM on Sunday must decide carefully to differentiate such people. It would be difficult but there are enough stories, some may be truthful while others maybe a figment of one's imagination. The bottom line is whether the candidate can support the President's vision on Malaysian hockey. He should catalyst the vision rather than catalyst his own self interest in being in hockey. Enough stories have been told and the delegates have that opportunity to judge for themselves to give a "team" that can work with the TM. Although the TM will not ask for one yet the delegates for the sake of Malaysian hockey can give the TM a "workable" team. The important thing is not to be swayed by the dinners, drinks and promises rather be guided by the sense of justice so as the people elected can work with the team loyally to turn Malaysian hockey as a world force.

Enjoy the dinners, the drinks and what else that comes with it, but end of the day the delegates must have to answer to their conscience that they gave Malaysian hockey and the TM the right persons for the right positions to take Malaysian hockey into the next 4 years. If the delegates get it right then we have good years to come in hockey or not they themselves have to be blamed and no one else.

So delegates touch your heart and use your head to make that wise choice.

Battle for MHF Vice Presidents - "One of contenders may seem to lack the apprenticeship service in administration of Malaysian hockey".

2010-10-18T19:24:00.006+08:00

The current President of MHF has made MHF an attractive proposition to encourage the numbers to gather to battle out for the various posts in the offering. MHF these days is much more solid both in administration and wealth as it has come clear of its sloppiness and debts. The recent constitutional amendments to permit the appointment of Secretary plus Treasurer and with the period extended to 4 years for Office bearers seem to have provided the extra interest to compete for the remainder contestable posts. The focus seems to be on the Deputy President and Vice Presidents (VPs).

As for the VPs there are 6 positions of which 4 are contestable and the other 2 are reserved for Sabah and Sarawak. For the 4 contestable positions there are 8 candidates of which 3 are incumbents and they are:

Datuk Seri Che Khalib, Chairman of the Finance Committee.

Datuk Rahim Ariff, Chairman of the Competition Committee.

M Gopinathan, Chairman of the Special Projects Committee.

The 4th incumbent is going for the "broke" and has offered himself as a candidate for the Deputy President's position.

The other 5 candidates who believe they too can be a VP are:

Manjit Majid Abdullah, Secretary - Johor Hockey Association.

DSP Mohinder Singh, Head of Hockey in Polis DiRaja Malaysia

Johari Abdul Aziz, Vice President - Kuala Lumpur Hockey Association.

Rahim Ahmad, Coaching Chairman - Selangor Hockey Association

Ow Soon Kooi, former national player

Without any doubt, looking at the list of candidates all save for one has done "yeoman" service for Malaysian hockey administration either at National or State or both. Although there is no condition precedent of a prequalification criteria, it yet provides persuasive indicators of the contesting personalities.

Ow Soon Kooi is relatively a "newcomer" to administration of Malaysian hockey although directly or indirectly he is involved in businesses that have connections to the sporting world. Some of this may provide a "convergence of interest", which could be helpful while at times the convergence of interest could become a "conflict of interest". This thin dividing line can become problematic if it is misconstrued and can put Malaysian hockey in disrepute.

The other key question Ow Soon Kooi has to answer is whether he has the time? As a Malaysian "hockey watcher", this question begs an answer because early this year he was offered the post of one of the 2 team managers of the senior national team. Ow Soon Kooi refused that appointment on grounds of time and that answer may come to haunt him as he offers his services for VP, particularly as the post is for 4 years.

There is no doubt Ow Soon Kooi has served the nation well both as a national player and as a former officer with Polis DiRaja Malaysia. As a player, not only did he don the national colours but also became the Captain of the national team. His close relationship with people like the late Datuk Ho Koh Chye and Datuk R Yogeswaran while employing a few national hockey players plus other sports related personalities have kept him abreast with the developments in hockey. He has also indulged in having a hockey team starred by a few former internationals and coached by a known sports journalist.

Does this mean Ow Soon Kooi has done his "apprenticeship" to be among "equals" to be considered for the VP post? This is not something that can be answered by us but rather by the Affiliates who would have their representatives at the BGM. What would be good is for Ow Soon Kooi not to contest but rather be nominated by the President either as Chairman of Coaching Committee or Chairman of Development Committee. These are key positions and the future of Malaysian hockey is dependant on the performance of such Committees. I am sure if he offers himself for such positions MHF would be more than willing to have the services of such a distinguished former national captain. In a lot of ways this may help to suppress any potential "innuendos" that may arise that could bring unnecessary colour to the elections.

Commonwealth Games hockey - "Malaysia's idea of match practice for Asian Games reinforces our current standing in international ranking".

2010-10-13T15:21:00.006+08:00

Lack of match practice before the Asian Games, notwithstanding the tours to China, Australia and Europe, had got MHF to reset its position of sending a mix team of juniors and seniors to our best team for the Commonwealth Games (CWG). The idea being the CWG would provide a suitable tournament for good match practices for our team to the Asian Games, which is a key cog in world hockey qualifiers ie a direct entry to the 2012 London Olympics for the Asian Games hockey gold medallist. The CWG does not provide any form of such incentives.

Therefore Malaysia's silver in 1998 and bronze in 2006 CWGs may give the impression that our hockey lads were then only going to glorify themselves in non-consequential events. Not really, because it did contribute to the nation's medal haul, which is very important to the statisticians in NSC, who have to proudly present the figures to justify the huge resources spent in preparing the teams for both the Commonwealth Games. Somewhere this rationale seems to have gone astray for the 2010 CWG.

Today, after our "match practices" in the CWG in New Delhi, can we be proud of the fact the team came 8th out of 10 teams? 1stly on record this is our worst performance in the CWGs and maybe this could be justified because MHF had reset the CWG to "match practice" status. The interesting aspect is that the international ranking is kept quite intact as the Commonwealth hockey nations who are in the top 12 ensured that Malaysia was of no threat to them as they all were above the 8th spot. Does this mean that our boys are lacking the skill and playing ability to to be in the top 10 in the world? A difficult question to answer as the lads were on "practice match" mode and as such they may not have given their best.

Now i wonder whether the team management have a better idea of the performance of the lads and the team that they can make the timely adjustments to achieve their set target of "gold" for Asian Games. This is important as they may want to reset their target for the Asian Games as they had done for the CWG. Is the gold medal target a figment of imagination of MHF or is it something that is achievable?

Following the CWG, where we had loss to India and Pakistan, itself may put us out of reach of achieving the "golden" position in the Asian Games. In the round robin in our Group at the Asian Games we have to contend with South Korea and China who are above us in world ranking. The other team in the Group is Oman. Beating China would take us to the semis but we must recognise that they have well over a billion population behind them on a home ground advantage. Should we get to the semis, then there lies the hope, and it is not insurmontable, to make it to the final. The other Group has India, Pakistan, Japan and Singapore. The probable semi-finalists emerging from that Group would probably be India and Pakistan, both of who we had "practice matches" with in the current CWG and lost 3-2 and 4-1 respectively.

In a nutshell, the 2 coaches must know what to do, now that they are aware of the performance level of their players and the team following the "practice matches" at the CWG. The coaches have about 3 to 4 weeks to fine tune the team and work towards the "incredible" target of gold set by MHF. A tall order but somehow it seems to have been stuck as the KPI for the team. Mind you i do not envy the position Stephen and Beng Hai are currently in. All we can do is to wish the Malaysian team the very best for Asian Games.

"Incredible India" - It is dented but still can be saved.

2010-09-28T18:47:00.005+08:00

"Incredible India", the advertisement that is supposed to attract millions of tourists to India, must have been severely dented with the catastrophic events that have been taking place in New Delhi, the venue of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) which is to begin on 3rd October. Yes! it is incredible how the Indian Organisers of the CWG left it so late that it nearly jeopardise the whole CWG. Indeed an international news reporter summed it by stating that the whole event is compared to organising an Indian wedding where everything comes together at the last minute. However the CWG is no Indian wedding; rather it is an international sporting event that is two third the size of an Olympics, yet having all the events of the Olympics.

India has spent anywhere from US$6.0 to US$10.0 billion including construction of a new airport, Metro system for Delhi and roads & bridges let alone the sporting infrastructures plus the CWG sports village. Despite the huge spending, the unhygienic environment leading to deplorable conditions at some of the accommodation units at the Games village and the shoddy work that permitted the collapse of a foot bridge connecting to the main stadium plus the crumbling of the ceiling at the weightlifting stadium, has given rise to enough complaints from participating countries that is putting the whole CWG into jittery position. All these without doubts has devastated India's image and some have called into question India's qualitative skills and standards in organising such a mammoth event. Indeed India was given 7 years to get their act together and today questions are even asked why was India considered for 2010.

India is now the 4th economic power house in the world and the events unfolding with regards to organising the CWG is not doing good to India's international image. Some in India may argue this as a media conspiracy to hurt India but what is more important is that the Indian Organisers allowed it to happen. Obviously if the Games itself moves smoothly without any further glitches and brings the best in sports, that in a way may help to mitigate the disastrous aspects which existed prior to the commencement of the CWG. Still we cannot discount the fact that what happened in India will remain a negative stigma everytime one talks about CMG or if there is another major event to come to India.

It is a pity as "Incredible India' has so much to offer. Its multi-ethnicity that provides the multi-dressing with multi-colours, its multi-culture with multi-culinary dishes combined with multi-language and multi-religion brings out the kaleidoscope that is India. The combination of tradition and modernity with English predominantly spoken provides everyone with something to enjoy and slowly people grow fond of India. It is this attachment that brings back the people to India. I am sure the athletes from the 76 countries participating in the CWG would share the emotions of the wonderful memories of India when the curtains come down at the end of the Games.

Mind you, one would have thought the only challenge India would have to face in this CWG is the aspect of security. Troubled by multi-layers of threats from Assam to Kashmir, Maoist to Nazalites, Hindu to Islamic fundamentalists, it literally keeps India's law enforcement both at national and state level extremely busy. Indeed this is one area that had usually troubled visiting sporting teams prior to their visit to India but the successful hosting of the World Cup hockey early this year has shown that India can get on top of the situation. There is no doubt the security services would be on full alert, which itself may be inconvenience to people but such inconvenience is needed as a sacrifice for public safety and peace.

It is not easy for India to organise the CWG when the country has its fair share of natural to man made challenges to face. It took on the challenge 7 years ago with its economy prospering and having a wealth of human resources, it is "dumb founding" how India got entangled in such a scenario before the Games. There would be numerous post-mortems, many finger pointing, scapegoats and above all people who would want to benefit from such disasters. End of the day is whether India would do enough in the future to assure the world that such things would not reoccur. This is something that is important for India and its people.

Good Luck India for the Commonwealth Games.

"Hope" - The key operative word for the Malaysian national hockey team.

2010-09-23T20:04:00.006+08:00

Before we put a Plan together, we must have a vision as to what we want to achieve. Most times this would be guided by historical facts and the prevailing scenarios including taking account of the time span. Once we are equipped with such details it makes the planning exercise that much easier. The Plan that is drawn up by its architects needs to be scrutinised by independent experts in the field, who can endorse or fine tune the Plan. Once that is done then it is becomes the responsibility of the architects to ensure the Plan is adhered to.

This brings me to the Malaysian national team's preparation for the Commonwealth and Asian Games. After the 2006 debacle, where the national hockey team won the bronze medal for the Commomwealth Games, yet in the tournament that mattered, they achieved the worst record of coming 6th at the Doha Asian Games. The opinions that followed seem to indicate that since Commonwealth and Asian Games are in the same year and side by side, there is a need for a rethink for the preparation of both the Games. The guiding issue here is that in hockey the Commomwealth Games has no bearing whatsoever on any nation's international ranking, whereas as gold medallist of the Asian Games it provides a direct entry to the Olympics.

Armed with this historical fact, it was always envisaged that we would sent a mixed team for this year's Commonwealth Games and the best XI for the Asian Games. At least this was the thinking as there were over 30 trainees for the centralised training. Sadly our preparation plan seems to have been simply "rubber stamped" by NSC and also by MHF. I use the word "rubber stamped" because the Plan had 3 overseas tours, all playing with 2nd rated teams or tournaments including almost all the countries which were ranked below us. The preparation showed its weakness as there were no warm-up matches lined-up before the Commonwealth and Asian Games. Effectively, meaning our boys were going for tournaments that we planned well ahead ie 8 months and somehow there were significant gaps that were left that became so glaring as the time got closer. Now probably you understand why the scribe stated the aspect of "rubber stamping".

In desperate times, desperate measures were required and this is where MHF hastily organised 2 warm-up matches with New Zealand. Even then, it must be recognised that the Kiwis are assembling together as a team for the 1st time after the Champions Trophy, which was a good 2 months ago. Most of the players are flying into KL after their own national league and the rest are coming in from Europe. Therefore the Malaysian team would be playing against the New Zealanders who are trying to gel together as a team. Yes! it is "warm-up" for the Kiwis and i wonder what would it be for the Malaysians? In realistic terms what are we hoping for? Maybe to understand the art of Kiwis training without the long centraliseed periods which is so predominant in Malaysian hockey.

Now, there seems to be a change of thought insofar as the Commomwealth Games. Suddenly, it is made known that the Commonwealth Games is more like a practice tournament as a built-up for the Asian Games. This is probably why they are sending their best team to Delhi for the Commonwealth Games. What expensive practice matches the Commonwealth Games is going to be for Malaysian hockey. Maybe the writing is already on the wall that our boys may find it hard to compete with some of the best teams in the world in Delhi. Probably that is why they have started creating the excuse the Commonwealth Games is serving as practice matches. Therefore the thinking that is set for us to follow is that the results in Delhi in theory should not matter.

There is no doubts that the best of Plans would also have their shortcoming. This is usually not during the planning stage but at implementation due to unavoidable circumstances. In our case it would seem at planning itself we have made the necessary judgement errors. Either the architects lack the knowledge of proper planning or they just do what they are capable which may not be the best. What compounds the blunder is the subsequent endorsement by the relevant parties without the proper scrutiny. Now we must leave it to "hope" and probably wait for divine assistance. Even then we must appreciate that this can only happen if we do our bit of the work properly and correctly.

Anyway there is not much choice for our national hockey team other than to live in "hope" whichever way.

MHF constitutional changes will be a move in the right direction but is it enough ?

2010-09-02T16:48:00.008+08:00

On 4th September, MHF would have their Extra Ordinary Meeting (EGM) which is being called to make amendments to the MHF constitution. Not having the full details, yet from the grapevine the information emerging seems to relate to the rights of the President to appoint the Secretary and Treasurer of MHF. Effectively it means that both these posts would not be contestable in the future if the amendments are successfully approved.

There were talks before the last Council Meeting which agreed to forward the amendments for the EGM, that some of the Affiliates were not happy with the proposed changes. With his "royal touch" the TM did the "magic" of putting the Affiliates at peace of mind as to why such appointments were deemed necessary. I also believe that the appointments of Chairman of Coaching Committee and also for Development would be amended thereby incorporating them into the Management Committee.

All these amendments make sense if we subscribe to the believe that "the bug stops" with the President ie he is ultimately responsible. So if we vote the President then it is only right he be given the mandate to appoint the key officials too. Some may argue that there is no "check and balance". I think that is a bit "dumb founded" as the MHF constitution provides for at least 5 Affiliates together to summon a EGM on resolutions they believe need to be debated and voted upon. This could also include a motion of "no confidence", if they believe that the responsible people are not doing their job properly.

This brings me to the rumour that some Affiliates in conjunction with this EGM may propose that the period for Office Bearers to hold office should be extended to 4 years from the current 2 years. There is wisdom in such a proposal as it coincides with the 4 year cycle of the World Cup, Olympic Games and Asian Games, which are the premier tournaments. This provides an uninterrupted objective basis to judge the President and his team on how they performed in the administration of hockey for the specified period. Obviously, the "downside" is we provide a continuous opportunity for the President and his team to allow the slide to continue if they are unable to arrest the decline. Fortunately,the constitution provides a pathway for an EGM to make changes in the administration if such a situation does arise. Fundamentally, there is room to redress such scenarios but we hope it does not come to such a situation.

All in all, the proposed amendments seem to set MHF in the right direction. However, as a "MHF Watcher", i believe the proposed changes are not comprehensive enough to overhaul the system, which is antiquated. The current approach seems to be a "piecemeal" and therefore the process to see changes may be time related. One area that is not addressed is the question of "full' affiliation rights. This seems confined to rules that came from "time in memory" and therefore has been confined to States and to the Armed Forces and Police. Looking at modern hockey it seems to omit the clubs and universities where most of the national players are emerging. This means that we are running hockey on an old system while hockey itself has modernised and is supposed to be manned by people who encompass technologies and corporate principles. These are the very people that are missing in the MHF administration because the MHF constitution does not "open" its doors for clubs and universities that could make the difference.

The other area that needs attention is the right of MHF to be informed of the activities of its Affiliates and the consequences if the Affiliates fail to perform. Currently there is an inequitable position where active and inactive Affiliates have the same powers, thereby not discriminating between them. This itself is totally unfair as inactive Affiliates which, i believe, are of significant number in MHF, can decide MHF's future. How ironical? There has to be a system of "benefit and burden" rule imposed to ensure that only active Affiliates are allowed to participate in the decision making process of MHF.

What is important is MHF must have a "living" constitution that provides dynamism to the affairs of MHF. This can only happen if a broad spectrum of people can come and participate in MHF and the only way this can happen is MHF has an "open door" policy to its membership for active hockey clubs and universities. Someday it has to come, and the sooner the better.

Maybe the TM may have his wisdom as to why he is approaching issues of constitutional changes in a conservative manner rather than a radical fashion. As a President he has the prerogative and he probably knows what should be done at the appropriate time. Lets go with him on this and time would probably bring the results that we are looking for.

Congrats Malaysian hockey and Stephen but do not let the "success" be "hollow".

2010-08-30T22:10:00.006+08:00

As i sat in front of my computer, i was in 2 minds of what to write over the Malaysian hockey success at the 5 nation invitational tournament at Paris. Malaysia became Champions and the question is should we be "chaffed" about it? It is rare these days to see our hockey lads winning tournaments especially in foreign lands and therefore whatever the opposition, 2nd rated or otherwise, it is only proper that we must extend our congratulations to the team, coaches and supporting staff.

I use the word "proper" because the effects would have been devastating to Malaysian hockey if we had not become Champions. On world ranking we are above all the other teams that participated and therefore it is a great morale boaster for the team and also for Malaysian hockey that we topped the tournament. In that sense the hockey lads in Paris did their job and therefore congratulations is the order of the day.

The other question that would arise is whether one is happy with the performance of the lads? This is a fundamental question to be answered before we get carried away with winning the tournament. I ask this question based on the following rationale:

Malaysia is the highest world ranking team in the tournament.

Malaysia has been on centralised training for the past few months for the Commonwealth and Asian Games in comparison to the other teams.

The Malaysian team had warm-up tours to China, Australia and Europe before the Paris tournament.

Effectively what it means is that we were probably the "most prepared" team at the tournament. Therefore winning this tournament should be a normal phenomenon like "day following night and night following day".

The more important question we should ask is whether the performance was convincing. The goal margins of victory Malaysia had against Poland, Scotland and France does not bring great joy to any hockey analysts. Moreso if we take account of the margin of our defeat with Ireland. In summary, taking account of the preparation the other teams had put in in comparison to Malaysia's training phases, the performance of our lads is definitely lacking and there is plenty, and i mean plenty, of room for major improvements.

This in a way begs another question ie whether we have the time to make that mark improvement before the Commonwealth and Asian Games? This question has to be considered by the team management because at both the Games, the best teams and higher ranking teams would be there and they would be much more prepared than the teams that participated at the Paris tournament. As i had stated previously, that is going to be the "real" test and will our hockey lads be able to escalate their performances to a level that they are medal contenders?

WELL! it is important we celebrate the Paris success so long as we understand that victory would be "hollow" unless we set it as the start of the journey for far better things to come, provided we recognise the issues at hand and address them properly. Well done Malaysia and Stephen Van Huizen.

UniKL - The hope for young hockey talents seemly losing its direction

2010-08-24T18:50:00.006+08:00

When UniKL (University Kuala Lumpur) came into the 2009 Malaysian Hockey League (MHL) scene, they brought with them a refreshing sense of hope to Malaysian hockey. It was the first Umiversity to participate at the MHL and moreso as its Chancellor is no other than the President of MHF ie the TM. It would seem that the TM is preaching exactly what he practices, which is popularising the game.

What was refreshing in UniKL's approach was its vision of embodying the principle of providing a platform for young talents to participate in the senior league. There were no big names or former internationals in the team and what was great is that they did not end up as "whipping boys" of the league. As debutant's in the league they gave most teams "the run for their money". While the TM was the prime mover of the idea, the lads on the ground namely coach Vicki, assistant coach Enbaraj, consultant Mirnawan, a Dutch Advisor working with an oil & gas outfit and the team manager Amir - a full time staff of UniKL, must be given due recognition for their efforts in moulding the team.

The same management team minus the Dutch Advisor was the principal personality behind UniKL's success in the 2010 National Junior League. UniKL became runners-up in the league and the overall champions. Some creditable performance yet again for the debutants. In a nutshell it would seem UniKL had started making "waves" in Malaysian hockey.

However within a year of their debut, some strange maneuvers are taking place in UniKL, maybe because of the quick success and the publicity they had received. Whether it was due to the "swollen head" of the team management, it would seem that they are losing the purpose as to why they were set-up. This is manifested as the cracks appear with some of the players moaning and groaning as UniKL seem to have disregarded in paying their young players their share of the prize monies even 3 months after the end of the National Junior League. This is further compounded in the change of thinking as UniKL greedily look for success by indulging with "big bucks" and acquiring big names for the team in the coming MHL. It would seem the freshness UniKL brought to Malaysian hockey is being polluted as they adopt the old ways of some of the other teams. Suddenly the "odour" coming out of UniKL seems to reflect "staleness" ie the freshness seems to have been lost.

The closeness of the team management of UniKL with the main people behind Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) seems to permit the flow of players that are being discarded by KLHC to UniKL. Most of those making the "beeline" are older former internationals including one of 35 years. It would seem KLHC's "good riddance" is becoming UniKL's "rubbish". As to why UniKL has taken such a radical and controversial approach is completely baffling.

The storyline does not end here. Rumours have it that UniKL has also started pinching players from other clubs. Lately, unconfirmed reports indicate 2 staff of a particular employer who has a team in the MHL have resigned and would be joining UniKL at the end of the notice period. The interesting aspect of the storyline here is one of them is a national discard and also from his previous employer's team too. As a result he was absent from the 2009 MHL and apparently he went to play at an European country league. He did gloat how well he performed there but did not reveal that he probably was playing at a lower league ie 3rd or 4th Division. Further flavour is added to the story as this player is known to skip training sessions regularly because he seems to be prone to an unusually high rate of injury and this time around for the notice period of resignation he is supposed to be also on medical leave. Somehow and somewhere UniKL seems to have been taken by him notwithstanding the stories that are being told.

The other player that would join UniKL from the same employer is currently on tour with the national team. This player is enticed by the "big bucks" and the fact that the new players may get yearly contracts and some may even get employment is becoming an added attraction. This seems unusual as in their debutant year the players contract only covered the period of the league. One wonders whether the new found wealth in UniKL's team and the "new thinking" with the team management would help to maintain team unity or create greater disruption. Time would probably give us the answer.

UniKL themselves may have to start questioning themselves whether in fact any of the players are undergraduates of the University. I believe this is something UniKL may find it hard to fulfill although they may argue that a minority may be offered employment opportunities. It is this misguided outlook of just wanting to win that the team management may compromise of building a young team of players including giving them the opportunity to study at the University. Such an omission would literally make UniKL similar to KLHC ie spend the "big bucks" to get the big names. The objective of creating new stars seems completely obliterated.

The chapters of the story do not end here. The hockey grapevine is talking that UniKL is equipping themselves with a foreign coach and maybe a few foreign players too. If there is truth to this then there is no doubt that UniKL is obviously adopting a "Machiavellian" style iie the end justifies the means. To win the MHL title is by packing the team with stars. So what difference is there if one is prepared to throw the money eg going and buying ready-made food.

In a way it comes back to what the Chancellor of UniKL is preaching in hockey. Are UniKL team management taking cognisance of this or are they blinded by the wealth they are collecting from their sponsors and therefore it is about winning at all costs? If that is so then all the effort the TM is putting into MHF to create talents is going to a waste if such players do not have vehicles like UniKL to give them the opportunities.

The national coach should not be singled out alone - "It is a collective responsibility of everyone"

2010-08-19T15:46:00.008+08:00

Following my article: On tours playing mediocre hockey teams - "There must be problems in team management" dated 10th August 2010, the national coach has been receiving a certain amount of flak in the comments. The question is:" whether it is fair to single him out"? Can the national coach unilaterally make decisions without going through the approval procedures and processes? I think that is something we have to explore before the "blameworthiness" is placed on a certain party or parties.

The coach came into the scene early this year. Without doubt he is the most experienced and successful local coach with the former national teams. Prior to current appointment he had been off the international arena for at least a good 8 years. Fortunately he has kept abreast with hockey by coaching one of the MHL teams.

The issue at hand is about the 3 built-up tours for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

The pertinent matters are the following:

Timing of tours ie Visit to Australia when the Australian national team was away in Europe preparing for Champions Trophy, then now the visit to Europe, after the Champions Trophy when the participating countries have no reason to keep their national teams together.

Playing with teams that are of lower ranking like Pakistan 2nd team and Russia on tour to China. Similar approach was adopted in Australia ie clubs and Institute of Australian Sports teams. Consistent approach is being maintained for the European tour during the fasting month ie clubs and teams of lower ranking namely Ireland, Scotland, France and Poland.

Planning for warm-up matches seems to omit matches for the last 2 months prior to the Commonwealth and Asian Games. A diabolical state of affairs to planning and even in this 11th hour MHF is trying to get an invitational event going but without much success.

When we look at the thought process that has gone into it, one wonders what is the purpose of playing with mediocre teams. After all at the Commonwealth Games we have Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and Pakistan who are ranked well above us also bidding for medals. Whereas in Asian Games, we have South Korea, India, Pakistan and China ranked above us too. Therefore in realistic terms are the tours really serving a purpose to prepare the team for winning medals?

There must be collective responsibilities as the system in place seems to have "rubber stamped" the whole idea of the tours without taking an indepth analytical position of pertinent matters. It seems every party or parties had condoned the tours without realising the implications. How can this happen when it involves the following:

The team manager is supposed to be responsible for the administration of the team. He is usually the spokesperson and at tournaments he gives the impression of a concerned face in television, yet he too seems to have endorsed the plans. Even if he is outnumbered in team management, he still has the Team Management Committee which is chaired by the Deputy President.

Team Management Committee (TMC) is supposed to overseer the high performance teams of MHF. Although this Committee itself is embroiled in controversy as to its formation, it originally seemed to yield great powers. Sitting in this Committee is also a key NSC official who seems to have significant influence on the Committee's decisions. Again i wonder how this Committee just "rubber stamped" the details of the tours without giving a thought to various drawbacks.

MHF Management Committee is ultimately responsible for whatever happens in Malaysian hockey. This therefore poses the question as to what information was provided to the Management Committee for them to get caught in endorsing such tours. Maybe they too decided just to be another "rubber stamping" body without giving any due consideration to the matter.

The National Sports Council (NSC), the financier for the tours, seems to have taken the same approach as the TMC and MHF Management Committee. NSC seems to endorse the expenditure and the plans of the tour without asking the relevant questions. It would seem there is no need to justify the expenditure including its basis. It would seem that so long as NSC has the budget, why not spent the money. This begs the question whether NSC is the proper guardian to Malaysian sports and its funds.

From the above you could realise that everyone just allowed the tours to take place without prompting to ask the right questions taking account the big picture. So we end up playing 2nd rated teams at a time that does not make sense to the top teams in the world. It just shows how the whole system could not act as "check and balance" to badly planned, ill timed tours which is only going to provide the wrong perception to our players.

So to blame the national coach is not right. The system did not intellectually engage the coach to discuss the plan of the tours and constructively modify it to suit the need requirements of all parties concerned. I presume this is why we have not progressed to the top world rankings when our own officials from the top to bottom cannot put together plans to take us there. Absolutely sad to what is happening with the national team.

On tours playing mediocre hockey teams - "There must be problems in the team management".

2010-08-10T18:36:00.007+08:00

The wisdom of the senior national team tours - "Timing, countries & opponents", was the title of my article dated 18th July 2010, which i hoped would stir some thinking in the team management and MHF. It would seem there is "lethargic" thinking in MHF as they continue their 2nd-rated thinking of playing warm-up matches with 2nd rate teams ie those that are behind them in the world ranking. It seems to be a ploy of creating a "feel good" factor by playing with such teams so as to give the impression that all is well with our senior team.

In the China tour the national team played China, Pakistan 2nd team and Russia; all behind us in ranking. Following which they went on an Australian tour when the Australian national team was already in Europe for their warm-up matches before the Champions Trophy. Again they played with clubs and teams which probably the team management believes would not stretch the Malaysian national team or provide humiliating defeats. A purposeful way of creating the "feel good" factor for the players, MHF hierarchy and the hockey fans. This is probably a neat way of "pulling wool over the fans eyes".

Today they left for an European tour. The 1st leg is Germany, where they are playing 4 club teams and then fly to Ireland to play a few Test matches before coming back to Europe ie Paris to play a 5 nation Invitational tournament. Again the timing of the tour "stinks" ie after the Champions Trophy and this may explain why countries like Germany, Holland, Spain and England do not bother to even consider playing Malaysia. Further the hockey season in Europe coincides with winter and playing clubs in summer is only providing pre-season practice for the club teams. The question of flying across to Ireland without stopping over and playing England seem to reflect "dullness" in the mental faculties of the team management. Having omitted England may be out of a "fear" factor and the fact they come back to Europe for the 5 nation tournament calls into question the "zig zagging" route they have employed is a further proof of the "dullness" that is prevailing in the organisational aspects of the team.

To top it all the Malaysian team is again playing with countries that are below them in world ranking. Why this diabolical thinking that is prevailing in the team management? It is probable they want to have the "feel good" factor of making sure they are not pitted with high ranking teams and get thrashed. It is this "fear" factor that is taking Malaysian hockey through some strange process of preparation by playing with mediocre teams that is giving a false sense of believe and hope. Eventually the truth shall be known when the Commonwealth and Asian Games begin. By then it will be too late and the team management would start reading their prepared script of: "these are the best players we have and what else can we expect".

At that stage we would have forgotten the strange process of preparation and playing with mediocre teams in the hope we can win gold in the Asian Games and qualify for the Olympics. This "cock eyed" outlook is killing Malaysian hockey and only encouraging the good resources of the country to go to waste. The planning that has gone into the 3 tours gives the impression that: "someone cannot even organise a drink up in a brewery". It shows the shallow thinking that is prevailing with the team management.

To make matters even worst, for the preparation of the Commonwealth and Asian Games following the European tour, ie for nearly 2 months, the national team would not have had any warm up matches. MHF is desperately trying to put together some invitational tournament as an 11th hour "saving grace" exercise. It calls into question what the team management have been doing all this while? It is very unlikely that the national coaches have screwed up all the planning and the tours. The belief is that these matters have been under the jurisdiction of the national team manager and apparently he has been using his personal contacts in Europe and Ireland to facilitate matters. This in a way has sidelined the coaches and the MHF administration and has created the "feel good" syndrome.

Psychologically, these sorts of activities are usually undertaken in view of the "fear" factor. Probably, the team manager did not want to be put in a corner to answer for the performance of the team if they have humiliating defeats during their warm-up matches if they play the top teams. Maybe the preparation period is so long and the stress levels would also be long. Therefore playing mediocre teams helps to minimise the stress levels. It is this sort of selfish thinking that goes to jeopardise Malaysian hockey.

The disaster in this whole episode of preparing the team for the Commonwealth and Asian Games is that neither NSC nor MHF had taken the trouble to review what exactly the team management are doing. If there was a process of accounting for their plans then both NSC and MHF would have questioned why the national team is embarking on tours and playing with mediocre teams. Each tour runs into hundreds of thousands of ringgits and one would have thought such a basic question would have been asked. It would seem that NSC is just prepared to spend the money so long as it was budgeted. It would seem there is no need for further justification, so the national team has just got to spent the money. This "tidak apa" attitude by NSC compounded by the failure of MHF Team Management Committee (TMC) to act properly shows why the national team is not going to succeed in both the Commonwealth and Asian Games.

Lets better appreciate the fact that when we are not playing with the best, we are deluding ourselves by playing with teams at lower rank than us so as we have the "feel good" fact, which is ultimately going to destroy the future of Malaysian hockey's quest for international success. This "shortsighted" thinking of the team management is further putting Malaysian hockey 5 to 10 years behind and it is a matter of time before we will join the ranks of 18 to 20th in world ranking.

No end to the "Inquisition without authority" saga.

2010-08-05T16:02:00.007+08:00

To many, when a decision is made, they are prepared to accept it even if it is not in their favour. Some would moan and groan about it but eventually accept the decision. There would inevitably be a selected few who believe that the decision was not fair because they think that the "decision maker" may not be fully furnished with the pertinent information to make the right decision. They continue the "fight" and provide the necessary undercurrent to keep the issues under "boil". It is their hope that the subject matter would be revisited and the decision may change. This itself is the making of a "saga".

In my last article titled: "Inquisition" without authority on the aspect of payments to Project 2013 hockey players, dated 30th July 2010, there was an unusual volume of "traffic" in comments on the matter. Clearly there are factions; ie on one side there seem to be the pro Project 2013 management team supporters and on the other side is the support for MHF Treasurer, President KLHC who is concurrently Vice President of KLHA and the teacher coach of Bukit Jalil Sports School. I am naming these people based on what i have made out of the various comments.

The issue here is that at the last MHF Council meeting, TM as President of MHF had informed the Council that the complaint of non payment to players of the Project 2013 for the SEA Games in Thailand by the team management does not arise based on their investigation. In fact at the meeting TM announced bonuses for the Sea Games Project 2013 team. For all purposes the matter is settled but the undercurrents seem to give another impression. The "big ticket" here is the anticipated meeting that is being planned after Raya where the TM is supposed to be meeting the Project 2013 players. There is this notion that the truth would emerge at that gathering as some of the players would "spill the beans" to the TM. 'Presto !" the truth would finally be known, at least in the minds of people who are committed for such a scene.

Driven by this belief, these people have kept the issue fully ignited. On the other side, the supporters of Project 2013 team management take the view that these are fabricated stories that are being "bandited" around to discredit the team manager and coach in the Project 2013 team. The shocking aspect is that the team manager of the Project 2013 team was not on that trip and therefore implicating him is a travesty of justice. Effectively making such an accusation is making the case look extremely fragile. As for the coach, if people are aware of the system of responsibilities created among the team management, then they would know that the coach has nothing to do with the funds.

Maybe, if there is still a "story" to be told and if it does really matter in the minds of certain people, then it is important that matters must be done the proper and formal way through MHF. Their covert style operation will only create more unwarranted gossip that is only going to "stir" the issue further to the detriment of hockey. One thing that has happened is that so much "mud" has been thrown there would be a sense of distrust created between some players and the Project 2013 team management. This distrust would have repercussions both on and off the field. This is what has been created and the continuous undercurrent would further catalyst this distrust. This would only go to disrupt team unity and ultimately performance. So why then worry about the future of hockey when the very fabric of the future is being destroyed today?

To avoid such circumstances, it is imperative that all relevant parties ie MHF Treasurer, the President of KLHC, the teacher coach from BJSS, the Project 2013 players and the team management be gathered with MHF, NSC and Ministry of Education officials to settle this issue once and for all. If the relevant parties are found misleading Malaysian hockey they must be immediately suspended pending disciplinary action by their employers. If they do not have employers then from Malaysian hockey. This also goes for players too.

We have to take such decisive actions or not when we allow such matters to linger it creates greater problems and destroys the very purpose of setting up Project 2013 team. The process also weeds out people and players who are out to create problems, thereby permitting a smoother journey for the future. Failure to act by MHF is only endorsing such negative acts and undermining the TM authority as President of MHF. MHF cannot turn a blind eye especially when its own Committee member, key officials of Malaysian hockey from an Affiliate and Sports school plus one of their high performance team management are implicated with stories notwithstanding the official position of TM as President of MHF on that matter. This has to stop and MHF must act promptly and decisively.

"Inquisition" without authority on the aspect of payments to Project 2013 hockey players.

2010-07-30T19:28:00.007+08:00

The MHF Treasurer by virtue of his position has "ostensible" authority to carry out his day to day functions in maintaining the financial records of MHF. If for reasons he believes that there are some financial irregularities, he may have the right to inquire from the parties who have purportedly submitted the claim. If he is still not satisfied with the responses then he has to go back to the Management Committee and obtain consent for an investigation by him or a selected panel of persons. Failing to do that would mean that any investigation the Treasurer decided unilaterally may only bring the whole matter to disrepute, thereby implicating the Management Committee.

Matters got complicated when the Treasurer solicited support of the President of Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC), who concurrently is the Vice President of the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Association (KLHA) to assists him in the investigation. There may be a degree of wisdom as some of the players involved could be from Kuala Lumpur and therefore the presence of a key representative from there could assists the investigation. Unfortunately when this person got entangled in this investigation, he failed to appreciate that in widening the net the MHF Treasurer failed to act properly in getting the proper approval. Therefore the President of KLHC has knowingly or unknowingly involved himself in a process that has no proper mandate or is not even a party to.

The matter gets further into uncharted areas as these 2 officials were trying to extract written statements from players who were involved with the Project 2013 squad. Uncharted as the players did not have their parents or club representatives or Project 2013 representatives in such meetings. Acting without mandate itself is bad enough but endeavouring to extract statements from Project 2013 players without the recognition of the due process is blatantly ignoring the rules of natural justice. Effectively these 2 officials have dragged the young kids into a campaign of trying to discredit certain person or persons without the proper procedure and making these players victims of their overzealous emotions. What they have said to the players or the promises that were made is something that is going to bug the hockey community for ages to come. More so as these officials may have sown seeds of distrust with the players on the Project 2013 team management which itself may have long term repercussions.

Are we developing a team for the future or are we creating a team that may not have faith and trust on its team officials? This becomes a fundamental matter as what these 2 officials endeavoured to achieve apparently did not have an iota of truth. I understand this is what the TM as President of MHF told the Council Meeting early this week. Therefore why in the 1st place were these 2 senior hockey officials on such a "gango" run with such information? Why does a KL official get carried away to personally indulge in such unhealthy actions? Is it all a campaign to discredit the people involved in Project 2013 as totally untrustworthy? No one is saying that it should not be done rather do it the proper way following the process that conforms to the constitution and rules of natural justice.

This is obviously a broader vendetta campaign and there is no doubt that there would be many more. If energies are dissipated on such wasteful activities, it only goes to show how much genuine interest these people have in uplifting the standard of Malaysian hockey. I really wonder why are they in Malaysian hockey? Maybe they themselves also do not exactly know the answer. It could be to create the chaos so as MHF does not function properly and therefore reflects badly on the current administrators. I am sure the TM knows all these and maybe he in his regal style is giving them enough room for them to recognise their own selfish acts and hopefully get enlightened. Hopefully they change for the better.

At this stage the Project 2013 team must be given all the support as the future of Malaysian hockey rests with them. Yes ! we have to be the watchful "eyes and ears" to ensure the team stays to its objective by providing constructive comments. Lets not go astray and waste time and resources on wrongful issues. Let this be a lesson to all of us. Come and help Malaysian hockey to be world class.

Amending the MHF Constitution - The "Wayang Kulit" that shall be played by certain Affiliates and elected officials.

2010-07-26T19:03:00.005+08:00

The debate is on with MHF contemplating making changes to their Constitution. I personally think it should be comprehensive but news from the grapevines seems to indicate that the changes are "mild" ie a realistic approach recognising the requirements of MHF as it postures to capitalise on its immediate future. It is about an administrative "clean-up" to strengthen the proper functioning of MHF rather than being riddled with people who sway on sentiments to win support as opposed to the merits of the matter.

While i am not privy to the changes, the issue that has been talked about is the post of Secretary and Treasurer of MHF. Currently these are elected posts but apparently the TM as President has made it known that he would want the positions to be appointed. A Committee headed by the Vice President of Special Projects have made their recommendation on the matter too.

The wisdom for such appointments seems to come probably based on the 2 year experience of the TM as President and he must have his reasons. At the last BGM 2 years ago despite the number of factions there was no line-up of candidates by any particular groups. Since the TM became President unopposed and the then incumbent Deputy President lost the election, everyone else stood on their own "ticket". Effectively there was not a "team" to manage MHF, rather it was individuals with different views that tried to come together and administer MHF. This in a way permitted MHF to be pulled in different directions and more often there was "fire fighting" undertaken by the TM to bring sanity to MHF.

Fundamentally the key posts in the administration of an organisation are the President, Secretary and Treasurer. The President as the Head should obviously rely on the other 2 key people and more often than not it should be his people. This is where the issue of competency and speaking the same "language" combined with loyalty are vital ingredients to ensure the administration is properly undertaken. When the time comes for the President to state that "the bug stops with him", he knows that it is his people who have done or not done the job and the responsibility squarely rests with him and no one else.

Therefore when one Affiliate went publicly to question the wisdom of constitutional changes to pave the way for such appointments with the rationale that the future may not have "checks and balances", was he trying to start an exercise of a debate or canvassing support to derail the amendments? Whatever the motives it must be seen in the light of what is good for MHF and of the President who has decided to dedicate his time and resources to the game. If the Affiliates have doubts on him then why in the first place have him as their President? If the Affiliates want him then it is only fair that he be granted his wishes which is not to propagate himself or to enable him to sustain power but rather to ensure the sport organisation he heads functions professionally for the sports and the nation itself. Is that too much to ask from the MHF Affiliates?

My worry is that the upcoming Council Meeting where support would be sought to have an EGM to pass the constitutional changes, may turn into a "circus". Such things are not new as the Coaching Committee recently have had such history and it would not be surprising to see some of the "actors" from there reigniting the scene here. Using the excuse of a "healthy debate", people of the same kind may try to arouse feelings in the hope there would be a "fire". I am sure the TM is an "old hand" in such issues and having had his stint in other places would know how to defuse it. My belief is that at end of the day, as part of their "wayang kulit" strategy by show of hands, the amendments would be endorsed to be forwarded to an EGM for approval.

While waiting for the EGM, certain Affiliates and officials by covert operations may try to canvass to derail the proposal. Their key interest here would be to ensure that their friends can be elected to the posts, thereby they can have the needed accessibility. It is this selfishness based on self interest that is destroying Malaysian hockey. This is their reason to ensure that the positions are not filled by way of appointments. Their strategy in "wayang kulit" would also push for a "secret ballot" in voting for the amendments so as the Affiliates can be sure that nobody would know how each Affiliate has voted. This is going to be the crucial aspect of their strategy to succeed.

In a nutshell, it must be known that most of the Affiliates do nothing much for Malaysian hockey. Some even do not have a league and some even find it hard to have regular meetings. Yet! they become "king makers" in the hour where they are supposed to play an effective role for the betterment of the game in the country. They "politick" that provides the much needed "oxygen" to sustain their presence and ultimately their crooked sense of thinking only goes to destroy whatever is being built for the game.

This is where the Affiliates have to make their choices and that is if they want the TM to continue the good work he has done to date for MHF. Then they must wholeheartedly support the constitutional amendments and carry it through with the two third majority. Failing to provide that support would mean that we may lose the distinguished services of the TM and probably bring Malaysian hockey to the "Dark Ages".

The wisdom of the senior national hockey team tours - " Timing, countries and opponents".

2010-07-18T19:56:00.005+08:00

" To become the best, you must play against the best". This is what good sports administrators and coaches tend to strategise as they prepare their teams for vital tournaments that have significant bearing to world ranking or to build-up a future generation of world class players. This means the meticulous planning must be done in advance taking account of the top countries in the game particularly their own schedules eg hockey season, invitation tournaments plus whether their national team is in training, in order to incorporate our visiting plans. This effectively means that we need inroads with the team management of the teams we plan to have warm-up matches with including their respective hockey administrators. A lot of this rests on personal contacts where the major aspects are generally done by telephone calls and confirmed by e-mail. A distinct advantage of the electronic age.

This is where a good foreign national coach comes in handy as his peers are usually in similar positions in the other teams. This facilitates the personal contacts as the fraternity tends to be helpful to one another. Unfortunately our chief national coach has been out of the international circuit since 2002 while his assistant, having the exposure, is reluctantly kept away from important tournaments like the 2010 World Cup, other than for attending a coaching course. The lack of thought in exposing our local coaches at gatherings where the top coaches gather is a price we are paying today.

This "short sightedness" including the lack of a "will" to appoint a highly rated foreign coach only goes to show that we will not have the capacity to be a highly ranked world hockey nation. I say this because such foreign coaches bring with them not only the contacts but also the latest innovations in every facets of modern hockey. Unfortunately, we blur ourselves with such truth and get caught in a false web of thinking that our local coaches have the ability to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Australian, German, Dutch or Spanish national coaches.

Yes ! we can get there but it requires our coaches to get the appropriate qualification eg FIH Master Coach and the right exposure. In the past the pathway for them to get there has never been considered and this is where Malaysian hockey has suffered badly. The Coaching Committees were made up of people who lacked the foresight while the local coaches themselves were self contented not to pursue higher qualifications in coaching. All these get complicated when MHF and NSC appoint coaches without clear criteria on qualification, experience and success profile. Their ad-hoc thinking manner has allowed a "rojak" approach to the whole system that the aspect of meritocracy in sports has lost its actual meaning.

It is these finer points that have made planning in hockey suffer. We seem to have a 2nd rated thinking ie playing with 2nd rated teams in our build -up for vital tournament like the Asian Games that has a significant bearing to our pursuit of qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Games. So what have we done?

1. Go on a China tour recently when that country is not even in the top 10 in the world ranking. Further we play in a 4 nation tournament there with Russia which is ranked around the 25th in the world and Pakistan who literally sent a 2nd team as their 1st team was on a European tour. Honestly, we could not even defeat China in the final, who incidentally are ranked lower than us.

2. Now the team is on an Australian tour to play with the Australian Institute of Sports teams and various clubs. They are not playing with the Australian national team as they are away in Europe preparing for their Champions League. What is our national team's plan to achieve with this tour? Probably the satisfaction of having some sort of "good" feeling. Either they want good results or to avoid defeats of a thrashing score. Maybe it is this false sense of feeling that is blinding them to the reality of where Malaysian hockey is standing today.

3. Proposed tour to Europe and Ireland seems again to be omitting playing the top hockey nations there. The national team is playing club teams in Europe and matches against Ireland. They are hopeful to be invited to play at a 4 nation invitation tournament in France where their opponents could probably be France, Scotland and Ireland. Again they are teams that Malaysia believe they have an even chance of beating, thereby making their tour a success. It would seem that the "feel good" feeling be created so as everyone is happy despite the standard of Malaysian hockey.

We just have to look at Pakistan, India and Japan who are already in Europe and are playing the top national teams there. The reason is that they have foreign coaches who are taking advantage of warm-up games for the top teams in Europe before the Champions League. There seems to be a careful and progressive thought process in what these countries from Asia want to do.

The question we have to ask is whether these 3 tours are really beneficial for our national team? I believe the team management and maybe the money wasting people in NSC must obviously think so. Maybe it is an exercise of confidence building and therefore the players and team management have a better state of mind to perform at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games later in the year. A twisted sense of thinking that is only helping our boys to be soft in their mental state by misleading them that they are good. Creating a "state of denial" by creating this "feel good" feeling is a hopeless way of giving the impression of the capabilities of our national team.

Seriously, i think lets start writing off our chances in the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games as i believe our preparation is not taking the right approach. If we want to pamper our team then it would seem that there would only be "softies" who cannot perform with the teams who daily practice to be top ranking nations in the world.

As MHF progresses, an official website is imminent.

2010-07-14T17:26:00.005+08:00

In this modern age, information flow is generally on a real time basis. As things happen it is reported and this in a way provides the standard for such services. Waiting for days for the main media to pick up the news or to remain at the mercy of bloggers would mean that the entities concerned do not appreciate or understand the importance of timely information. If that is not the case then they are in circumstances where the implementation of such information technological system is caught in a web of uncertainties. Whichever way it obviously would not flavour the organisation with sufficient creditability, as prima facie it would give the impression that the set-up is caught in a time warp with people from the "dinosaur" era.

Having stated that it must be recognised that since the TM has taken over as President of MHF, in the last 2 years MHF has been relatively busy. The addition of a hard working General Manager has helped the administration to get things moving and endeavoured to service the areas that need attention. There is no doubt that there has been a significant improvement in the overall administration.

The area that needs urgent attention is the aspect of communication. Constitutionally, i am sure the Management Committee is keeping the Affiliates well informed through their correspondence, meetings like Council and so forth. The area in which i feel there exists a vacuum is with the public. Unless the public have their ears fixed to the ground, more often they are not informed of the developments in MHF. The danger of having "ears on the ground" is that sometimes the news can get distorted particularly when there is no official version on the matter. This permits speculation and as a result rumours which themselves can be damaging. More often it can encourage in-fighting.

What surprises me is our country has gone in a big way with information technology. There is the Multimedia Super Corridor with Cyberjaya at the heart of it. We have Multi Media University and numerous other institutions offering various IT courses. Yet ! it would seem IT has not got the attention of Malaysian sports. Our hockey stadiums do not have wireless links and therefore in modern hockey Malaysia is deprived of an essential tool in perfecting the game strategy with our opponents. As we build 1st class facilities we seem to have forgetten the fundamentals of equipping them with the latest state of the art technology. Yes ! we have the "shell" but not the things that make the "shell" great.

In not having such facilities for Malaysian hockey, we are denying our officials, coaches and players to further enhance themselves with technology. As the sporting world progresses with the latest technology, it would seem we have stagnated. Intervention by video reference has come into hockey and cricket. We have world class grounds for these games, yet not the latest technology for video reference. The saddest aspect is nothing concrete is being done. Obviously, the argument would be cost. I wonder whether such an excuse can be prolonged if we are serious of wanting to be of world standard.

Malaysian hockey of late has been busy with the 1MAS Hoki programme, Sultan Azlan Shah Trophy, Tun Razak tournament, Junior Hockey League, Sukma, Project 2013 tour to Europe, Senior team tour to China, National and Asian Indoor hockey tournament. With all these happening the information to the public is limited in the absences of a MHF website. It would seem that MHF had entered into an MOU to implement the website some 12 to 15 months ago, yet there seems to be no sign of its appearance. MHF can claim a lot of things but if it does not have an official website which is regularly updated, then it cannot claim to be in the forefront of the latest development in hockey.

What surprises me is the absence of a key MHF official taking responsibility in its implementation. MHF must learn the art of communicating through its website, thereby cutting off the "hide and seek" that is being played by various officials to the detriment of Malaysian hockey. Indeed a progressive National Sports Association would create a hierarchy security access for each Committee in MHF to update their respective fields. For example for the Senior team on tour to China, an appropriate format be created in the website for the national coach to daily update the team's activities in China. It is a simple process that can become a habitual exercise if we get used to it.

Unfortunately, it is the simple and important things in life that seem to be forgotten. Such being the case it gives rise to a vacuum and the responsibility of accountability through a real time process of updating website is left unattended. The fact that instantaneous reporting is brought into the life of coaches and officials itself creates the discipline for responsible accounting. This itself keeps the public updated with hockey information and in a way becomes a major tool for drawing the public to the game.

MHF is doing a lot of things and i have do doubt it is in the best interest of the game. The one thing MHF cannot afford to compromise is a well designed purposeful website reflecting every facet of MHF. If this does not take off, it would only be detrimental to the progressive image of MHF and ultimately Malaysian hockey.

1MAS Hoki - "Creating the future generation for Malaysian hockey".

2010-07-01T17:35:00.004+08:00

These days the standard response we get from coaches and sports administrators when the teams fail to perform is: "These are the best players available". It is no longer the excuses of lack of fitness or match fatigue or lack of exposure or not peaking at the right time, rather it is not having sufficiently good players to compete in the world arena. This seems to confront games like football, hockey, cricket ie most of the team games.

This obviously puts the whole focus on the "Development" programmes of the various sports. When a coach says: "This is the best we have", it literally means that past development programmes did not produce and breed the talents that were required ie failure in the "grassroot" development. This essentially means that " the grass shoots were not chosen properly for the roots to grow well enough to support the new grass ". This compounded with the lack of elements like sunshine, water, fertiliser and good gardening care may not have produced the sort of "grass" required. Fundamentally, we do not have world class players in team games because our "grassroot development" has been a failure.

I raise this as an example because of late Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) with financial support from the Prime Minister's Office have come up with an elaborate nationwide hockey development programme. Apparently MHF have created a system from the States to the Secretariat to a Task Force inbuilt with monitoring and scrutinising procedures in accounting for the progress for developing talents based on the monies spent. This whole programme is anticipated to cover a period of at least 5 years.

MHF has referred this as the "1MAS Hoki" and all credit must go to the TM as MHF's President and also to the Government who has time and time again shown its commitment to young Malaysians and sports. MHF is aided by an able General Manager, while the Chairman of the Development Committee must be recognised for putting together the paper, which itself is practical and has achievable capacity. It is not "a pie in the sky" sort of project, rather it is a project where those who are involved in implementation are financially paid for their services. It is not a voluntary scheme that depends on goodwill of people. This is the principle difference ie everyone becomes an "employee" of 1MAS Hoki. A corporate flavour has been introduced into development of hockey.

The key aspect is whether 1MAS Hoki has got the right people to do the job. This is important as the game of modern hockey has transformed where the requirements have also changed. What is important is 1MAS Hoki cannot carry with it "dinosaurs" ie people who are already extinct to hockey. This is going to be one of the key ingredients. More so as the programme actually targets players for the 2017 Junior World Cup. This is 7 years away and the people involved must have the passion, endurance, hunger for hockey knowledge, and, above all, the psychology to deal with young kids.

We have to admire MHF for working on a long term programme and the PM's Office to provide the support. We cannot in 7 years repeat what the coaches are saying now ie "This is the best we have". Rather it must be in the position where the coaches must be saying: " There seems to be a competition for places" as the team performs. To get there it requires careful planning and implementation with a continuous review process against set targets. This effectively calls for different teams at every facet thereby ensuring the processes get their fair attention. I believe this is something that is receiving its due consideration in MHF through an independent Task Force.

There is no doubt that there will be critics to the 1MAS Hoki programme. All the more the programme has to succeed to ensure the detractors do not have their day. What is important is putting the emphasis in the right areas rather than going down a track like what was done in the past. If so the past will continue to haunt us. There is the need to look "afresh" to start with. Iam helpful in making some suggestions.

1. 1MAS Hoki must lay down criteria for scouting for players. They must omit players who are already in State Project Schools and Sports Schools. They must create new players afresh ie the target group, which means the criteria must cover issues such as physique, physical ability, sporting flair and any other relevant aspects that could help them to become hockey players. Identifying such young kids is like getting the appropriate "root" to be planted.

This is the starting point and scouting the young kids to make them hockey players is something which cannot be compromised. Talent scouts should be coached with the necessary criteria to ensure everyone works uniformly on the selecting process.

2. Once the young kids are identified it is imperative that player's database be set-up incorporating their anatomical and bio-medical details plus continues progress reports on their training and game play.

Players performance history is fundamental in modern hockey and this program can become the foundation to set this up to track players profile in the future.

3. The programme must have targets over the short, medium and long term. These targets must be measured by independent teams and reported including the follow-up action. The programme itself must have sufficiently built action plans if planned targets are not achieved.

4. 1MAS Hoki must create its own website to highlight their programme and also use it as a basis for coaches to report the progress of their centres. This transparent approach provides an open system for people to follow the progress.

5. The programme must only recruit coaches who are also computer literate and therefore can, on a "real time" basis, update progress of the program and players' database.

6. 1MAS Hoki must also ensure that they send sufficient of their coaches for FIH Development coaching courses and ensure that they get the necessary qualification. Indeed this must be scheduled into the targets of achievement.

7. 1MAS Hoki must have its own league either as a carnival or zonal for inter development centre games. This would provide a better yardstick of measurement how the program is doing nationwide.

These are ideas that have spontaneously wormed their way out. There would be many more and it is important that if we want hockey to flourish in the years to come in Malaysia, we too must provide a helping hand. At least we have to come up with some workable ideas.

Good Luck to 1MAS Hoki and Malaysian hockey.

Dilemma in Malaysian Sports - Part 1 "Old versus Modern times"

2010-06-28T16:53:00.006+08:00

In the 50s, 60s and 70s, when resources for sports were tough to come by, Malaysian sports were doing extremely well particularly in football, hockey, badminton and athletics and in some ways cycling. During this period the officials of the various National Sports Associations (NSA) and sometimes even the players had to solicit for support in order to participate in the various games. Nothing came easy as the players had to maintain a job to sustain themselves as salary and training allowances were not a norm in those days. Officials had to be creative to turn to philanthropists and supporters with revenuer generating ideas to ensure that their sports still kept flying the national colours. In short nothing came the easy way.

The struggles of the past only meant that the Government in its infinite wisdom for the interest of further developing sports felt it appropriate to put in the much needed resources. Today with National Sports Council (NSC), players salaries, training allowances to NSAs staff salaries to that of coaches and their assistants to full board & lodging culminating with overseas tours are all borne by Government. NSC has stretched their involvement not only subsidising costs of organising sporting events but also actively involved in development for the next generation of sportspersons. This is further complimented by National Sports Institute (NSI) who take into account the medical, fitness, nutritional aspects to sports science, and information technology. In a nutshell the Government has provided a comprehensive package to the Malaysian sporting fraternity and their sole job is to train and perform to achieve the desired results. In fact the Government has taken it another step further by providing various incentives for winning medals and some have life span coverage. Again, in short in today's environment everything is made so much easier for Malaysian sportspersons and their NSAs.

The popular maxim of " no pain no gain" seems to have come to haunt Malaysia's sporting success. When life was extremely tough for our sports officials and our sportspersons in the 50s, 60s & 70s, it would seem to have been the glorious era of Malaysian sports. Malaysian football qualified for 2 Olympics ie 1972 with Datuk M Chandran and 1980 with Datuk Soh Chin Aun while neither South Korea nor Japan were our nemesis then. In badminton we were regularly crowning the All England titles and monopolising the European circuit. We were always looking good at the Thomas Cup. In hockey, since 1956 we were at the Olympics and until the early 80s at the World Cup. At athletics Tan Sri Dr Jega, Rajamani, Nashatar Singh, Subramaniam, Asir Victor and Ishtiaq Mobarak kept the golds coming. Ask these people how difficult it was to work or study and train plus find the resources to go for competition. They did not have NSC or NSI or its equivalent. They had the discipline. the dedication and determination to succeed because of their passion and, above all, the love of the nation. It was a painful yet rewarding process but they knew it was all about sacrifice for the country. The pain of sports officials and sportspersons was what brought the gains for the country. The rewards they probably got was an official dinner and maybe an engraved gift which, more often than not, was a watch.

Today with NSC, NSI and the various corporate sponsorships, Malaysian sports is not giving the sort of "returns" for the investments being put in. Life is made so simple and indeed there is not much of stress or painful process for the sports officials or the sportspersons. Their job is made that much easier and yet the desirable results are not forthcoming. Other than having world champions in men's badminton and ladies' squash with some success in lawn bowl and in cycling, we have not at all fared well. In football we are well into the 140 arena in world ranking while in hockey we are failing to qualify for the Olympics and World Cup. With badminton there is too much of "hot and cold" talk that we are falling victims to teams that we had thrashed in the past. Athletics has become history. Maybe because there is no pain and such the gains are difficult to come by. If they do, the sportspersons are lavished with titles and loads of goodies from monies, land and sometimes even houses.

With so much going, one wonders why there is no avalanche of success. Does our society lack the hunger to succeed or is it that our system of breeding our sportsperson is wrong? Maybe there is too much of interference by NSC and NSI that our NSAs have totally surrendered their rights to administer their sports. Something that is difficult to comprehend because NSC and NSI are there to uplift the sports and they are an envy of many foreign teams. They generally fill the vacuum that the NSAs usually overlook or does not take the trouble to cater for,and that is in development ie the future generation. If so, why is this not paying off? Maybe as Malaysians we have got it wrong because we do not appreciate and understand the concept of "excellence" the benchmark for success. Something we should start to ponder about and then start the needful process of making the changes.

Asian hockey - Symptoms reflecting the possibility of the ultimate demise of the game in the region.

2010-06-23T17:03:00.007+08:00

For decades Asians were the masters of the game of field hockey. From the 80s onwards with the change of rules and the introduction of artificial turf, the mastery skills of the game were overtaken by the sheer aspect of the predictable surface thereby allowing speed with hit & run tactics as the core ingredients of the game. Thereon the game evolved providing the "Caucasian" nations, whose players have the physique to have an added advantage, to take control of the game. Without doubt sports science, bio-medicine and information technology took the game to a different dimension.

All these were possible because the world body in hockey and the respective committees had and is being dominated by representatives from such nations and the shift in thinking has followed suit. Obviously the long term repercussions of such decisions are coming to fruition nearly 30 to 40 years later. This is something nobody could have easily foreseen except if the poorer countries mainly in Asia and Africa had properly understood the "economics" of moving to artificial turf, then they may have had extremely strong reservations from a financial standpoint, which itself may become the "nail" to seal the "coffin" for the demise of the game in the regions.

Well ! that is all in the past and it is a useless exercise to "cry over spilt milk". Therefore lets come straight to "present" time and it would seem that slowly Asian countries have departed from their mastery skills to adopt the styles of their counterparts from the "Caucasian" nations. Unfortunately these nations with time also allowed the game to evolve and of late adopted the skills of dribbling, a talent which probably 40 years ago was the domain of the Asians. As for the Asians while we adopted something "foreign" to us, we never evolved with it rather stagnated and sometimes are a good 4 to 8 years behind the modern hockey progression.

The other major hurdle that seems to be faced by Asian hockey nations is what i refer to as the "catch -up syndrome". The rules of hockey when changed, the first to adopt to these in its full force are the "Caucasian" nations. There is nothing wrong with it but the point being made here is that they are sufficiently represented and therefore have the numbers to sway the decisions. More importantly they have made it a mission to adopt the changes without hesitation as they have the resources. The Asian countries tend to "dilly dally" and usually do not have the resources to implement changes. They wait for their richer counterparts to go through the trial and tribulations of the changes and then adopt it. By which time these nations are far ahead and have distinct advantage while the Asian countries are behind with these changes. When they learn to master it, the rules change again thereby giving the richer nations another advantage. These effectively means Asia is always on the "catch-up" mode. Therefore how can Asian countries be on top of the "hockey pyramid"

We cannot blame the "Caucasian" nations as they are doing things the proper way. There is no "hanky panky" except it really shows a distinct trend that Asian hockey nations are basically "followers". They do not seem to have the right numbers nor a clarion voice. This in a way shows the weakness of Asian nations in their commitment to better themselves in the game.

The symptomatic decline in Asian hockey is seen in the events organised by Asian Hockey Federation (AHF). Events like;

1.Asian Champions Nations tournament in April 2010 was cancelled when Pakistan and South Korea pulled out in the 11th hour.

2. Asian Champions Club tournament in June 2010 saw only 3 national champion clubs represented. There were notable absences of teams from India, South Korea, Japan and China which are ranked in the top 15 in the world.

3. Asian Indoor tournament seem also to be poorly represented.

I could list a few more but it will only go to show the pathetic face of Asian hockey. Obviously people would like to point the fingers at AHF but the reality is the national affiliates themselves who are not doing their bit for hockey in their own country. I am not saying AHF is blameless but rather AHF is only as good if the national affiliates are supportive of it.

The "writing is on the wall" that the way hockey is heading in a few decades to come it maybe an "endangered game" in Asia and young kids may have to go to Sports Museum to know about the game. The World authorities in hockey has to take cognisance the shift in world economic centres with the potential of India and China including its mammoth population. If they do not do something for hockey in Asia, hockey may be missing a major size of the world's population for its TV rights and sponsorship. Football has seen it and so as cricket and F1 Racing. I hope world hockey get to grip of it and get Asia to move in the right direction by creating world champions through the process of establishing Development Centres like football and cricket has done culminating with accessibility to the fields and equipments. If not lets might as well start writing the "obituary" for hockey in Asia.

Vasagam's son Dr Mani Jegathesan was bestowed the honour of "Tan Sri" by HM The King.

2010-06-17T19:17:00.011+08:00

In the "good old days" when television, shopping malls, and information technology were not part of one's life, there were ample playing fields and spaces within the vicinity of the Government living quarters, where sporting activities in the evenings was the main event until the street lights came to illuminate the twilight before sunset. Parents, Headmasters, teachers and elder siblings tended to play a major role encouraging young kids to engage themselves in sporting activities. The idea that the mind developed through physical exercise was the prevalent belief in that era and there were no sound arguments to dispute the fact.

These areas became prime centres for sportspersons to flourish with their talents and history would document notable names like the Shepherdsons, Ratnams, Rajaratnam sisters, Van Huizen brothers, the Meahs, Sheikh Ali brothers, Choe brothers, Chua brothers, Thillainathan brothers, Dass brothers and many others. The most famous of them was the Vasagam family.

N M Vasagam, a government servant and a 440yd champion runner in the 1920s, was blessed with 4 boys who were either national athletes or sports administrators. Vasagam himself was founder Secretary of Malaya Amateur Athletic Union and the Malaya Olympic Council in 1955.

With such a pedigree Vasgam's offsprings were "a chip off the old block". The eldest boy M Veerasingam became the Secretary of Brunei Amateur Athletic Association, while the 2nd son M Balakrishnan participated in the 1954 Asian Games, while the 3rd,M Harichandra was a 880yd champion. Indeed Harichandra till today can do the distance in sufficiently good time and is actively engaged with Veterans Athletics in Singapore.

The most famous of the Vasagam sons is the 4th boy and he is no other than the one and only Mani Jegathesan. This lad has captivated the world from his sporting era to his medical career and finally to sports administration.

Popularly known as Jega, he was born in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar in 1943. He received his early education in the popular Batu Road School and thereafter at Victoria Institution (VI) and finally at Anglo Chinese School (ACS) in Singapore. He went on for tertiary education to University of Singapore and graduated in Medicine in 1967.

While at ACS, in 1960 at the tender age of 16, Jega represented Malaya at the Rome Olympic. This was the 1st of the 3 Olympics and 2 Asian Games over the next 8 years that he would represent the country as an athlete. Jega not only brought the medals but also broke records that still remain unbroken till today. In all this he was nicknamed as the "Flying Doctor" and the"Fastest man in Asia".

His curriculum vitae for athletics is voluminous particularly his achievements. This has become the hallmark of Jega as he enters other fields not necessary in sports alone. This is a person who has embodied the concept of excellence early in his life thereby having the passion of discipline and determination to strive for desired results. He is undoubtedly a "gifted and blessed" personality.

In the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Jega clocked 20.9 secs for the 200 metres at the semi-final, which itself was a rare distinction for a Malaysian. He repeated this in the 1968 Mexico Olympic. It was in the same event in 1962 Jakarta Asian Games that Jega captured the gold for Malaysia.

Participating at any Olympic for any sportsperson is a pinnacle of a sporting career and it was no exception for Jega. However it was the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok that saw the "Golden Harvest" of gold medals by Malaysian athletes. Having colleagues like Nashatar Singh, M Rajamani, Subramaniam, Istiaq Mobarak, Asir Victor, M Rajalingam, Karu Selvaratnam and the likes of others only ensured Jega made a significant contribution to the harvest Jega hauled 3 golds for the 100metres, 200metres and for the 4 by 100metres. It is here he was embraced with the title of "Asia's Fastest Man".

Jega's name in Malaysia's athletic annals is so well engraved because some of his records still remain unbroken. His 200metres at 20.9secs and his 400metres at 46.3secs still stands after over 4 decades. His record for 100metres at 10.4 secs stood for nearly 30 years before it was shattered.

Athletes of those days did not have the luxury of the support of the current National Sports Council (NSC) which was not in existent then. Rather they had to slog based purely on the goodwill and encouragement of parents, teachers, friends and dedicated officials. Resources were difficult to come by, so that in itself provided the impetuses to perform for the sake of the generous support stretched out by well wishers. The thought of not wanting to let them down itself became a motivation to perform. It was quite a different world for athletes then.

Jega's extraordinary ability in athletics must be seen in the light of his educational pursuits. He was able to combine both which i must say was not quite unknown those days, although maybe doing medicine at University itself maybe an unusual feat. Jega must be portrayed as an example to our young kids as a person who was able to "grind" his way through studies and sports with the necessay distinctions. Maybe Jega himself may want to let our current sports administrators know what is there in his DNA that has made him such a remarkable person in sports and education. This may provide the necessary uplift for our current sportsperson.

While in University of Singapore from 1962 to 1967 doing his MBBS ie Medicine, Jega was already the "Fastest man in Asia". He was National Sportsman of the Year for 1966 as a University student and again in 1968 when he was a qualified Doctor. It would seem Dr Jega had the canny capability of achieving results in sports and education. To many it would be a figment of imagination but for Jega the term "impossible" is probably not in his vocabulary.

His qualification as a doctor also saw Dr Jega retiring from athletics after the Mexico Olympic. In 1967 he joined the Ministry of Health and in 1969 undertook a postgraduate qualification at Mahidol University in Bangkok. After achieving another postgraduate qualification DCP(London) in 1971, Dr Jega was appointed as Head of Bacteriology at the Institute of Medical Research (IMR) and held the position for 14 years till 1985. While at IMR he obtained his Fellowship in Pathology ie FRCPath(UK) in 1984 and in1985 he was posted as the Head of Laboratory Services General Hospital Kuala Lumpur (GHKL). 3 years later in 1988 he was appointed as Director of IMR, a post he held till 1994. It is in GHKL and IMR that he conducted extensive research particularly on infectious diseases & medical microbiology, and also produced more than 100 publications.

It is probably his microscopic outlook that ensured he became the Deputy Director General (Research & Technical Support) of the Ministry of Health for 4 years until his retirement in 1998. it must be said that in his working life Dr Jega was nationally and internationally known. Above all he was also linked to numerous organisations sitting in various capacities in a number of the Committees. Most of these were connected to World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNDP.

In the world of academia, Dr Jega had to grace it with his "Midas" touch. He is the Adjunct Professor in University Putra Malaysia for Medicine and similarly too for the Sports Centre at University Malaya. In 1995, Dr Jega was made a Fellow of the Academy of Science Malaysia and concurrently won the National Science Award.

The combination of sports and medicine is in Dr Jega's DNA and therefore his participation is part of a continuous process where he is elevated progressively to various positions. Now he is Deputy President of Olympic Council Malaysia (OCM), an organisation where his father was the founder Secretary. Dr Jega is also President of Malaysian Association of Doping Control Officers. He has sat in numerous Medical Commissions involving various sports and Games. The list is exhaustive and highly voluminous. A key aspect of his work involves doping in world sports.

For Dr Jega, athletics provided a gateway to other sports while the medicine and research gave him the insight to micro and macro manage sports. He held various positions in the Medical Committees in various sports both locally and internationally. All these had paved the way for him to become the Deputy Chef De Mission for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics for the Malaysian contingent and then in 2004 he was Chef De Mission for the Athens Olympics. Effectively he was in 2 other Olympics representing the country as its top official, thereby giving him a total of 5 Olympics as a representative of Malaysia. I am sure this record would remain unbroken for many decades.

In fact to the length and breath of Malaysian sports there is no individual who can surpass Dr Jega's contribution. He has continued where his father left and taken numerous quantum leaps in comparison. What is even more interesting is than in whatever he is engaged,the results tend to reflect the excellence ideology that seem to be very much inbred in him. Unfortunately Malaysian sports has only one Dr Jega, and that is probably why we are not seeing the aspect of excellence seeping into the various veins in sports.

Married to Tan Lee Hong in 1969, the couple is blessed with 3 children. Dr Jega and wife, despite their busy lifestyle, have brought up their children well. As i have mentioned that Dr Jega has this ability in that whatever he does , he tends to do it well, so to in bringing up his children. I am also sure unlike his own father Dr Jega is not expecting any of them to follow his blazing trail. He probably wants them to enjoy what they do as he has done all this while.

On 5th June 2010,on the birthday of DYMM Yang Di Pertuan Agong, His Majesty bestowed on Dr Mani Jegathesan the title of "Tan Sri". This is a fitting tribute accorded by the nation to this model Malaysian,, who has shown that sports, education, and career can be effectively combined through a passionately disciplined and determined process, thereby creating a knowledgeable culture which is beneficial to the country.

Tan Sr Dr Mani Jegathesan extraordinaire reminds us that everything is possible if we set our hearts to it and that through a disciplined and determined process there will be no limitation to our achievements. Tan Sri Dr Jega is a living example of this as he has shown time and time again.

Hockey Round-Up Gossip

2010-06-14T16:20:00.006+08:00

1.Malaysian Women Hockey Team.

Mutiny! Yes, that was what happened with the women's national team. After a disastrous performance at the recent Women World Cup hockey qualifier, the ladies decided they had enough of their coach particular with his "language", as he was preparing them for the Commonwealth and Asian Games for later in the year.

This coach seemed to have "Lady luck" for nearly a decade and can be regarded as Malaysia's most unsuccessful coach. Prior to being with the ladies' team he was the coach of the Malaysian Juniors for the 2001 Tasmanian Junior World Cup. The performance there was so pathetic that we were literally one of the worst teams at the tournament.

Despite this he was given a "life line" to be assistant coach to the ladies team and after the resignation of the foreign Indian coach he was elevated as the chief coach. Mind you without an FIH coaching certificate he was yet again entrusted with a high performance national team. It is probably the "decision makers" at NSC and Women's hockey, who must have had very high regard for him or maybe there are not enough coaches in Malaysia to choose from. The decision making process seems to be highly "mystifying" especially when a person lacks the success profile and the appropriate qualification and is still given to coach high performance teams. Surely, there must be a story to this?

Some say the mutiny was orchestrated bya certain official and i do not think it is proper to state where the person originated. Apparently the person is well known to the hockey and also sporting circle and the said personality had meetings with the players. At this stage it is still a rumour but knowing the person it may not be beyond such an individual's activity.

Now there is a move to replace the ladies coach, however his "Lady's luck" is still shining for he maybe offered the post of coach under the "Pelapis" programme for the ladies development project. All cannot be that bad for the coach as he still would enjoy the various perks that come with an "outstation" based coach which is generously offered by NSC. I do hope there would not be mutinies brewing in the future with the ladies development teams too.

This compromising outlook of NSC and the Ladies hockey in not having people with the right qualification and appropriate success profile for a coaching job shows the short-sighted outlook and how the resources are wasted. In such instances Sports Administrators do not work in the best interest of sports on a meritocracy basis with careful planning embodying the principles of excellence.. Until that comes into play, sports would continue suffering such disastrous fate.

2. Games played by KL off the hockey ground.

2 incidents in a week which involves Kuala Lumpur hockey, makes me wonder whether the administrators of hockey in KL are also exponents of the "Machiavellian" principle ie "the end justifies the means".

Mind you, here we are talking about sports and if it is wrong it must be reported at the earliest and rectified as far as possible, without having to be disruptive.. Unfortunately the desire to win and carry the titles created a zealous manipulative thinking combined with the greed for glamour which forced hockey administrators to undertake matters beyond the very spirit of sports.

In Sukma hockey, KL dropped a Project 2013 player based on a "bias" selection process taking account of "connections" of certain players based on their parents. This discarded young player then went to train with Malacca and KL had knowledge of it.

In fact KL was trying to get the player back or even recommend him to another State but not for Malacca, who were in the same pool as them. Unable to "stomach" that the discarded player was playing for Malacca, KL decided that they would protest on the ground that they had not released the player. The maneuvering and manipulation to "kill" the young boy's opportunity to play in Sukma was more to do with a "fear factor" of KL hockey administrators feeble mind that Malacca would be a stronger team.

Malacca did drill home the point when on Sunday they thrashed KL by 5-1. Maybe KL was right and when they decided to do whatever possible to disqualify the young player, they were not successful. The point being the hockey administrators of KL were "Machiavellian".

In another incident where the KL Under 12 girls became champion by default when their opponent Kelantan was disqualified for registering an over-aged player using another person's identity. KL girls were defeated 4-1 and on protest they were awarded the game. The action to disqualify Kelantan was right but to award the game to KL may set a precedent for the future, where calculative officials may take advantage of similar situation.

Sources indicate that KL was aware that such a player was over-aged but did not protest before the game. The idea was to take an "insurance" on the game just in case they lost. They did lose the game but called on their "insurance" ie to protest on the over-aged player. Had they done it before the game there was no guarantee they would be champion.

Assuming in such instance if the Malaysian Schools decided to disqualify Kelantan as champion and still maintain KL as runner-up, then in the future such "Machiavellian" tactics may not be adopted, for it would make no sense to take "insurance" by not reporting the incident before the game until it is over..

Sudden resignation of K Enbaraj as KL Sukma assistant hockey coach.

2010-06-09T21:57:00.006+08:00

"Leopards seldom change their spots" is a famous maxim which usually relates to people who consistently undertake matters which reasonable people would not contemplate. Such people do it with the intention of benefiting their group and ultimately themselves without caring for the consequences others face. These people tend to camouflage themselves in such a way by passing the "bug" to others by making them the sacrificial victims with a straight face and sweet talk. Their "chameleon" nature is such it is not easy to identify them because of their style and manner including the sort of people they keep company with. Indeed most people would not believe that such persons would exists and above all engage in these sorts of shenanigans.

This unusual breed of people generally have "double tongue" ie "what they say they do not mean and what they mean they do not say". They usually get away because the victims usually walk away without confronting them or they are influential enough that they get away with it. For such people this is a habitual aspect and it is a common feature in their daily life.

K Enbaraj today realised that the world is not a perfect place, and that talk and action usually do not co-relate. He found out that the actions of certain people can influence the destiny of others for no reason whatsoever. The point here is that they do not want to permit a young boy to play for a particular State, notwithstanding the fact that the player was not even selected by the protesting State. End of the day the argument decayed to a jargon of formality that the player was not granted official release. Mind you this is about a young boy who is probably Under 18 and rather than encouraging him to play, there are people who call themselves working for the best interest of Malaysian hockey and yet endeavour to disqualify the boy from playing.

This seems to be similar to a story where players were recruited by a leading club and when they were not needed, as there were to many players, they were not released so as they could not play for competitors. Why? They cannot become a threat to the team. The thinking is the team is more important than the whole of Malaysian hockey and the discarded players themselves. Such selfish thinking people can still find their way in administrating and managing Malaysian hockey. Even in such positions they can maneuver to equip their team with the various national players, thereby making their team the present and future national team. It is the art of positioning themselves and dangling the "carrots". Obviously it takes a person with great talent to do such things and probably the maxim of "the leopard seldom changing its spots" may truly manifest in such an instance.

This was Enbaraj's problem. He never comprehended this when he accepted to be Kuala Lumpur Sukma hockey team assistant coach. He was excited that there was a genuine desire to help the young boys. He himself was involved with UniKL and he saw how people worked there to get the young boys to become stars. He thought the same would also happen with the Kuala Lumpur team. There were differences in selection of players and he thought it was healthy, although at times he also felt there was no rationality. Still he continued forging ahead although he felt as assistant coach he had certain limitations as to his influence on matters, so as he does not undermine the chief coach. He was very careful not to overstep the position.

Enbaraj had to painfully accept certain decisions as it involved some of his UniKL boys. He did not protest over it nor make issues about it. He felt if the boys cannot find a place in the KL team they should easily work into other teams and this became the "saving grace" for him. If that was the case then Enbaraj would not have suddenly resigned as assistant coach of the KL Sukma hockey team. Today, he came to know that one of the young boys who was not selected would be playing for another State and KL was formally going to protest at the Manager's meeting on the grounds that they had not formally released him. Apparently Enbaraj requested KL not to protest and give the young boy the opportunity to play in Sukma. What complicated the issue for Enbaraj was the different "stories" told to him which tantamounted to misleading him with the intention to pacify him. Various officials from the very top to others were telling "stories", which seemed to be pointing fingers at others rather than themselves. This "topsy turvy" scenario had nothing to do with the issue at hand ie "why object to a KL discarded young player from playing for another State." It seemed more to do with not wanting another team to be strong.

Enbaraj felt he could not be a party to the protest and to the "stories" and on principle the situation did not offer any choice but to resign as assistant coach of the KL Sukma hockey team. It was a very brave decision and he did not want to be part of a group of people who were denying the righst of a young KL discarded player to play for another State in Sukma. More so, as Enbaraj has just finished the Junior League, he does not want to be seen as killing the aspirations of young boys.

Thank God for Enbaraj there were sufficiently reasonable minded people especially from MHF who overruled KL's protest and permitted the young KL discarded player to play for another State. Enbaraj resigned prior to the decision of the meeting as he felt KL should not have protested. All credit to Enbaraj for standing firm on a principle and above all being prepared to sacrifice his own position. A true servant of hockey.

Junior Hockey League - "Overall performance is not at all encouraging"

2010-06-05T20:37:00.009+08:00

The Junior Hockey League (JHL) has just come to an end and it should provide a deep "soul searching" exercise for MHF as the future of Malaysian hockey rests with this generation of players. I start this article with a conclusion ie "There is nothing much to talk about the performance of the teams in the JHL". It is sad but it is a fact. The games were played by the teams who were just trying to get the ball to the goalmouths without a distinct style or pattern of play. The basics in hockey including application of some of the new rules were diabolically poor and the players just ended up "robotic" ie told how to play.

The final of the overall title between UniKL and BPSS Thunderbolt provided enough evidence of the state of affairs of the "junior" generation of hockey players. As much as the JHL reflects on the standard of players, it equally reflects the standard of the coaches too. Many would obviously feel hurt by this but it is important we recognise it rather than live in a world of denial. Unless we know the true state of affairs we cannot adopt the necessary strategy to address the issues. We cannot just go down the same road over and over and make it look like everything is fine. If we want to do that then we are just "baffling" ourselves.

Getting back to the final, let me narrate some of the salient points:

Both teams did not have a formation of play ie style or pattern.

Both teams were charging straight to the goalmouth. In the case of Thunderbolt they were looking for penalty corners while UniKL scarily troubled Thunderbolt except for the 2 goals. Mind you they did not have even 1 penalty corner in the whole game.

UniKl adopted a defensive approach and their attack was based on overhead flicks which the Thunderbolt were able to cleanly trap and instantaneously turn them into attack.This provided Thunderbolt the basis of their "waves" of attacks.

UniKL scarified their half line and left a "gaping" hole in the centre which Thunderbolt did not know how to capitalise

Thunderbolt's national player was playing like the other players ie did not show the calibre of a national player. The Thunderbolt coach obviously did not optimise his ability.

Both Thunderbolt and UniKL had a player each who had 2 months stint with a 2nd Division Dutch hockey club. Their performance and skill did not reflect such a stint exposure. Indeed their performance was below par and i wonder whether their stint is a properly planned programme.

Thunderbolt despite the waves of attack and numerous penalty corners, did not have any clues how to get the vital goals.

Thunderbolt penalty corner "battery" was a disaster as they fumbled on "stopping" the ball on numerous occasions.

UniKL had 2 to 3 players who were "passengers" in the game and the coach did not recognise this to make the imminent changes.

In both the teams, the "players off the ball" were not moving to create opportunity for passes to be made.

In both the teams, the players "recovery' after losing the ball seem to be very slow. More often they were standing and protesting.

In both the teams, the players seemed "ill disciplined" as they seemed to be arguing with the decisions of the Umpires. There is no doubt that the standard of umpiring was also bad.

UniKL players did not have a clue how to "run down the clock" in the dying hours of the game.

Overall the standard of the game did not reflect the final of a major tournament ie the JHL. The whole thing was an anti-climax. Although MHF added colour with a "live" telecast and the trimmings of prize giving but the game itself raises a question mark on the future of Malaysian hockey.

I wonder what is being done by MHF? They cannot just leave it to the Sports Schools or the State Project Schools or the Project 2013 people. This is an issue that goes to the fundamentals of the concept of "excellence" and probably that is what is lacking from the top to the bottom in majority of the cases. This is what needs to be addressed and that is something i shall cover in another article.

Till then i think it is important that the hierarchy in MHF must engage itself on this matter and undertake the necessary steps to embody the principles of "excellence" for the future of Malaysian hockey. Do not go with the view that the JHL is over and therefore another event in the calender is finished. The truth of the state of hockey arising from the JHL must be addressed.

Enbaraj's "comeback" in hockey is epitomised in UniKL being overall champion in JHL.

2010-06-01T18:01:00.005+08:00

The towering figure of K Enbaraj used to be the dominant figure in the defence of Malaysian hockey from the late 80s to the early 90s. This 6-footer started sporting life as an athlete and till today, well over 25 years later, his 400 metres record in Malacca High School (MHS) still remains unbroken. He was in MHS just for his 6th form and the school where he came into contact with hockey was St Francis Institution (SFI).

At SFI he was trained in hockey by a non-hockey playing coach Mr Durairaj. Apparently this teacher was so advanced in his techniques then that he trained the boys to run with the ball using the "reverse" stick. Today as Enbaraj watches the various hockey games he sees this style commonly used and it brings memories back to 30 years especially of Mr Durairaj's vision of the game.

Enbaraj, like most of us, has certain peculiarities and in his case he used to be the "live wire" of the team. A person who spontaneously gives nicknames to his colleagues like "Boss" for Mirnawan. In the case of "Boss" it has stuck on and somehow it personifies Mirnawan. As much as Enbaraj takes the mickey on his teammates, they too have given him back and to many he is known as "Unta" or "Camel". It is probably his height, movement, and the ability to carry sufficient store of liquid that may have prompted such a nickname.

"Unta" is a true "Gandhian" in spirit, of course barring the amber liquid. He gets emotional when he sees people being ill or mistreated including being undermined. He tries in his own ways to change things and usually finds resistances in the initial period. With time and sufficient experience from the setbacks he finds people tend to appreciate and understand his point of view. Something he puts down to everyone's "learning curve".

Used to be living in a glamour as one of the finest fullbacks in the world with the best consistent flat hits for short corners. All this came to an abrupt end when the Malaysian hockey contingent broke camp just 2 weeks before the 1992 Barcelona Olympic. "Unta" returned home and in helping his friends move a large glass sheet, it broke on its own weight which resulted in Enbaraj having a severe injury to his leg. His muscles and ligaments were severely damaged and he literally bade farewell to his Olympic dreams. This also meant that he had to come to terms that hockey was history for him. Something that devastated him as he painstakingly tried to return and it was near impossible. He even had a knee surgery in the hope it would help him but all that only added further frustration to his life.

After a short stint with Yayasan Negri Sembilan in 1995-96, the "Camel" faded a way into oblivion. The humorous Enbaraj was suffering from severe arthritis and the debilitating illness nearly crippled him. The years of suffering took a toll on him and this in a way changed his outlook to life. His philosophical approach of " mind over matter" aided and abetted his struggle to contain the effect of his illness. This forced him to change his lifestyle.

When Enbaraj felt he was ready to come back to society, the timing coincided with the crying need for change in Malaysian hockey because of the declining standards particularly in Malaysia's international hockey furore. Enbaraj together with his friend Azlin became co-signatories of an "open letter" to the relevant authorities, where they solicited the support of former hockey internationals. The group became known as "102 former hockey internationals", who went on to produce a comprehensive document for the future of Malaysian hockey.

This gave a new lease of life for Endaraj and provided the much needed impetus to find himself in society. His break came when he was appointed as coach for Sapura in 2008 for the Malaysian Hockey League (MHL). On his first attempt as coach, Sapura was in the overall final and their opponent was EY, which was coached by younger brother Dharma. The "sibling" rivalry fell in favour of Dharma as EY became the overall champion on penalty flicks.

For the 2009 MHL , Enbaraj became assistant coach to UniKL, a new team in the Malaysian hockey scenario. They were mainly young boys around the age of 21 and UniKL was making a "statement" of wanting to give young talents the opportunity to participate. This led him to continue as assistant coach for UniKL for the 2010 Junior Hockey League. This where one sees the best in the "Camel". He loves working with young kids and he seems to understand their "lingua".

The trial and tribulation he has undergone in his life post 1992, in a way has given Enbaraj a better understanding of people. He believes that everything is time proportional and there are no short term remedies particularly if people are used to certain ways. Change cannot be forced on rather it must be a process encompassing all the necessary elements if there is to be success. Ultimately it must be a self regulating process and this has to be started with the young.

His time with UniKL was very enriching for him. He got to know his players well and slowly was appreciating what made them tick. He may not agree with them but the point is at least he knew their point of view. He stayed , ate and mixed with them throughout the JHL and that gave him an insight. He believes that beyond the resources that is provided to the young players, there is a need for closer interaction so as the young kids also become part of the decision making process. Enbaraj believes this on the long term becomes a self regulating methodology for the young players to self train on issues such as fitness, diet and weight training.

Indeed UniKL's success in the JHL, ie as runner-up in the league and as overall champion is a befitting comeback for Enbaraj to hockey especially in administration. The one-time finest fullback seems to be on the right pathway as he takes upon Malaysian hockey yet again. This time more matured and philosophical having found the inner strength through his "bodily sufferings" and the education process the young boys have given him in the past few months, must surely equip the "Camel" to set the stage to become the finest in his new responsibilities.

Does Malaysian Sports comprehend the term "Excellence"

2010-05-30T11:22:00.004+08:00

I received this anonymous comment and i believe its content deserves to be highlighted.

"Excellence" is something that is lacking in the Malaysian sporting culture. Part of the reason is that the sports administrators themselves have not embodied it and therefore everything from them downwards is void of the concept.

When the "preacher does not have the knowledge what to preach, how can you expect majority of the followers to know of it, in order to appreciate, adopt and implement". Here from the National Sports Council (NSC), Sports School, Project Schools to the National Sports Association (NSAs) and the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), they do not comprehend the aspects of "excellence" and therefore it is not in the Malaysian sporting DNA barring very few exceptions, even them we can count by our fingers.

So much of resources have been poured into sports but i believe the so called administrators themselves need a major "realignment" to understand and implement the facets of "excellence", if Malaysian sports need to make any significant impact in the world sporting arena.

Please read the edited version of the comment below as it is "food for thought" to stimulate our thinking process if we are serious in wanting Malaysian sports to achieve world class status.

"Dear Gandhi,

Excellence is what MHF should pursue.In my mind the essence of excellence as George Will said "Sports serve society by providing vivid examples of excellence".

Growing up I was taught that anything worth doing is worth doing well.Excellence does not happen by chance.It takes total commitment and consistent effort to be the best we can be.

The core players,coaches and manager in Project 2013 must be place in a programme where we continuously seeking improvement,learning and developing.

For a start participating in the Commonwealth games certainly gives a good exposure.

Greek poet Hesiod stated "Before the gates of excellence the high Gods have placed sweat; long is the road thereto and rough and steep first;, but when the heights are reached then there is ease. then there is ease, though grievously hard in winning".

Embrace any and all opportunities to learn and improve.

In short there is no excellence without focused labor.

Thank You."

Good Bye V Sivapathasundram - "Selfless service to Malaysian hockey and cricket"

2010-05-23T19:34:00.006+08:00

From the 60's onwards Negri Sembilan hockey had 3 districts with their respective schools and coaches as power centres of hockey. In Seremban then there was St Paul's Institution (SPI) with Lawrence Van Huizen and William Fidelis, King George the Fifth School (KGV) with the late Ho Koh Chye, whereas Kuala Pilah had Tunku Mahmud School (TMS) with Mithal and finally Tampin with Tunku Besar School (TBS), had the mercurial person V Sivapathasundram.

Popularly known as Siva, he not only transformed the school TBS as a key hockey school but also the district of Tampin. Many knew of Siva through his yeoman service to hockey but in fact his 1st love was cricket. Indeed this is where he differed from the other hockey coaches in that he also developed TBS into a school cricket force in Negri Sembilan where they took the State championship by beating KGV and SPI who then had schoolboy cricket internationals. In both hockey and cricket he extended his selfless service beyond TBS to the Tampin District by ensuring that the district was a key player in Negri's hockey and cricket leagues.

V Sivapathasundram is 3rd in a family of 6 and was a student in Segamat English School in Johore. During his schooldays he was a state player in cricket, more of a bowler and turned out for the Combined Schools in hockey. 2 of his other brothers are also known in the sporting world ie V Yogeswaran a former national trainee in hockey, presently in New Zealand and V Masalamy a renowned sports administrator in Negri Sembilan.

Siva and his siblings were not born with "silver spoons in their mouths" as their father was a lorry driver with JKR. They all are self made individuals who, through helping one another, worked their way in life. Siva went to Brinsford in the UK for his teacher's training in 1961 and returned in 1963 and joined TBS as his one and only school till his retirement 32 years later.

1st of his boys to don national colours in hockey was a N Palanisamy who in 1971 and 1975 represented Malaysia in the World Cup and 1976 in the Montreal Olympics.This was followed by many others including his own son Dr Brian Jayhan Siva, who is currently a medical specialist in Australia and the current national goalkeeper S Kumar. He literally groomed the kids from a young age and watches them blossom into national stars.

He was a strict disciplinarian and did not hesitate to enforce it in his uncompromising manner. Something most of his boys are fully aware of. This at times tended to upset the hierarchy in hockey, who have the natural ability of easily sweeping matters under the carpet. Siva was "head strong" and would only call " a spade a spade". This approach of his was difficult for the sports administrators who played "politics"to accept. This in a way explains why he prematurely resigned as Assistant Secretary in MHF and also as Team Manager of one of the national teams.

His period in sports administration also included as Secretary of Negri Sembilan Hockey Association (NSHA) and MHF Umpires Board. He held many positions in Tampin District Hockey Association including lately as Deputy President. Indeed his creative nature in hockey was such that he was trying to get a full astroturf pitch for Tampin , not withstanding the fact TBS was given a 2nd hand pitch from Seremban. The other big picture in hockey he was pursuing was a ground for indoor hockey in Tampin. Like many things the bureaucracy slows and even attempts at times to kill the enthusiasm of the rarest of rare breed of people like Siva. Yet! Siva worked with time and tried to derive the best and probably this explains why he was successful in turning Tampin as a "bastion" for hockey in Malaysia.

As i attempt to sing the praises of V Sivapthasundram's yeoman service to sports, i must say that he was not given the due recognition that he fully deserved. What is interesting is that he did not go seeking for such glory nor rubbed shoulders with people to have the fame. He could have done it but his upbringing of a self made person did not permit him to do such things. I am sure what he should have deserved in this mortal world which was not accorded to him, would be waiting to be bestowed to him by the divine forces in his new paradise.

Yes! V Sivapthasundram at the age of 68, in his own quiet manner and style bade farewell to us this evening. This is him ie not one for ceremony rather a person who wanted the job to be done as he chose to depart this world. He is survived by his wife and 3 children and to them may i on behalf of all those who knew Siva and also those who have heard of him or shall hear of him, take this solemn moment to express our sympathy and condolence to the family on his demise. His selfless service to mankind would assure V Sivapathasundram divine blessing.

Good Bye Siva as our beloved friend, who was a devoted teacher cum dedicated coach with a heart of "gold" as a sports administrator and above all a wonderful father and a lovely husband. We all will miss you but Siva you have left much for us to remember you to eternity.

Project 2013 boys should be the "core hockey team" for the Commonwealth Games.

2010-05-19T15:38:00.006+08:00

On my last visit to London, on a Sunday afternoon, i took a stroll at the famous Hyde Park Speaker's Corner. This is a congregational spot where people stand on a small box expounding what they believe to a packed audience who are mainly tourists. The Speaker's Corner is suppose to be the monument of "free speech".

One of the speakers who attracted my attention was a short Asian probably Indian origin, who was enjoying insulting the British. His underlying theme was that he is in the UK to recollect the old British debt because of Britain's exploitation of the colonies. An interesting comment he made was the definition of "Commonwealth". He stated that the British colonies "wealth" was made "common" by Britain for its use. Today he says that Commonwealth is an archaic term which has no relevance in modern times.

At least at that moment his speech did bring some memories of the Commonwealth ie remainders of the Commonwealth Head of States Meetings and the Commonwealth Games, a gathering whose useful purposes is extremely difficult to fathom. However if we in-build issues such as discriminatory UK university fees, aspects of immigration & visas plus other factors, it would seem with modern times the relevance of Commonwealth and its subjects are non consequential matters to Britain.

In essence what the Speaker spoke had some bearing but on holiday i do not allow my "grey matter" to be tickled into a working mode. As fast as i heard it, i allowed it to be parked away in my brain and hopefully one day i would recall it if there was a requirement.

Following the recent comment by MHF that there shall be 2 senior teams ie one for Asian Games and the other for Commonwealth Games, my mind was able to flash back to the speech i had heard in Hyde Park Speaker's Corner on the definition of the Commonwealth. This immediately begged a question why Malaysian hockey with a 2nd team is participating in the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi later this year.

I had to ask this question because as what the Speaker mentioned in Hyde Park, the Commonwealth Games has no relevance whatsoever to the international ranking in world hockey. It is a gathering of the Commonwealth sporting fraternity to give an impression of a "gathering" of one big happy family once every 4 years. It probably symbolizes the maxim: "The sun never sets on the British Empire". Mind you the extent of the British Empire gave credence to such a statement.

The question we have to ask is: "Why are we spending all the money training a 2nd team solely for the Commonwealth Games?" It is an important question because our 1st team at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup found it difficult to overcome the teams from Pakistan and Australia who were experimenting with their sides and probably in New Delhi later this year they shall be with their best teams. There would also be India, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada who qualified to participate at the 2010 World Cup in New Delhi earlier this year, where Malaysia failed to qualify.

With this backdrop, what does MHF hope to achieve by sending a 2nd team to the Commonwealth Games. Obviously, it is a wise choice to spare the 1st team of this commitment in view of the Asian Games, which has great relevance to our international position. So going to the Commonwealth Games is all about attending a "gathering"!

If such is the thinking, why not we ask our Project 2013 boys to represent Malaysia. Use them as the core team and strengthen them with some experienced players to provide a "sense of balance" to the team. This effectively would be "building" a team for the future by providing the appropriate exposure. Yes! they would become the whipping boys and so would the 2nd team too. Might as well invest on a future team to carry the responsibilities because every defeat is only going to strengthen their resolute to get better in view of the exposures.

For Coach Dharma and his Project 2013 boys, this would become a real challenge and they know they have to get out of the "comfort zone" and perform. They would also know that they are going to be the "whipping boys" of the tournament and that itself must create the necessary pressure to perform. What an opportunity for our young boys.

This is a more realistic approach for Malaysian hockey to participate in the Commonwealth Games. MHF must be brave enough to make such a decision and the only way they can do that is to think "outside the box". I wonder whether that would be difficult for them?

The future of Malaysian hockey rests with our boys in the Project 2013 team and it is time they too face the harsh reality of the game ie carrying the burden of the nation to a tournament that has no international bearing. This itself shall provide MHF the right excuse to make such a decision. The question is whether MHF has the "guts" to make such far reaching decisions? Time will give us the answer.

Sultan Azlan Shah Cup has to be more prestigious - "Top hockey nations with their best teams must grace the event".

2010-05-17T19:21:00.004+08:00

The 19th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup (SAS Cup) came to an end on 16th May, where "Mother" nature took the top honours by ensuring that the final was washed out. As such, an unprecedented history was created in the SAS Cup for the 1st time as India and South Korea became Joint Champions. Both teams only had 7 minutes to display their skills when the rain took full control of proceedings from thereon.

This year's tournament had kept the hockey fans glued to the various matches as the finalists for 16th May were only confirmed on the last day of the round robin matches. Until then 5 nations ie Malaysia, India, Australia, South Korea and Pakistan were possible bidders for the 2 final spots. Fortunately India had Egypt and quite easily found a spot. Malaysia had finished their games a day earlier and the other 3 countries needed to win with sufficient margin to edge Malaysia in goal difference. The honour fell to South Korea who in a hard fought colourful march paraded with green, yellow and red cards with Pakistan secured a spot in the final.

The SAS Cup drew a large crowd at the ground and significant audience for the channel TV telecast. It is good to see nationwide viewers for the game as it would do wonders for hockey in Malaysia.

Equally we also have to look at the SAS Cup itself to ensure that the tournament gets better in coming years and it becomes even more prestigious. This is important for the sustainability of the tournament and that it remains a premier international event. The SAS Cup is sanctioned by the world hockey body ie FIH and there are stipulated conditions that need to be fulfilled. In theory the SAS Cup should attract some of the top hockey nations in the world like what had taken place in the earlier editions. As the years have gone by, some of the top nations tend to send a hybrid team blending experience with younger players for the experience of exposure. The bigger picture for these teams is to have a larger pool of talents that they could work on and upgrade them with time. This is not only the style of the Australians and South Koreans but lately the Indians and Pakistanis are slowly adopting such an outlook.

Top hockey nations do this because the SAS Cup has no bearing whatsoever on the respective teams international rankings. Winning or losing is purely a pride issue and nothing else. Although it is FIH sanctioned, again that is all about it. Indeed if any it is a "bonanza" for FIH as they use this tournament as a training ground for their Umpires and Technical Officers knowing very well errors by their officials would not have a "fatal" impact on world hockey. I wonder how many of our Umpires and Technical Officials were involved in this tournament?

If the host country is forward-looking, particularly their Coaching Committee, then they could have got FIH to conduct the FIH Coaching courses. Unfortunately MHF's Coaching Committee is a "coalition" of strange "bed mates", whose preoccupation is a mission of finding faults rather than creating talented coaches. With such an outlook and the prevailing lethargy they do not have the wisdom nor the direction to ensure such courses are organised for the benefit of deserving locals to upgrade their knowledge and skills. Yet another "lost opportunity" and this seems to be very common with the Coaching Committee.

Moving away from the peripheral issue of the SAS Cup to the tournament proper itself, we must find ways to get the top teams with their best players to be here. If not we are creating a "make believe" scenario that the world's no 1 and no 6 are here, as expounded by the narrators of the TV programme. This gives the impression that Malaysia is doing well or that world hockey standard is not high. This "misnomer" in perception can "back fire" especially when Malaysia struggles with "minnow" hockey playing countries or we falsely create a high expectation of our team with the Malaysian hockey fans.

The key question is: "How do we get the top hockey nations to bring their best players to the future SAS Cup?" We cannot allow top hockey nations to treat the SAS Cup purely as a training ground for their talents or for the FIH to have a "free ride" to train their officials. Rather a "symbiotic" relationship has to be created between the SAS Cup, the participating teams and FIH. All 3 must mutually benefit from the tournament.

Maybe and just maybe the answer could be if SAS Cup comes with the right prize money. It should be of such a value that it becomes a sensational attraction for teams literally begging to be invited for the SAS Cup. In this manner the organisers of the SAS Cup can dictate the requirements of participation. Prize money of US$150,000 for the winner and US$75,000 for the runner-up would surely provide the sufficient "magnetic pull" for the top and best teams to participate.

I do not know whether there are any rules in FIH with regards to prize monies. I do not believe so but if there are i am sure the Organisers of the SAS Cup can find ways to get the necessary exemption. It is an idea which i think can start the thinking process to ensure that the SAS Cup is a prestigious and premier event in the world hockey calendar. This can only happen if we have the top hockey nations with their best teams. Think about it if we want the SAS Cup to sustain itself in years to come.

MHF Competition Committee may be the "king maker" to determine who shall be Champion of the Junior Hockey League

2010-05-07T20:07:00.005+08:00

Today 7th May in the Malaysian Junior Hockey League (MJHL) calendar, an important game should have been played between UniKL and BPSS-TNB Thunderbolt (Thunderbolt). On paper both these teams are front runners for the MJHL title with Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) having an outside chance of upsetting the scenario.

Unfortunately, today's game had been officially postponed to 21st May by the MHF Competition Committee. A rightful act in view of the 19th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup (SAS Cup) from 6th to 16th May in Ipoh. This was one of the 2 main reasons communicated by the MHF Secretary in his written communication.

Fortunately, with the SAS Cup completing by 16th May, it would permit the MHJL to get back to its normal pace considering that the tournament must be completed before the SUKMA Games.

Prima facie, all these are suitable explanations of the Competition Committee particularly when the 2nd reason is embodied into the equation ie national interest as players are involved in the SAS Cup. Fundamental in all these is that the Competition Committee had preached certain reasons in postponing the game. It is whether they are fully practicing it or selectively conducting their "preaching" exercise.

I ask this question on the following basis:

Only 1 player from the MJHL teams is involved in the SAS Cup and he is from the Thunderbolt team.
The Project 2013 team made up of players playing in the MJHL were assembled to play friendlies with the visiting teams for the SAS Cup. They are free to join back the MJHL teams from 6th May.
Nothwithstanding the MHF Secretary's 1st reason for postponement ie the SAS Cup, there are other MJHL matches still going on including a key game between BJSS and Thunderbolt on 14th May.

Thunderbolt would not have the services of their key player for that game because he would still be involved in the SAS Cup.

In view of the above scenarios, is there a need to postpone the UniKL and Thunderbolt match scheduled on 7th May? It would seem there are inconsistencies in the MHF Secretary's letter on behalf of the Competition Committee. Effectively what the Competition Committee has done by changing the UniKL and Thunderbolt game is to become "kingmaker" in determining who should win the MJHL title. By "twitching" the match schedules, the Competition Committee has created an "unbalanced" scenario that does not provide a "level playing field" for the contenders of the title.

Maybe what i outline below would help to enlighten the Competition Committee:

If the 7th May match between UniKL and Thunderbolt had proceeded, the players involved for Thunderbolt would be the same as when they play BJSS on 14th May. The "playing field" would be of the same level for the 3 contenders.

If the 7th May is rescheduled to 21st May, Thunderbolt would be reinforced with one of their key players who is currently with the national team in the SAS Cup and another player returning from his stint in Holland.This would give Thunderbolt that extra advantage over UniKL, who also have an additional player returning from Holland.

The 14th May game between Thunderbolt and BJSS would mean Thunderbolt would not have their "heavyweights" for that game, thereby creating an injustice to UniKL by postponing their game on 7th May, when there was no "genuine" reason.

In fact the Competition Committee should have been fair all round either by maintaining the original MJHL match schedules or postponing all the games during the SAS Cup. By undertaking selective actions on certain matches and trying to create reasons that does not provide a genuine basis and gives an impression of "jerry mandering" by the Competition Committee to a state of wanting to determine the winners of the MJHL. This supports the notion that the Competition Committee is playing the role of "kingmaker".

In all these i must also take on the UniKL hockey management in choosing to remain silent on this issue. They should have been more responsible in officially raising this issue with the Competition Committee detailing the inconsistencies in the Committee's decision. For a 1st timer to the MJHL and with the possibility of winning the title they seem very relaxed about such matters. I wonder whether it is the "fear factor" of not wanting to create any controversy because the person who is responsible for starting hockey in UniKL is their Chancellor, who is also the President of MHF ie the TM. UniKL has a sound basis to protest and it is only fair that all the games should be postponed and played after the 16th May when the SAS Cup is completed. In this way there shall not be any room for accusations nor a purported claim of a "kingmaker".

Lack of creative ideas which further enhance the call to re-engineer and revamp NSC. Part 2 - "Issues relating to players".

2010-04-26T16:28:00.013+08:00

My article on "Gossips that further enhance the call to re-engineer and revamp NSC. Part 1 - Issues relating to coaches", is about the lack of a formal employment pathway for local hockey coaches, thereby creating inconsistent policies that have significant bearing in the principles of excellence for the creation of world class players and for a highly ranked hockey nation. I have placed the burden on NSC, who is the ultimate paymaster and therefore for all purposes the "employer". Some may vehemently argue over this point but the fact that a significant nexus exists between the coaches and NSC, is itself the "proof of the pudding".

While i started on coaches, it must not be forgotten that the key to any hockey match is the players ie the core material. Traditionally, in the yesteryear, the "fertilising ground" for young talents in hockey came from the schools. As the country progressed economically with desirable distractions for the young kids and at the same time the good old dedicated hockey teachers or coaches retired, compounded with the fact that hockey itself transformed to be played at artificial fields thereby making the main equipment and accessories of the game expensive, it provided the much needed "catalyst" to commence the " self destructive" process of hindering grassroot development.

I will be the 1st to admit that many decision makers including the NSC realised this and were working on programmes to mitigate such consequences. The Government poured in the necessary funds but the issue like many other things is the aspect of implementation and sustaining it. The Sports Schools are supposed to be the "collection centre" to literally breed world class players. From the results that have emerged and the way things are progressing, it does not seem to provide that sort of platform. Then there was the Tunas Cemerlang, and Sukan Teras programmes, which appeared as a "flash in the frying pan" and got itself "fried". As fast as it appeared, it disappeared. Now we have the "Pelapis" programme and i wonder how long it would sustain itself. Programmes come and go like changing of "fashionable" clothes. At least there we can admire the beauty but here there is nothing much visible and then the programme disappears from the "radar screen".

The irony in all this is that monies are just being spent but the results do not seem to reflect the investments. The only question one can ask is WHY? Initially, people come up with good ideas and when the monies come things take a change. The programmes become administratively heavy which eats into significant part of the funds while the mobilisation at grassroot lacks the professional approach of planning, implementation, monitoring with feed back and continuous re-engineering. The programmes becomes so dogmatic and bureaucratic in approach that it turns the coaches into clerical officers. Fundamentally the coaches do not become "agents of change" to develop talents.

It would be interesting to see how the Ministry of Education's Development programme with Paul Lissek's involvement in talent scouting and MHF's "1 Mas" development programme would do in the maze of hockey development activities that are taking place. The notable aspect in these 2 programmes is that the same "old faces" are there and whether this is a good or bad omen can only be answered with time.

While the "roots" for development is trying to grow its "grass", at the high performance level, the situation remains stagnated ie bankrupt of ideas. The paymaster for national players is the NSC and their structure does not have any semblance of incentives for achievements. The salaries are not "capped" related rather based on a flat rate. It does not take account of levels of fitness and the aspect of performance. Even for injury rehabilitation they are continously paid even if they are not in training for 2 years or have not visited the ISN doctors. Yet! the player during that period can do the job of a mechanic. It is the failure of not having a creative incentive-based remuneration package on a "benefit-burden" rule that has made the players lazy to push that extra harder to achieve their best.

In effect the players are on a "gaji buta" scheme that does not provide any encouragement so as the players can achieve the set target goals. The reason why such creative thinking does not prevail in NSC is because nobody wants to wear the "thinking hat" to come up with an appropriate scheme. Ultimately it has to fall on NSC because they are the paymaster and such schemes would provide a monthly status position of all the players. It is an objective manner in determining the players performance based om tests and performance on set targets. The remuneration package itself becomes a key indicator of the player's overall condition. This makes the remuneration package for players a "check and balance" tool.

If the incentive driven remuneration package for players based on "benefit-burden " rule also incorporates discipline matters into the equation then issues such as players returning to camp in the wee hours of the morning after hefty consumption of alcohol or faking injuries or missing training and so forth would become events of the past. The scheme would hurt players where it matters ie money, their salary.

Time and time again we moan and groan when the hockey national teams do not perform. Yet no steps are taken to rectify matters. Post-mortems are done, reports are generated and circulated only to collect dust. Then, we start the same cycle over again. Strangely NSC as the Government authority on sports seems to have failed in creating a continuous monitoring system. This could easily be based on the matter that the national players consider as their "bread and butter" ie their monthly salary. If that is fundamental then it is imperative that schemes be developed around it so as to ensure that the players properly earn their salaries. These schemes can become the mechanism to monitor players all-round athletic condition and performance.

What better way is there? NSC does not need "rocket scientists" to develop such schemes for the players' remuneration package. All you need is to identify the measurable facets from A to Z on players' related issues and attach monetary values. It is the gathering of the right minds and developing a practical, easily understandable scheme that is objectively measurable which can be simple in implementation.

It is this sort of creative thinking that is required because sports is dynamic while NSC is caught in a "time warp" where it is not keeping pace. The net result is that Malaysian sports lags behind in the world arena. Therefore the call to re-engineer and revamp NSC is not a figment of one's imagination but rather a "cry" of necessity for the future of Malaysian sports.

Gossips that further enhance the call to re-engineer and revamp NSC - Part 1: Issues relating to Coaches

2010-04-17T14:27:00.012+08:00

The dictionary defines "gossip" as casual talk about the affairs usually of people which could include rumours and critical comments. I started this article with a definition as i believe it is important that we have the right perception when we read this article. Essentially they are "hearsay" but interesting enough to draw the attention of the Malaysian sporting arena and to the sports authorities on the prevailing sentiments with regards to the body that is supposed to be the "guardian" of the performance of Malaysian sports ie National Sports Council (NSC).

On 14th April, I wrote an article on this blog titled: " Time has come to re-engineer and revamp NSC", where i used Malaysian hockey as a base case to highlight the fact that an official in NSC took charge of hockey for 15 years and for a greater part of that period Malaysia failed to qualify for 2 World Cups and 2 Olympics. The period corresponded with the decline of Malaysian hockey including when the same official was part of the team management of the disastrous Malaysian Junior World Cup team in 2001. The article also elaborated of another instance where a coach who was part of the same failure in 2001 and compounded with failing the FIH coaching qualification, remained in NSC payroll without having any further upgrading training and to be appointed as coach of the women's national team. The article does not question these 2 people , rather it questions the system in NSC that seems to permit such situations to prevail when NSC's Vision and Mission as envisaged by its "founding fathers" is built on principles of excellence to create world class athletes and also coaches. Yet ! the implementing scenario seem to reflect something otherwise.

I thought the article was sufficiently thought-provoking and i believe it got a few "tongues
wagging". The stories that are "worming" out of the "woodwork" and still confined to Malaysian hockey seem to reflect that something is not right somewhere. Before any "finger pointing" takes place it is important to look at the issues.

One issue that seems to be caught in a arbitrarily mode is the question of appointment and payment of coaches. More often NSC tends to hide behind the NSA and state that it is their choice. One can live with that yet NSC is the paymaster and the details are worked by them. Unofficially they seem to have a persuasive voice and can determine the fate of coaches. The strange thing in all this is there is no proper structure in setting the minimum qualification, experience profile and terms of appointment. The failure to incorporate annual increment, recognition for continuous upgrading & qualification or training, bonuses for success and gratuity when they complete their contract creates a high degree of uncertainty in the life of a coach. Fundamentally it must provide a sort of "employment" path when a coach is appointed so he knows that the job provides him a quality of life without having to "moonlight" on other jobs or appointments.

The strange thing in all this is how NSC and the NSA "bent behind backs" to accommodate and fulfill the wishes and desires of foreign coaches. Yet on the same breath we literally treat our coaches like "beggars". Yes! i am the first one to admit that the foreign coaches have the necessary qualifications, success profiles and names to go with. Still there was a starting point which their respective foreign NSA had provided the helping hand and from there they "blossomed". Unfortunately here the poor local coach is caught with 2 bosses ie NSC and the NSA and inevitably with meddling officials who start fingering who should be selected and who should play. Somehow this interfering nature is not displayed by our officials when we have a foreign coach. Probably they are afraid that their hands maybe bitten off by the foreign coach whereas a local coach is at their mercy.

Some of the gossips in relation to coaches are as follows:

When a local national coach failed to get the national team to qualify for the Olympics, NSC wrote to the Ministry of Sports to provide a massive increment for that coach. Yet when another coach took the national team to the final of the World Cup qualifiers and lost, he had his salary deducted.

When we had a foreign coach, he could visit various international tournaments on account of Malaysia for the benefit of the national team. Yet when we had 3 local coaches at the recent World Cup in New Delhi for the FIH course, they had to come back and did not have the opportunity to see the last 3 days of matches including semi-finals and finals. Maybe the local coaches do not deserve to observe and study such matches.

Some coaches get paid for the same job higher than others because they are different programmes ie Elite or Pelapis. This confusion can literally make significant difference in salaries and dull enthusiasm of coaches.

Coaches now do not seek the extra qualification because there is nothing in NSC structure that encourages the coaches to upgrade themselves. Currently NSC works on coaches in a "hodge-podge" manner.

Period on contract for local coaches seem very arbitrary. When Terry Walsh was appointed he failed to get Malaysia into the World Cup in 1990 but he had the time for the 1992 Olympics. Tai Beng Hai despite the ill-discipline players environment and consistent officials interference he got Malaysia to the World Cup Qualifiers final and then he was summarily demoted to assistant coach. He only had 11 months compared to Terry Walsh's 3 years.

Beng Hai's assistant was arbitrarily dumped, all because he was vehemently trying to instill discipline in a choatic players ill-disciplined environment.

Coaches are "people of change" and unless we create a proper pathway for them then we cannot expect much in return from our local coaches. Unfortunately the failure of NSC and NSA to create a proper structure for the local coaches has created an environment that is "back stabbing", "bad mouthing", deliberate actions by certain coaches to derail other coaches and heights of politicking which is sipping into the main structure of the NSA. Rather than changing hockey for the better, what NSC has done is to put hockey backwards thereby permitting the decline. All this has to stop and effectively NSC has to be bold to re-engineer themselves to overcome such issues.

The time has come to re-engineer and revamp NSC!

2010-04-14T16:01:00.006+08:00

It is a corporate principle never to retain the same person on the same job for too long a period. Even at military service the commander of the troops who has led the attack is not retained after the victory to undertake post victory developments. The rationale in both these instances is to ensure a new set of people handle matters with fresh ideas without being bogged down with past dilemmas. Of course there are other reasons, but in a nutshell the essence revolves around the point of fresh face, fresh ideas and fresh thinking. Essentially it removes the mundane outlook of a person who has been there too long or had to struggle with pride and prejudice to secure the position.

This brings me to the thinking in National Sports Council (NSC). This is an organisation which has a vital role in Malaysian sports and the Government has entrusted them to do the necessary job. In general and up to most recent times they have been doing a fairly satisfactory job. However the world of sports has moved on while NSC has not kept pace. The difficulty that NSC has is that it is a "close service" except for the PTD officers who were seconded. At the present moment that is not the case. This has resulted in the "in-breeding" of ideas as NSC seems to be "stale" in thoughts as the same people year after year are handling the same job notwithstanding whether there is continuous failure or success.There is this attitude of having seen and heard it all and therefore there is no further need to indulge any deeper to resolve the issues even if the matter comes up again and again. The challenge seems to have faded away and there is this notion of just wanting to spend the money so long as the "paperwork" for it is furnished.

The issues get compounded if the matter has the support or patronage of a VIP or VVIP. All aspects of the merits of the case are completely lost in the decision making process as the "standing" of the personality dictates the approval or non-approval process including quantum of support. It is this compromise that has compromised the standard of sports in the country and for the wealth the Government has spent in sports the returns do not seem to reciprocate. A lot of this blame must be shared by the NSC, as much as the National Sports Associations (NSAs).

The NSC depends on the NSAs and this is where the NSAs drag the NSC down the "garden path" with all their promises and gloating figures. NSC on the other side do not do their homework and either get carried away or just become an obstacle depending on who is represented in the NSAs. The failure to analyse the strength and weakness of proposals and question the wisdom of targets including placing achievable commitments on NSAs seem to be something missing in NSC. Time and time again NSAs give their so called commitments and NSC takes it lightly and permits them to repetitively miss their targets without doing anything about it. The next time they come around the same cycle continues. There is this lack of accounting for failure and the necessary steps taken by the NSAs to remedy the scenario. Equally too when it comes to sustaining success.

A lot of this has to do with whether NSC has the right qualified people who have the passion to do the job beyond just earning the salary and the benefits that accrue with it. This is sports and there has to be that passion ie the pride that the "Jalur Cemilang" must be hoisted as one of the winning flags at every world sporting arenas where the country is a participant. I have no doubts that the staff in the NSC has that intention but it does not follow in actions. If they do, then most of the NSAs would have a "dreadful" time with NSC , for then NSC is properly undertaking its task. Today the "kawan kawan" concept and anything and everything is possible has brought more disappointment to Malaysian sports.

I want to use Malaysian hockey as examples to illustrate some of the factors that may have contributed to the declining status of that sport in the country. 1stly, the principal personality who has been the main person in hockey at NSC has been having that responsibility for the last 15 years. Year in and year out he sits in MHF and at the joint meetings and briefs his bosses. Although technically now he holds a different position but because he used to be a former Junior national player, the wisdom for continuity allows him to take the responsibility for hockey. The very reason why he is there itself is the weakness in the system. He was in the management of the national teams that failed in the Junior World Cups. More importantly, in the greater part of his tenure of taking responsibility for hockey in NSC, it seems to have corresponded with the failure of Malaysian hockey to qualify for 2 World Cups and 2 Olympics.

I must state categorically that he is not directly responsible or intentionally undertook things to ensure of Malaysia's failures but rather his continuous presence reflects the failure in the system in NSC to bring about changes of introducing a fresh face with fresh ideas and thoughts. NSC continuing to use him in that position is doing injustice to the game and to the staff itself. If anything, they should have sent the staff on further training or postgraduate to refresh himself and then re-introduce him to the hockey scenario in NSC. This dogma of maintaining the same staff for years over to take charge of the same sports is completely a "dumb founding" policy in NSC. Is it because they do not want to rotate the staff responsibilities or are there other reasons that is not glaring to outsiders?

Sports is a dynamic process and people taking charge must also move with time. Usually new or younger blood is brought for fresh thinking or the older staff are send for training or secondment to broaden their horizons. Unfortunately, the person for hockey in NSC has suffered on both accounts since he has been put in-charge hockey for years. It is also this period that Malaysian hockey commenced its journey to doldrums. This is an absolute failure in the structure of NSC for not recognising the need to rotate their staff in charge of various sports rather than permitting them to stagnate in the same sports for years.

2ndly, NSC has this pathetic outlook of trying to accommodate people irrespective of whether they have the track record. Sometimes people may not have the track record but the subsequent training and re-training they receive to enhance their position may be vital to sustain their position. This is an area that NSC has overlooked and it would seem Malaysian hockey is paying the price.

A coach responsible for the Malaysian Junior World Cup team about 10 years ago was part of the failure when that team finished last at the 2001 Junior World Cup in Tasmania. Despite this he was maintained in NSC payroll including when he failed to pass his FIH coaching session. Still he remained and now he is the coach for the Malaysian women's team for the World Cup qualifiers in Chile. The point being is he the right man for Malaysian high performance hockey? Nothing was done further with this coach to enhance his position and that compromise may have comprised the standard of Malaysian hockey.

There is no doubt that the coach may have the passion for coaching in hockey but does he fit the profile as a national coach for the women's team. Maybe because of his passion, he is better with development rather than high performance team? The failure of NSC to analyse and comprehend these things may have compromised Malaysian sports. It is the lack of proper expertise in NSC that is creating such unnecessary scenarios that has put Malaysian sports in an non-achievable climate.

If NSC does not adopt the principles of excellence, how can it preach and implement excellence in sports. It is the lack in qualities of excellence in NSC that is creating the syndrome of why most of Malaysian sports is not achieving world class standards despite the substantial sum of monies that has been spent. Time has come that NSC needs a proper re-engineering and major revamp to position itself to take on sports to world class or not Malaysia shall just remain a mediocre nation in sports.

Stephen Van Huizen - Good hockey "pedigree" and coaching track record but is the "climate" right to return?

2010-04-07T18:06:00.016+08:00

Compared to hockey of the 90s, that of today has changed significantly in style of play and tactics, where training and preparing the team has taken a different dimension. The game has incorporated various elements that are undertaken outside the field, which have become vital cogs in the players' and team performance. These are the results of tests on various of the sciences conducted on the players combined with the use of the latest state of the art information technologies that would provide the coach intimate knowledge of where, when and how to use his discretion to optimise the performance of the team including the players. Essentially the structure supporting any world class hockey teams has become more scientific. Incorporating and managing them is a fundamental aspect of success.

In the last 10 years the advancement has been so significant and if any national hockey coach has not kept abreast with such developments, he would be severely handicapped in trying to obtain the best out of his players and team. This is probably why the richer nations are in the top 6 in world ranking, as they have the resources to ensure their coaches and supporting staff are well acquainted with the latest developments in hockey.

This brings me to Stephen Van Huizen, who has been recently appointed as the chief national hockey coach. Stephen is a good hockey "pedigree" for he is the son of Lawrence Van Huizen, popularly known as "Hoeji", a former hockey international donning national colours for the 1958 Asian Games and 1964 Olympics. Lawrence was also the assistant national coach of the 1966 Asian Games team and from 1981 to 1987 he coached the ladies national team. In 1989, Hoeji coached the Singapore ladies team.

Lawrence greatest legacy in hockey is developing young talents in Seremban particularly for St Paul Instituition (SPI), which was the kingpin school in hockey in Negri Sembilan in the 60s. 70s and 80s. Hoeji's tiring effort of spending time every morning and evening at N.S Padang before and after work, coaching young kids is a testimony of why Negri Sembilan was a major "supply chain" of talents to the national team. Stephen himself was one such person and there were many others by the score. Indeed Hoeji also had 2 teams in the NS hockey league namely Rangers "A" & "B", which were the base for the young players to continue playing hockey after they leave school. If a census was done, there is no doubt that Lawrence Van Huizen would have produced more national players than any other coaches in the country. What an achievement !!!

The Van Huizen hockey pedigree did not stop there, Stephen's uncle Peter Van Huizen too was a former hockey international. A national goalkeeper he was in the 1st national team ever to play in an Olympic ie 1956 Melbourne Olympic and thereafter he joined his brother Lawrence for the 1958 Asian Games. Peter was a "terrorising" keeper and any player within the reach of his stick or legs were potential victims of his robust and "gutsy" style of play. Many forwards playing in his era would tell you stories of Peter's goalkeeping exploits. Indeed the late Datuk Ho Koh Chye always regarded Peter as his goalkeeping mentor and he always encouraged Koh Chye to take him on and displace him as the State goalkeeper. This is Peter's "greatness".

Stephen had to continue the traditions of the Van Huizen hockey pedigree. He was Captain of the 1979 Junior World Cup team to Paris which came 4th in the tournament. He played for Malaysia in the 1982 & 1986 Asian Games, 1984 Olympics and 1982 World Cup. He reached the pinnacle of his playing career by being Captain of the team to the 86 Asian Games.

Being a "chip of the old block", Stephen embarked into coaching and his "stars" gifted him to be assistant to all the foreign coaches that were appointed to guide the fortunes of Malaysian hockey. He was assistant to Terry Walsh for 1992 Barcelona Olympics, to Volker Knapp for 1996 Atlanta Olympics & 1998 World Cup and finally to Lissek for 1998 Commonwealth Games and 2002 World Cup. He was the national coach for the 1998 Asian Games and 2000 Sydney Olympics. At both these instances Lissek was the Consultant for the team.

Effectively for this 10 year period ie 1992 to 2002, what is referred to as the "glorious era" of Malaysian hockey, Stephen had played a significant role either as a coach or as an assistant. This track record is yet to be surmounted by any other coach and the way Malaysian hockey is heading it would seem that such a track record would be preserved for years to come.

People have asked why Stephen is so successful with the national teams? Some say "greatness" comes when you are at the right place at the right time and of course doing the right things. Others say it is the constellation of his "stars" that has placed him there at that time to do the right things. Yes ! we could debate this day and night but the point being it has all happened for Stephen and that is what is important.

Today, his father Lawrence and his uncle Peter must be relishing in joy seeing that the Van Huizen hockey pedigree is yet again brightly illuminated as Stephen starts his Round II in Malaysian hockey as coach. The question this time is whether Stephen's constellation of "stars" now would put him in the right place to do the right things for Malaysian hockey.

I have to ask this question because :

Stephen has been out of international hockey for nearly 8 years and there have been significant changes.

For the 1st time Stephen would not be an assistant to a foreign coach or have the added advantage of having a foreign coach as a consultant.

Stephen is going to coach a team whose world ranking was around the 16th and just moved up to 14th. This is an added pressure which he did not face previously.

The "supply chain" of talents to the national team had been severely disrupted over the years and the quality of players today are significantly different.

The hockey "climate" now is distinctly different from the issues of discipline of players and the encroachment cum interference from officials including team management.

The list can continue but i feel i just want to give Stephen an "appetiser" so as he knows what he can expect in the "main meal". Stephen has to realise the equation has drastically changed as many of the "old guards" whom he had worked with and carry themselves professionally have left the scene. In today's climate there is an atmosphere that seems to be more related to individual self preservation combined with the greed for self propelling glamour. Aspect of what is good for the team and country seem to take 2nd spot because certain players and officials have other agenda to enrich themselves monetarily or otherwise. This decadence, very much like "cancer cells" has been eating into the foundation that held hockey together and it seems the collapse of Malaysian hockey may be inevitable, which i hope is wrong.

So Stephen, Are you coming back at the right time, equipped rightly, to do the right things to put Malaysian hockey right?

As the foreign coach saga finally comes to an end, certain "officials" knowingly or unknowingly have become "enemies" of Malaysian hockey.

2010-04-05T19:33:00.014+08:00

The story commenced about 20 months ago, when there were like-minded people who felt that Malaysian hockey's international standing had suffered significantly when Malaysia yet again failed to qualify for the Olympics. This time it was for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. There was an undercurrent build-up to find a replacement for the national coach although his contract had yet to expire. While all this was going on the National Sports Council (NSC) had earlier recommended to the Ministry of Youth & Sports (KBS) a massive salary rise for the national coach. Absolutely a "split personality" act by the NSC ie. endeavouring to reward a coach for failing to qualify. A confusing state of affairs!!!!

With this background the hockey fraternity was "enlightened" with anonymous letters from "Cinta Hoki" attempting to swell opinions on the disastrous state of affairs in Malaysian hockey. That saw the birth of the "102 Group" made up of former hockey internationals who whipped up ground sentiments with their signature campaign and press releases. This culminated in a 100 page report comprising of recommendations to transform Malaysian hockey, which seems to be collecting dust. Latest status report indicates it is in 1 inch of dust!!!!

Around this time as the hockey fraternity was crying for change, ideas were floated to bring a foreign coach into the Malaysian hockey scene. Malaysian hockey history seems to dictate from the time of Terry Walsh, Volcker Knapp and Paul Lissek that these foreign coaches seem to have that "magic" to transform Malaysian international hockey fortunes. Unfortunately Lissek stuck too long and took positions of Consultant in later years which messed his own reputation.

1st in the list and prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, preliminary discussions were held with the Korean coach of the Chinese national team. This was South Korea's legendary coach who took them to the gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. This Korean was professional enough despite his interest to pursue any further discussions until after the Olympics when his contract expires.

Simultaneously in the Malaysian hockey scenario, the imminent change in the leadership in MHF crystallised and HH Tengku Mahkota of Pahang (TM) became the new President. MHF's new Deputy President who was a "giant killer" in defeating the incumbent Deputy President, knowingly or unknowingly engaged into discussion with another Korean coach, who was the legendary coach's assistant. The alternate media ie blogsphere in South Korea latched on to the news and reported that the Korean assistant coach was to be offered the Malaysian job. The legendary Korean coach did not want to be drawn into any controversy ie 2 Koreans fighting for an assignment and therefore withdrew from any further discussions. Equally the shortsightedness of the MHF Deputy President in placing the legendary coach in the same platform as his assistant must have hurt his pride and forced him to withdraw.

Out of desperation the NSC officials had a secret meeting with the Korean legendary coach in Bangkok trying to coax him to reconsider his decision. "Solid as the Rock of Gibraltar", the Korean refused to move to the sentiments of the NSC officials. Malaysian hockey lost the opportunity to secure the services of a renowned coach due to incompetency and lack of understanding of other cultures by a certain key official. A "Boo Boo" of the highest order.

The hunt for a foreign coach continued and this was also the commitment of the TM. Meantime a set of local interim coaches were put in as a temporary measure awaiting the appointment of the foreign coach.

The hunt took them "down under" to Australia and they identified Australia's assistant national coach for the Beijing Olympics as the candidate. A mix up between the Vice President in charge of the Medical Committee and the Secretary of MHF constituted sufficient confusion that the person concerned took up an appointment in New Zealand with the women's team. It would seem MHF's officials were their own "enemies" to screw up matters. Indeed the communication between the Secretary and the Australian was "shocking" enough in language and the manner in which he wanted to conclude matters. Obviously "fishing" for an overseas trip in his style of English!!!!!

No the saga did not end there. Asia had closed its doors while Australia seemed to show no interest and therefore MHF turned to Europe to a Dutch. A reputed coach having handled the Dutch team in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and having had a stint with the Pakistan national team, this Dutch coach was coaching a club in Holland. He seemed to be an ideal candidate for the Malaysian job.

Meanwhile the 2 independent-minded interim coaches, who were working in an ill-disciplined players environment where the team manager and the Team Management Committee (TMC) jointly were playing "politics" to undermine them, had taken Malaysia to the 4th spot in Asia Cup & Champions Challenge and to the finals of the World Cup Qualifiers. A great achievement in an "hostile" hockey climate.

The Dutch coach was in Malaysia late last year to talk terms for his appointment. He was seeking a remuneration package that left a number of officials attending the meeting "stunned". This meeting that was supposed to be attended by a few but the Secretary made it a point to get as many as possible to attend. What needed to be a negotiation ended up as a panel question and answer session. The Dutch coach was put in an awkward position as he was still with the Dutch club and, rather than honouring privacy on the matter, the Malaysian officials made the matter public. Again the failure to appreciate sensitivities by our hockey officials proves the point that they are Malaysian hockey's "enemies".

Obviously on top of a high-valued package he also wanted a fitness coach from Holland to be with him for a year. It seems that the Dutch coach package was not an issue because of the kind generosity of the TM to find a way to top it up. The issue of a Dutch assistant was a "no go" from the start. Unfortunately, MHF continued procrastinating on the issue and had dragged the matter on for nearly 5 to 6 months. Negotiations were also held in New Delhi at the World Cup and the MHF officials became aware that for most of 2010 he will definitely be out of the equation. The Dutch coach offered some solution for the interim period but it did not go down well.

In many a way it is MHF's lack of understanding of the Dutch coach's predicament and the pre-requisite for privacy on the matter that had again screwed up Malaysia's search for a foreign coach. Whether such things are intentionally done or an act of stupidity, is difficult to put a finger on. As it is repetitive, one cannot but come to one conclusion. Take for example when the Director General of NSC made the announcement that the Dutch coach has been engaged by MHF. I presume that would have been the "final straw" for the Dutch coach, as he too would have wondered what was happening in the administration of Malaysian hockey.

There is no doubts that certain hockey officials in their actions have become the "enemies" to Malaysian hockey either knowingly or unknowingly. After 20 months MHF cannot even fulfill its own commitment. No it has nothing to do with the TM but rather it is certain "bungling" officials who for strange reasons persist on messing things up. A price Malaysian hockey is paying for.

A hockey scenario - "Truth or a figment of imagination?"

2010-03-31T16:08:00.014+08:00

This is an imaginary story of 2 coaches who have been appointed as national hockey coaches of a country which used to be a recognized world class hockey nation. Over the last 8 years the country's international standing in hockey had suffered and they were relegated to past the 15th world ranked position. There was talk of foreign expertise to aid and abet the transformation of the country's international position including qualification to the World Cup. While the talking was taking place these 2 coaches were supposed to be interim and they were only to be there for 6 months.

These 2 coaches were former hockey internationals and was entrusted for the 1st time with such a task. They are straight talking people whose passion is to transform the country's hockey. They were not interested in the "politicking" in hockey that was so prevalent and as such they were not PR people who would otherwise provide the necessary "spin" to any issues in order to safeguard themselves. Their passion was to do the job properly.

The 2 coaches in getting down to their job had to identify some of the key issues including about the players. Apparently their findings were as follows:

The country's team was low in esteem as allegations were made on match fixing. gambling and other vices.

There was talk of financial dealings in the form of lending and borrowing among players and officials.

Consumption of alcohol and cigarettes were rampant and the amount consumed was unusually high including when the team was at centralised training.

Late nights including "clubbing" were a prominent feature with the players whether they were at training or not.

Team training was previously only to commence at 7.30am but more often did so at 8.00am

Trainings were cancelled at the 11th hour and this was something that was becoming frequent.

Absenteeism at training was common.

A clique system had developed in the team where 1 or 2 people became the "godfather".

Training drills became so repetitive that the sessions became boring.

Weights and gym training were more an option rather than compulsory.

Video sessions became a place for players to take a snooze.

Players were regularly faking injury.

Injured players on rehabilitation were taking unusual long to recover and there was 1 who took over 2 years, yet he was able to work full-time as a mechanic and still earn a player's salary.

With this as the backdrop, it would seem that only "fools" would take up such appointments. Still they were there and they wanted to expeditiously make changes. Obviously these 2 coaches were not philosophers, if they were they would have understood what a renowned Polish philosopher had said ie " It is not bringing the new that is difficult, rather removing the old".

From the onset the coaches set into motion the following:

Training to commence at 6.30am sharp. Those not punctual would be taken as absent.

Fitness was a key issue and with a National Sports Authority's involvement to undertake regular measurements on fitness level of players.

Smoking by players to be minimised and eliminated with the National Sports Authority's assistance.

Weights and gym training became part of training curriculum.

Injured players and those on rehabilitation were required to check-in for medical examination on a regular prescribed basis. Note the player who was on 2 year rehabilitation without coming for medical check-ups was finally dropped.

Video sessions became interactive.

Training drills were carefully blended to eliminate boredom.

As the coaches put this in place, the hockey administrators selected a team manager who by taking the position had created conflict of interest and may have also breached ethical issues. He happened to be the paymaster of most of the national players at club level. Effectively, he was managing his club boys at a national level. Some may say it is a "convergence of interests" and therefore it is perfectly ok. Maybe this is where the subtleties of the problems start.

As the coaches got tough some of the past open activities like the financial dealings and betting issues had to go "underground". Effectively things started to be done covertly and certain senior players and other young key players felt threatened and resorted to a whispering campaign to "bad mouth" the coaches. They could not do what they liked to do and therefore the only other way was to undermine the programmes laid down by the coaches.

These clique were the ears of the team manager and a group of hockey officials who originate from a particular province of the country and are referred to as the "province mafia". This "mafia" created bureaucratic issues by laying down what the coaches could and could not do including accessibility to the President of the national hockey body, which could only be done with the team manager. Now the coaches were caught in a "spider-web" and it was no more just managing the national team but also trying to untangle the "spider-web". The distractions were mounting. The team manager and the "mafia" were putting pressure as to who should be selected including who should be in the starting line-up.

Fortunately these 2 coaches were not easily pushed over. They remained steadfast to their objective and continued with the pre-planned journey. In an invitational tournament the coaches did not use a certain player and this did not go down well with the "mafia" and team manager. Following that at a continental tournament held locally, some of the players led by a senior player started a mutiny and were trying to ostracize the coaches from the team. Anyway the actions failed. However at an overseas tournament where the country's ranking would be reappraised the video recordings of games seem to show how certain players at open goal scoring opportunities intentionally fumbled.

In all these the key point is that some of the players were more keen on their own self-preservation rather than the country's interest and this was supported by certain peculiar officials. What was strange is how the team manager seemed to take the side of the players rather than of the coaches. This was probably expected as they are his paid club players.

In all these disciplinary issues were building up, notwithstanding the allegations of match fixing, gambling and financial dealings which remained unresolved. Players coming stenched of alcohol for training, while players were caught "red-handed" coming back at wee hours of the morning in a drunken state and to add to all of it a player lied to the coaches and was caught gambling in an internet cafe. Strangely, even the Disciplinary Committee could not be convened because of quorum and when the punishments were meted out, the team manager just "tapped" the players' hands. The greatest height of insult to decent people was how the player who lied to the coaches walked away freely because the matter was orchestrated by the team manager. He went to the team manager who was his paymaster to resign from the team. No action was taken against him and he continues playing hockey with the intention of playing for the country again.

The coaches' determination to bring young and disciplined players nearly paid off when they entered the finals of the qualifying tournament. The fact that the team had removed the major "bad apples" shows no one was indispensable. Despite this the "mafia" and the team manager are still doing the needful to ensure their influence on the team remains.

Unceremoniously, the hockey administrators have removed one of the coaches. All because he was a strict disciplinarian and cannot be easily influenced. They have kept the other more as a "window dressing" and it would be a matter of time they would "demote" him and make him "eat" his words to deal with players whom he felt cannot serve the nation. I may be wrong but my sense says otherwise.

The morale of this story is that there is no room for anyone who wants to do a good job in hockey. The "forces" present have other agendas and that is why a foreign coach in the initial years could escape such entrapments as the officials do not know how to stand up to a foreigner. The moment he is here for more than 3 to 4 years he too gets swallowed by the system.

To the 2 coaches i think they have done a great job ie attempting to bring sanity in an ill-disciplined hockey environment and considering the "forces" they had to handle and live with. The job they have done may not be appreciated but time would only tell the results of maneuvering and manipulations undertaken by certain officials to place and displace people. In all this there is a price that would have to be paid ie hockey in the country would revert to the days when everything and anything can be done. Bless the country's hockey.

This is a story and if it happens that "the hat fits anyone, they can wear it". If not it remains a figment of my imagination cautioning our hockey administrators to take note that such things are possible.

Is it true? MHF is "recycling" its former foreign coach as the new Director of Development.

2010-03-29T20:08:00.008+08:00

Bangsar is now a famous suburb of Kuala Lumpur and is supposed to be one of KL's gastronomically delightful places with the added attraction of the various "nite clubbing" places. One of the famous "drinking holes" in Bangsar which has survived the test of time for at least 30 years, not necessarily with the same owners, is now a meeting place of the hockey fraternity where the "breaking news" in hockey is hotly debated.

Unknown to many, i happened to be at this place when a few were engaged in a discussion on Malaysian hockey, and the topic focussed on Development. The 'breaking news" was that MHF has got over RM2.0 million from the Government for hockey development and MHF is recruiting a foreign coach who has been in and out of Malaysian hockey either as a consultant or national coach for about 15 years. The main thrust of the discussion relates to his proposed salary possibly in the region of RM10,000, which had shocked a few. In his heydays with the Malaysian team it was probably the same figure except in US$ with a number of perks thrown in.

Is it desperate times that he is unable to find employment elsewhere? It was rumoured that Pakistan had shown some interest especially as stories were told how he was seen handing over notes in a game to the Pakistan team management at the recent World Cup while wearing the jacket of Pakistan's opponents.

Those supporting his appointment believe that he loves this country and he has made it his 2nd home and realistically that is the sort of money that would give him sufficient comfort. This in a way negates the "shocker" of a low salary for a foreigner. The antagonists believe what he did to Malaysian hockey as national coach, ie permitted the slide, is setting a "footprint" for a low salary so as to sustain his long term future in the job as it would be difficult to get a foreign replacement at that price.

By which time i was getting bored with the discussion, as it revolved around money and not the core issue of the programmes on development. The argument continued whether RM2.0m was sufficient and whether the bulk of the money would be spent on administrative needs. The argument even drew comparison with the "Sukan Teras" development programme and how it came to an abrupt end leaving the various coaches in a lurch.

Suddenly, the discussion reverted back to the foreign coach again. Indeed there were arguments ranging from his personal likings to financial dealings to his dictatorial manner of coaching. Obviously these are things i would not want to document as they are "hearsay" matters. However it is fundamental that MHF clarifies these matters which any reasonable employer should do. What are these matters? I had heard them before and was not surprised to hear them again. It is in the interest of Malaysian hockey and for the person concerned.

If the rumour is true ie the stated foreign coach is to be appointed as Director of Development, all i can say is for "God to bless Malaysian hockey". In the 90s he was a renowned world class coach but his style and training methods is completely outdated in today's modern hockey. If our young boys are to follow his system, then we may be going back to the "dark ages". Maybe he has changed and if so lets get a panel of coaches to study his programmes and the expected targets with the anticipated results to see that we are investing on the right person.

Yes! we may get him cheap but may pay an expensive price in pushing the clock back for our young boys. It may be an irreparable damage and we may regret it but by then the damage may have already been done. MHF needs to be extremely careful and revisit the whole issue and scrutinize the programmes, target groups, action plan and the achievable results. They have to be professional about it.

As the beers were coming by the jugs, the discussion started losing its focus and there were other developments taking place at this "drinking hole" and i had to leave the scene. All in all it was a stimulating nite and if i only had a "crystal ball" to tell me the future, i can then tell you where Malaysian hockey is heading. At this moment, it is anybody's guess.

Young Malaysian hockey players have to learn English in Holland.

2010-03-25T18:12:00.005+08:00

Generally for people to understand one another they must know how to communicate and preferably in a common language. The dictionary defines "communicate" to mean to convey, to transmit, or to make it known. As for "language" it is a system of sound or words by humans to communicate their thoughts or feelings. The idea is hopefully for people to know what one another are expressing. Can you imagine what would happen if people speak in languages that are not understood by one another? Chaos would be the situation.

So when the Deputy Prime Minister as Minister of Education said that there would be extra English classes, he knew how important it is as a common language particularly when you have foreigners or you are in foreign nations. He probably wants our young kids to equip themselves early to face the future challenges in communication.

This brings me to the field of sports. Most of our national teams are playing foreign teams or visiting foreign countries or even having foreign coaches. To make matters simpler and to expedite matters, it is fundamental our lads have some sort of skill to communicate in a language that is commonly used in the international arena. This is for better expression and understanding thereby facilitating their activities and thus enjoying every moment. Usually the language is English.

Therefore when Malaysian hockey sent 2 young lads from the Project 2013 squad to Holland to have a few months of stint with the Dutch Club, we made great strides continuing what was already done in the past where players were in Germany, France, Austria, Australia and New Zealand. Again the players who went had not much of a problem with communicating skills and if they did they had their colleagues with them who could be of assistance.

Having the Project 2013 boys in Holland is visionary and both MHF plus NSC must be praised for giving our young lads such an exposure. The exposure is not limited to the game but also training and probably to the various sciences if the club is one of the progressive clubs in Holland. I used such a term because even the club's website is in Dutch language therefore it is not easy to assess the club. Still the fact that the boys are there and playing in a foreign league would give them a different outlook, thereby strengthening their grit to play hockey in a different style by adopting to new techniques and tactics. All these will augur well if the players are able to comprehend and understand what is communicated to them. Equally the foreign club would also be pleased if the players train and play to their instructions.

Based on information coming out of Holland, a situation has developed where the 2 Malaysian players are finding it difficult to communicate. They cannot hold a proper conversation or fully comprehend English and this has created a dilemma for the club. In fact one of the players had his first test with the Dutch Immigration when he was held up for some time at the Airport as he was unable to properly communicate the intention of his trip. It was with the club's intervention that the whole process was facilitated. Indeed the club had to pursue matters with certain officials in Malaysia on who is to pay for the English course they have to attend to make any sense of their stint in Holland.

Either there was an oversight or it was just the rush to get the players there that various assumptions were made which obviously backfired. It is extremely strange why such trips were not carefully planned looking at various aspects from the players, club's and Malaysian points of views recognising strengths and weakness. Thereupon, what should be done to facilitate matters that works for the best interest of all parties. I think this was what that was missing and the net result is a state of confusion. Maybe because all was done based on personal friendship with the coach of the Dutch club, as he had played in the Malaysian Hockey League for a number of seasons. This "kawan-kawan" basis is good and helpful but it should not in anyway overlook the professional approach to such matters.

This is a lesson for NSC and MHF and i hope such oversights do not repeat. It does not provide a good image to the foreign club as they would think we have taken a "kacang putih" approach to such matters. Further we have unnecessarily stress this young players in a foreign land without equipping them properly. This "slip shot" approach may give the impression what Malaysian hockey is all about today. I hope not !!!!

It would also be interesting to see how the proposed Dutch coach for the national team is going to cope with our players. Would our boys be able to appreciate the "Dutch English" he is going to speak or would our local coaches spent most of their time acting as "interpreters". Maybe the various national teams should go for English classes to facilitate matters ie "belajar inggeris sambil main hockey untuk negara" Of course the much easier solution is for the Dutch coach to learn Bahasa, something MHF & NSC may want to consider. Lets not have an oversight here too.

The metamorphosis of the Razak Cup corresponds to the declining standard of Malaysian hockey.

2010-03-23T19:33:00.007+08:00

In life there are usually twists and turns. One day you are on top of the world and then one becomes just an ordinary person. Similarly the Razak Cup tournament in hockey seems to be suffering such a fate. Up to the late 70s the Razak Cup was the premier tournament in the country as most of the States had good leagues and very good school hockey programmes. At the same the late Tun Razak was President of MHF, while he was Deputy Prime Minister and then Prime Minister. After his demise and a few years later the tournament started to lose its glamour and therefore its glitter.

Part of the reason was the shift in emphasis to a national hockey league where corporate teams from the Banks, TNB and so forth became the order of the day in Malaysian hockey. Equally, in the States, transformation was taking place where State leagues and Development programmes were becoming "history" barring Kuala Lumpur Hockey Association, who seem to be very dynamic in their workings and are continuously sustaining their activities in hockey. Some states like Negri Sembilan Hockey Association (NSHA), Penang Hockey Association (PHA) and Perak Hockey Association are trying to keep their "heads above the water" and doing something in their States. Selangor Hockey Association (SHA) is endeavouring to revive its fortunes. The others seem to be doing more talking while some just remain in name.

The prevailing scenario is because people who are entrusted with the positions are there mainly for "self beneficial" reasons rather than for hockey itself. Such chameleon nature in people seems to adopt the motto of "minimum effort with maximum publicity", thereby achieving their own personal objectives.

Similarly, hockey in schools is slowly eroding over the years as the so called dedicated teachers and headmasters have aged and retired. This effectively means that the schools that were traditional " power houses" in hockey have also become history. Most of the new teachers get into hockey to collect the coaching certificates to earn the extra allowances. It is not about passion in hockey ie the love for creating talent at grassroots. Obviously there are a few who we can count by our fingers and they are the exceptions. When passion to create talent is missing, it effectively means that grassroot development suffers ie the grass cannot grow because the roots are not properly nourished.

The other major contributing factor is affordability and accessibility. The game was transformed the day hockey moved to artificial turf. Equipments and grounds have became costly items and families have to decide on priorities before they can commit to such expenditures. This took the toll on the numbers interested in hockey.

Notwithstanding all these the Government has been putting a lot of resources for sports and hockey is no exception. Today there are about 40 artificial turfs throughout the country although a lot suffer from poor maintenance thereby requiring regular replacement. Whatever it is the facilities exist, but not like the hundreds and thousands there are in the top hockey nations ie providing accessibility. Well ! rich countries do not have the sort of priorities that developing countries have to encounter with their resources. Still in hockey the Government has financed Development programmes, the Sports Schools and above all the costs related to the various national teams. Indeed the Government is in a "big" way encouraging hockey. This is good but the accountability of success on the monies spend is neither properly monitored nor questioned to the extent for hard decisions to be made. There is always a compromise for "political rightness" for popularity rather than the merits of the matter. This compromise only goes to reflect why we cannot become a top nation in sports.

Newton's 3rd Law of Physics states that "For every action there is an opposite reaction". With the Government's intervention what has happened is that the State Affiliates and MHF have become highly dependent on the Government. This has taken the pressure from the hockey officials thereby killing or "numbing" their voluntary and creative spirit. The net result is that the hockey officials have in general become "free ride passengers". Now that most of the things are done from the "centre", it leaves a major void in the hockey activities at the States.

This brings me back to the Razak Cup which is to commence tomorrow in Kuantan. Johor was to have been the host however circumstances necessitated the tournament to be shifted to Kuantan. Unlike last year the national players would be involved. More effort is being put by MHF including ensuring a minimum of 4 Under 21 players are in each team. Indeed most Affiliates are sending a team which itself reflects that some effort is being put in by the States. Unfortunately similar to last year some of the teams are using older players with ages of 35 years and over. Some of these players are coaches or have retired from competitive hockey. This reflects the pathetic state of affairs prevailing in their States where hockey is deteriorating. Sad because they have killed the opportunities for the young players and at the same time dragging the older players who have no reason to be there. It is this sort of thinking that adds to why Malaysian hockey is suffering and Razak Cup losing its glitter.

It is these sort of actions and thinking that kills the game especially when it comes from the States. These are the same people who constitute MHF and when they lack forward thinking, how can MHF and Malaysian hockey move forward? They seem to be caught in a "time warp" and have stagnated and therefore not progressed into the modern hockey era. Yet they determine the fate of Malaysian hockey. Why?

Simply because MHF does not have the courage to make the hard decisions which may not be popular yet good for Malaysian hockey. What is that hard decision? The organisations that contribute to hockey by employing the players, having teams in the MHL and some even doing development work are not part and parcel of the decision making in MHF. This is because they cannot become Affiliates and there is a lack of "will" in MHF to amend the constitution. Hockey has progressed yet in Malaysia we use the old structures to administer the game. Unfortunately the old structures are the ones who are doing nothing for the game or making decisions that are not in line with progress. This dichotomy and the absences of corporate and scientific people in the MHF structure shows Malaysia cannot become a world class nation in hockey. That is the truth and the sooner we realise this and do the needful changes. If not what we have made Razak Cup come to in the years that have gone by ie lose its glitter, would be the same fate of Malaysian hockey. Do we want that?

Asian Hockey Federation need to get tough on Pakistan and South Korea including considering banning them from Asian Games.

2010-03-19T18:39:00.004+08:00

I am sure Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) would have had their calendar for 2010 well in advance and accordingly informed the various national affiliates. Similarly, the teams participating for the 1st Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) in Ipoh from 13th to 18th April, would have agreed to their participation. Therefore at the 11th hour for Pakistan and South Korea to withdraw seems to be a diabolical decision. Pakistan's problem is their team, team management and selectors have resigned after their pathetic performance at the recent World Cup in New Delhi, while South Korea has not provided a reason. Although Pakistan scenario looks like a "force majeure" situation, it still does not provide Pakistan the excuse to withdraw. They had a good month from the World Cup for the ACT tournament and Pakistan Hockey could have done the needful. Obviously South Korea has no excuse why they cannot turn up as they were fully aware of the tournament.

It seems there was no careful thought process in Pakistan and South Korea on the decision and this may be due to the fact that the ACT tournament has no bearing on the world ranking or would provide a passage of entry for other prestigious tournaments like the Olympics, World Cup or Champions Trophy. This means both the countries can afford to be selfish without recognising the efforts put in by AHF to organise the tournament and other countries who are preparing for this tournament. I wonder what would both these countries have done if the ACT tournament had a significant bearing? One need not 2nd guess, they would have made all the necessary preparations to be at the tournament.

Essentially one has to wonder why AHF has the ACT tournament when it has no significant bearing. Maybe because the Europeans are doing it and the Asians have just decided to copy it. Alternatively it is just one of the tournaments organised by AHF to show how busy Asian hockey is. All these are great except when nations pull out at the 11th hour, it does not do good for Asian hockey or AHF itself.

This is where i believe AHF should have got some recognition or maybe concessions from FIH. Maybe the champions from ACT or its equivalent tournaments in Africa and other continents be given a direct entry to Champions Trophy. This essentially means that Champions Trophy is no more the top 6 ranked teams but rather a tournament representing the continental champions. This tournament essentially becomes representative of "one big happy family" of FIH. I am sure if this format is put into place for the Champions Trophy and ranking points are awarded, there would be very few "delinquent" countries trying to pull out at the last minute. All these points to the fact that AHF may not have the foresight or just that FIH may not be conducive to the idea.

I raise this point because the Champions Trophy in its current format means that 4 European, 1 Asian and 1 Oceanic country are represented. It would be a raw deal for the Europeans and FIH particularly with its European domination. They may not want to compromise. Further incorporating the continental champions may take away the glamour of the Champions Trophy ie tournament of the "top" nations in the world and the finances that come with it from television rights and sponsorship. Such realities need to be recognised and probably this is what dictates world hockey today.

Under these circumstances it is all about rich nations and more so "Caucasian" countries. Facts speak for itself. In the Champions Trophy it is 6 out of 6 as rich and 5 out of 6 "Caucasian", whereas at the recent World Cup 4 out of 4 on both fronts in the semi-finals. I have no doubt all of these has been on a meritorious basis except that it builds a " have and have not gap" in hockey among the rich and developing plus poorer nations. If nothing is done, then the "gap" is going to widen in the future and as i have warned in my previous article: Hockey World Cup - "Domination by the richer nations" in this blog on Monday 15th March, hockey shall only be played and enjoyed by the rich nations.

Lets get back to the ACT tournament and the dilemma that South Korea and Pakistan has posed to AHF. I do hope AHF does not cave in and postpone the tournament to a date convenient to these 2 countries. If they do they set a precedent that is going to come to haunt them in the future or they are admitting to the poor planning of their calendar ie ACT to be held just after the World Cup. If the ACT had a significant bearing i am sure whatever the situation both the countries would have come. This therefore means that the ACT tournament has been undervalued and therefore it is imperative that AHF takes punitive measures including barring these countries from participating in the coming Asian Games. After all the champions of Asian Games have a direct entry to the 2012 London Olympics and in no uncertain terms this would make both these countries not to undermine any AHF tournaments.

More importantly does the AHF have the "stomach" to take such harsh measures? Maybe for "political correctness" such thinking may be outside the thoughts of AHF. This may be the reason why Asian hockey is not making an impact on the world stage.

Hockey World Cup - "Domination by the richer nations".

2010-03-15T16:45:00.008+08:00

Is hockey a game that is beyond the reach of an average Malaysian to play? Maybe i should extend the question on a worldwide basis. I ask this question because the cost of equipping a hockey player in Malaysia would be around RM700 at the minimum. This is to cover a reasonably good composite stick, a pair of turf shoes, socks, shin guards and a mouth guard. If you include a goalkeeper's attire it is probably more than RM1000. Note that these are only the basics.

Hockey grounds are specialised astroturf pitches and, to hire the pitch, it would cost around RM100 to RM120 per session of one and the half hours. Schools usually do get a discount of 50%. This is the revenue expense but on the capital aspect to built an international hockey site itself would cost around RM 10m to RM15m, depending on the facilities and land cost. This site has to be maintained and that would take a huge chunk of the revenue expenditure. The pitch would need replacement at an average of once every 4 years and this would range around RM800,000 to RM1.2m per pitch. The other replacement cost would be the "flood lights", which is a significant cost factor. Such capital expenditures are usually borne by local authorities.

These expenditures call into question the affordability of playing hockey. Affordability then begs a more imminent question of accessibility to the game by an average person. This is vital for developing and poorer countries, as both the country and the people have to weigh their priorities before incurring such expenditures. Is hockey such a priority that the expenditure is deemed necessary? There may be alternative and cheaper means of indulging into sporting activities that provide greater accessibility to a larger portion of its population eg football. These are inevitable questions that would be asked.

Such lines of thought would always be there in view of the experiences the older generation had with grass hockey. Grass was everywhere and hockey was not played in specialised fields. It was a much cheaper exercise and accessibility was never an issue. This is not a debate between grass and astroturf grounds, rather it is about the economics vis-a-vis an average person's dilemma in developing and poorer countries. Despite being known as a national game in the Indian sub-continent, the numbers attracted to hockey are steadily declining and this must be worrying the people administering world hockey. This phenomenon is also common in other developing and poorer nations as hockey does not provide an avenue for people to get out of the poverty bondage that is offered by football or cricket.

This takes me to the just completed Hockey World Cup at New Delhi, India. I have tabulated below the World Cup positions and the appropriate countries' per capita income and purchasing power parity (PPP) with their respective rankings.

Per capita income literally means how much each individual receives in monetary terms of the yearly income generated in the country. It does not take into account distribution of the wealth in the country and therefore it is only a rough guide to the wealth of the nation. The figures stated are on a nominal basis. Puchasing Power Parity (PPP) is based on the law of "one price" through exchange rate equilibrium, where it equalizes the purchasing power of different currencies for a given basket of goods. Essentially it provides a comparison of living standards in countries. Both these indices provide a sufficient indicator for a country's economic position.

What the Table provides is that developing countries like Argentina, India, South Africa and Pakistan only represent 33.3% of the qualifiers for the World Cup. If you take out the host India, as they automatically qualified, developing countries only constitute 25% of the total. Effectively what it means is that 66.6% of the countries who were at New Delhi are developed countries and each having their PPP exceeding US$20,000.

What is even more glaring is that the top 5 nations in the World Cup have PPPs exceeding US$30,000. Is this a mere coincidence or is it a representation that wealth is the key ingredient to be a highly ranked hockey nation? Although Canada with a PPP of US$38,400 is only placed 10th at the World Cup, the point being that a non-traditional hockey nation has qualified reflecting what wealth has done for the game in the country. Traditional hockey power nations like India and Pakistan whose PPP are around the US$3,000 region are struggling in modern times. Indeed Pakistan created an unprecedented history by coming last in the World Cup.

It would seem success in modern hockey seems to have a direct relationship to the wealth of a nation and its people. This in a way brings out the salient issue that hockey is an expensive game and affordability, which is a pre-requisite for accessibility, is a key indicator whether or not a nation is successful in the game.

If we push the clock 35 years back, India and Pakistan were the "masters" of the game. The game was played on grass and accessibility plus affordability were non issues. The moment hockey became an expensive game, the old "kingpins" slowly started to fall out of grace and the game itself suffered in popularity. Indeed Malaysia too has taken a "beating" and the game is not as popular as it used to be.

Traditional hockey was skillful in approach, taking account of the uneven nature of the ground. Modern hockey is flat with explosive runs built on what the player's anatomy can offer. The game itself seems to give much weight to penalty corners as they can become the significant determining factor in winning or losing.

In essence modern hockey brings together the various sciences from bio-medicine, sports science, bio-mechanics, psychology, nutrition science, physical education, massage therapy,information technology and so forth, which captures the best in a player for the optimum performance of the team. These are complex matters that require the necessary expertise and laboratories to undertake the necessary work such that the appropriate database is created to be used on a "real time" basis during the game. This is to provide the right information to timely take the necessary actions to give the team that extra edge in the game. This means that today's coach must be an extraordinary person who should know how to manage all these elements and utilise it properly in a manner that is beneficial to the team. In short a coach has to be educated on such salient issues and have the experience to manage them.

All these have costs elements and the question is whether developing and poorer countries would want to invest on such matters when there are other greater priorities for these countries. In some of these countries sports is an avenue for people to get out of the poverty chain and therefore sports that provide such opportunities become more attractive. This in a way explains why football has taken such a strong presence in Africa, Middle East and South America, while cricket seems to show its face in the Indian sub- continent. In all these where does hockey stand?

Maybe this is where the past and present leadership in world hockey ie International Hockey Federation (FIH) must take the responsibility of lacking the foresight when making changes, thereby permitting the domination of hockey by the richer nations and allowing an "ugly face" to surface in the decline of the game with the developing and poorer nations. In a nutshell the question of affordability and accessibility would hinder hockey from becoming a popular game in regions where the world population is significant in numbers. If FIH does not understand the simple rule of numbers and the concept of investing today for tomorrow, they might as well accept the reality that hockey in the future shall only be played by the rich nations and enjoyed by them. Today's domination of hockey by rich nations seems to be the trend setting for the future.

Malaysian Cricket Association's Deputy President resigns

2010-03-09T19:58:00.003+08:00

I received this anonymous comment on the resignation of the Malaysian Cricket Association's Deputy President. It had caught many "cricket watchers" by surprise and apparently this is an "appetiser" to a "main dish" that is in the making. There is a lot of buzz and it would be wrong to speculate except that the common "thread" to the story is the need for fresh elections.

The story is "juicy" enough but not sufficient to provide a satisfying "thirst quenching" article. Time would help in filling the "jug" with the necessay contents and i think it is best to give it the period for the story to develop.

Below is the full text in blue print of the unedited version of the comment:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post ""Wanted" - Coach for Malaysian cricket":

MCA deputy president quits

Thank God. Its real Merdeka for Malaysian Cricket. We thought we need to wait for a year more. There is few more have to resign, we waiting for tat day.

MALAYSIAN Cricket Association (MCA) deputy president Datuk Dr Amarjit Singh has tendered his resignation, a move seen as a sign that all is not well in the national sports body.Dr Amarjit said his letter of resignation was sent to the MCA headquarters in Kuala Lumpur yesterday and that he had stated time constraint as the reason for his decision to quit.

"There is no need to say anything more nor do I want to hurt anybody. I have come to a decision to resign and that's it," said Dr Amarjit.

His resignation has come at a time when the MCA has yet to fill the post of two vice-presidents, left vacant by Mahindra Vallipuran who resigned about six months ago, and Affendi Fuad Stephens, who passed away early last year.

"But I hope the president (Tunku Imran Tunku Ja'afar) will take a serious look at the situation and fill up the vacancies, including that of ordinary member Gopal Sreenavasan, who has also resigned.

"If not, it is only fair that a re-election be called soon," added Dr Amarjit, who was also the chairman of the MCA development committee. -

Studies or Sports or a combination of both - Is there a need to re-examine the fundamentals of the Sports Schools?

2010-03-08T16:43:00.006+08:00

It is the dream of every parent that their child must do well in his or her educational pursuit. Even if the child is climbing in heights in the field of sports, most parents still want their child to have a minimum in educational achievement to help them through the rigour of challenges in life . Essentially there is a need for some balancing act between studies and sports giving both a chance to succeed by being weighted in approach wherever necessary.

I think it is with this wisdom that the Sports Schools were set up and if we look at Bukit Jalil Sports School's (BJSS) "Mission Statement", it provides a self explanatory outlook.

"MENYEDIAKAN PENDIDIKAN DAN LATIHAN SUKAN UNTUK MELAHIRKAN ATLET PELAJAR BERTARAF DUNIA".

Literal translation: "Prepare education and sports training for the birth of athletic students of world standard".

If we take this a step further and look at BJSS's "Vision Statement":

" SSBJ PENJANA ATLET BERTARAF DUNIA".

Literal translation: "SSBJ produces athlete of world standard"

Now we get to the "Objectives" of SJSS, one of which is:

"Memberi peluang kapada pelajar di Malaysia cemerlang dalam bidang sukan dan akademik".

Literal translation: "Provide opportunities for students in Malaysia who are excellent in the field of sports and education".

On paper we cannot dispute what has been enshrined for the existence of the Sports Schools. Very novel and noble ie to combine education and sports, thereby giving our students the opportunities to become world class sportspersons. The key point here is to develop world class sportspersons not world class academics. Having stated that, it does not in any way devalue the aspect of education in sports school. After all it is still a school with the national curriculum.

It is because of this that the classroom timetable is arranged in such a way that:

Monday, Tuesday & Thursday - 9.30am to 2.40pm & 8.30 to 9.50pm
Wednesday - 7.30am to 1.30pm & 8.30 to 9.50pm
Friday - 9.30am to 12.10pm

thereby giving the students the time for sports training in the mornings and evenings. This also allows the National Sports Associations (NSAs) to arrange their training programmes accordingly.

Again on paper, all these are well documented and in essence there should not be any problems. Things should move in a "clock work" manner based on the outlined principles. The only area that needs attention by the various NSAs and other related parties is to adopt to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) of the Sports Schools, when they need the students for national training.

This aspect is fundamental for the Administrators of the Sports Schools as they are the "guardians" of the students. The parents have entrusted the administrators and left their children in their care. Therefore there must be SOPs in the Sports Schools to get students to attend national training. NSAs must be aware of such SOPs and strictly adhere to them.

This brings me to the topic of the recent misunderstanding between the Sports Schools and the Project 2013 national hockey team under the "Pelapis Programme"of the Ministry of Youth & Sports (KBS) undertaken by the National Sports Council (NSC). My blog article titled "Is the Sports Schools right in recalling the players?" dated Thursday, 25th February, outlines in brief some of the pertinent matters.

Since then there has been a debate including some questioning the existence of the Sports Schools. Some think that it is no different from any ordinary school so why should students be in such schools. This argument stems from the fact that the Sports Schools recalled the Project 2013 players from national training. In fact there have been "slip ups" on the side of NSC on getting the paperwork promptly and timely to the Sports Schools. The point being the training commenced even without getting proper clearance for the Sports Schools players. The initial "knee jerk" reaction by Sports Schools to recall the players seems a justifiable action.

If the matter had ended there and the various paperwork was cleared in the worst case in 2 or 3 days, then there would not be a follow up article by me. The matter got "out of hand" when stories emerged from various quarters indicating that the players withdrew because of SPM classes. If that is right, the reason itself challenges the very existence of Sports Schools. All the novel and noble ideas laid down by the founding fathers of Sports Schools including its structures and schedules has been undermined by such a reason.

It is the re-arrangement of timetables and having the teachers with the students to assist the students and care for them, that would provide the students and their parents the trust that Sports Schools are providing that balance in education and sports. If you take away sports and just concentrate on studies, Sports Schools would not live up to its Mission, Vision and Objectives. Rightfully, it might as well be an ordinary school.

There is no need to re-examine the Sports Schools as the enshrined "Statements" are absolutely clear. In this instances ie relating to the Project 2013 hockey team, my opinion is that it is an issue of differences that could have been solved easily if parties "did not hold on to their guns", in trying to display each others strength. Strangely, people have been advocating various equations including that the Sports Schools should come under the NSC. All these are "day dreaming" mental exercises of "empire building", which would only go to destroy the good work of the past and present people. As it is, all the parties involved are supposed to work for the betterment of sports but this saga goes to show that sports was the ultimate loser and in this case it was hockey. The point i am making is that if we follow the policies that have been laid down and adopt the SOPs, i think life would be simpler and we all can concentrate on developing world class sportspersons, not world class "trouble makers". This is what we are all here for.

Malaysian hockey must quickly adopt and enforce the changes and developments in modern hockey.

2010-03-04T16:15:00.004+08:00

Hockey of yesteryear and hockey of today provide the reflection of the dynamic processes that have taken place in the game. Other than having 11 players in each side, what constitute a goal and the way scores are tallied, everything else has changed ie the rules, the ground, equipments and even the style of play. It is now a very clinical and tactical affair, bringing together various sciences including information technology and some on a real time basis. The idea is to give the teams that extra "edge" in their performances which itself could determine the winners or losers.

Modern hockey is "explosive" enough providing sufficient "eye brow" raising instances where the elements of risk can change it from injury prone to sheer excitement by the seconds. It is this sudden rush of "hot blood" in the human anatomy, driven by the increase in adrenalin, that provides the pulsating fascination to the game. The split second changes undertaken by the delicate thinking of the players' at one end of the field to the other end combined with the movement of the wrists which provides the force to the hockey sticks to do their work is capturing "science" by using "artistic talents" in the execution of the game. It is this spontaneous blending that makes hockey thrilling enough to get people glued to the game.

The transformation of hockey has gone through some radical changes and what we refer to as "modern hockey" today in essence brings 2 fundamental issues to the forefront and they are:

Margin of error by players and officials that could determine the fate of a game.

Safety of players during the game that otherwise provides a negative image of the game.

Over the years the administrators of world hockey, FIH, has come to terms with these issues and have addressed them by taking mitigating measures to minimise or eliminate the impact of such matters. A lot has been implemented in various FIH tournaments and today at the World Cup in New Delhi they are working in full view of the world audience.

Translating what is taking place, we have to ask ourselves if Malaysian hockey is keeping abreast with it. If MHF wants Malaysian hockey to benefit from these measures than the various MHF Committees should be taking the appropriate decisions and pursuing the implementation of them. Unfortunately at the latest Malaysian Hockey League (MHL), the Competition Committee and maybe even the Medical Committee plus the Umpires Board seem to have overlooked implementing some of these measures or they are just too new for offcials here to comprehend. Maybe the National Junior League that is going to commence soon may provide an ideal tournament. Question is whether we will or we just choose to lag behind and wait until we have no option or when a catastrophe occurs.

The areas we should be looking at are

Margin of error .

The "Video Referral" system currently being undertaken at World Cup at New Delhi, helps to eliminate the controversies that could arise around the circle dotted line just outside the "D" to the goalmouth. It provides every team one right of referral on a "real time" basis at the field. If they succeed, the right of appeal still prevails until they fail in an appeal. Thereafter they lose that right of video referral. This scheme cuts off any unnecessary appeals and at the same time the team must be aware that they are sure of their appeal. This video referral also helps to get rid of the "tantrums" of players when umpires give penalty corners. The video referral and the green card has helped to minimise players' protesting.

The intercom system between the 2 umpires, the 3rd umpire and the video umpire. This system helps the umpires to manage the game properly, as every one of them is in touch with one another, particularly the 2 officiating the game. This minimises errors by the umpires.

Safety.

Mouth Guards - It would seem most or all the players at the World Cup are using "mouth guards" as a safety precaution. Somehow this habit has not caught on in Malaysia and the officials have not considered imposing it. Maybe here we are waiting for something nasty to happen before it is considered.

Protection face masks and hand gloves - These have become standard accessories with most teams facing penalty corners. Again in our country it is not frequently used by the teams. The risk to injury in a penalty corner is so great, we seem to be taking matters very lightly.

At the last MHL we could see players throwing "tantrums" at the umpires, partly due to the sub-standard of umpiring while in other cases senior players were trying to bully the umpires. If we had applied the measures introduced by FIH at the World Cup, these nonsensical actions would have been minimised.

While todate there have not been serious casualties in hockey, Malaysians are not taught or trained to adopt safety measures. There may come a day where we may regret when a nasty accident takes place in the field. What is sad is we do not take the trouble to encourage people to wear "mouth guards" or protection masks and gloves. We are too "care free" with such matters and it is now critical that MHF finds ways of enforcing it, so hockey can be played safely.

This is where the various MHF Committees must be on top of the situation. They must do their homework and work for the betterment of the game. Unfortunately, what we have is official fighting over seating arrangements or not having a Committee to study such issues or trying to influence players to play for their club or just doing things that are repetitive in nature year after year. The point being there is no genuine passion in commitment to uplift Malaysian hockey. It seems only the TM and his paid staff have the genuineness to do something for Malaysian hockey. Sad but that is the truth.

70th Birthday of an iconic Malaysian hockey legend.

2010-03-02T15:30:00.007+08:00

Once in 4 years, the world is entertained to the fascination of sporting events such as the Olympics, the World Cup for various sports, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and so forth. While the spectators and participants are thrilled by the achievements or behest with disappointments, the events are an embodiment of careful planning, hard work, discipline, determination and perfection of the human anatomy to its best, in order to seek the ultimate glory.

Many are just happy they have made it there, others push their bodies to humanly generate that extra "hormones" in their system to fathom the best in them such that it is the "best of best". It is this competitive spirit and nature that makes the difference between "champions" and the rest.

This brings me to the topic of people born on 28th February. They too go through the "rigmarole" of having to celebrate their birthday once every 4 years. Maybe like the Olympics or the World Cups, they too represent a rare breed of personalities who embody certain principles which specially illuminates them in their profession, vocation or sports. Maybe i am generalising but at least i know of one such person who till today "stands above others or with his peers" by going through the journey of being the best and above all he is still subscribing to it as he celebrated his 70th birthday.

This person is 4th of 11 siblings in the A T Rajaratnam family. Born in Sungkai, educated at Government English School (GES), Tapah, he has come a long way from where he was to what he has gone through to what he is today ie the fulfillment of a destiny. This person is no other than Datuk R Yogeswaran, who celebrated his 70th birthday at a very "fitting" place, the Olympic Hotel at Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) Building, surrounded by the sporting heritage structures like the Merdeka Stadium and Stadium Negara. These iconic structures and the cross-section of friends who were there gave the function a colourful spectrum to reminisce the past by sharing the comradeship that has held them together till today. It is 1Malaysia at its best.

Today, Yoges as he is known to many is a complete sports personality. He has journeyed through as a player, captain, coach, manager, coaching chairman while being a teacher and thereafter as a national sports administrator. The gigantic 1st step in his journey was not in hockey but rather in football. In 1957 just as the Merdeka Stadium was hastily completed in record time for Merdeka celebration, GES Tapah were playing Sultan Sulaiman Kota Baru in the Malayan Champion Schools football final there. The star of the game was Yoges as he netted the solitary goal that gave GES Tapah the victory. At a historical site on an historical year Yoges started to "pen" his mark into the Malaysian sporting history.

Yoges was a multi-talented sportsman. As a sprinter, it helped him "waltz" his way through as one of Malaysia's natural left wingers in hockey, while the short burst runs gave him a distinct advantage in football and finally cricket rounded him to be a true gentleman. Such was his grace in the sporting world, he easily found a place at Malayan Teachers College (MTC) especially after his scintillating performance and scoring against South Korea in 1959 at the Merdeka Stadium. It is at MTC that he teamed up with another of hockey's iconic legendary sons, the late Datuk Ho Koh Chye. They commenced their "bonding" that made them "spiritual brothers" as the years went on. Both together represented Malaysia at 2 Asian Games and 2 Olympics and each created history as they went along. Koh Chye for heading the hockey ball with his bare head to save a goal against India while Yoges despite his hamstring problem played against India and scored the winning goal. The mighty India was humbled for the 1st time by Malaysia at a Test match in Malacca. It was history in the making.

When Yoges decided to retire as a player he had served Malaysian hockey for a good 10 years. As he left one aspect of hockey he started another and this time as a coach. He received his training as a hockey coach in the UK. Yet again he teamed up with his "spiritual brother" Koh Chye as his Assistant for the 1975 KL World Cup. History was again in the making as Malaysia came 4th in the tournament and that position still awaits being emulated for the last 35 years. Yoges then became coach of the National Juniors and in Paris at the 1979 Junior World Cup Malaysia came 4th. Yet another feather in Yoges hat.

Every good thing has to come to an end, so Yoges also moved on from coaching and this time it was about team management. In 1998, Yoges became team manager of the national team for the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games. For the 1st time Malaysia made it to the final of the Commonwealth Games and won a silver. Another bit of history was written. He continued as team manager for the 2000 Olympics where Malaysia were just a few minutes away from the semi-final when we were let down in the dying moments of the game. With the 2002 KL World Cup, Yoges also gracefully retired as team manager probably recognising that there was not much more he could bring to hockey.

Hockey is Yoges's obsession. It is part of his DNA, and more so as his buddy and "spiritual brother" Koh Chye was in the same boat. Both have families who tolerated their husbands' or fathers' love for the game. That sort of family understanding provided that greater commitment of what they brought to Malaysian hockey. Above all, it is not what they did or did not do rather it is their thinking and their interaction with people from all walks of life that made the difference. It is this fine "art" that is in the possession of Yoges that wins him his friends and make his enemies (if any) dread him.

With the demise of his "spiritual brother" in December 2008, Yoges seems to have taken a "back seat" on the active mode of hockey. He probably thinks with time the younger generation must find their way into hockey administration and do things the way they feel is right. He does not believe that the "old ways" is the only way forward and thinks everything must be given its own weight in merits. Since he has spent a good 35 years in administration of hockey over and above the 10 years as player, it is time Datuk R Yogeswaran becomes the "elder statesman" of Malaysian hockey. Indeed Datuk Yoges must not be seen purely as a role model but rather as a metaphor for aspiring Malaysian hockey players, coaches and managers in their journey to succeed in world hockey.

"Many Happy Returns on your 70th Birthday, Datuk R Yogeswaran."

Is the Sport Schools right in recalling the hockey players?

2010-02-25T18:31:00.007+08:00

Below is an anonymous comment i had received for another article which had no relevance to that topic. However the content of the comment seems to take on the Sport Schools and has forthrightly questioned the schools' Administrators on whether they are following the objective of why the sport schools exist.

This seems to be part of a continuous clash between the Administrators of Sport Schools and Malaysian hockey administration. From the onset it has to be recognised that Malaysian hockey administration in this context means National Sports Council (NSC) ie the "Pelapis Programme", Team Management of Project 2013 hockey team and certain Malaysian Hockey League (MHL) teams.

The first clash took place when a certain MHL team wanted Sport Schools players to play for their team in the MHL tournament. Strangely, the answer that came was a "NO", inclusive of those who had finished their SPM. The reason was that the Sport School was having a tour to Sabah and these players were involved. This was a reasoning that could not hold any rationale, as the boys who finished their SPM were technically not in the Sport School. The school should be taking the players still with the school for such a tour. Still it was the reason and something certain coaches found difficult to swallow.

The misunderstanding did not stop there. Now the Project 2013 team has players from both the Sport Schools and they had began training last Sunday. Suddenly the players were recalled and not given permission to continue training. The players had indicated that the school Administrators were keen that the boys plan for their SPM studies and that was the reason for the recall.

Below is the text of the comment and in "bold green" is the issue pertaining to the misunderstanding per the anonymous writer. Question is whether that is the "whole truth" of the story or is there more to it. Continue reading.

"IS BJSS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Since the end of MHL, Malaysian hockey lovers was praising the MHF committee for their wonderous magnificent job done.

And everyone is also looking forward to our Malaysian Senior Team under the leadership of Stephen van Huizen and Beng Hai and Junior team (Project 2013) under the leadership of Dharma in action in the Quadrangular games at the Tun Razak Stadium March 4-7 2010.

All is going on fine with the senior team but what about the Junior Team. 34 names were listed in the first phase selection together with BJSS and BPSS boys of which some are still in form five this year. BJSS unlike other schools has again refrained their boys from attending the Malaysian Junior hockey team training. Previously, BJSS have also refrained these boys from participation in the MHL league in which BPSS and Setapak boys participated. These boys were informed to tell the Junior World Cup Coach that they are withdrawing themselves from the Junior team to concentrate on their studies and exam this year. The School have not realised that day by day they are killing the instinct of these boys who have come from various parts of the country at a very young age leaving their parents, brothers, sisters and all in the family to physically and mentally prepare and play for the country. Its not paying off.

Education Minister cum Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyddin Yassin and Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek said today that they are ready to revamp and support school's sports programme. He said that sports lies in the effective implementation of the programme at school grassroot levels to churn out world beaters and it is compulsory for every school for bigger collaboration in revamping the school sports system. Tan Sri also said that in Malaysia, teachers spent extra time giving tuition but in other countries, they are on the field.

In htpp://www.bjss.edu.my/, Mrs Ching Leng Sim, the principal said that the school is committed to producing outstanding sportsmen and women making BJSS vision statement "BJSS Generates World Class Athletics" a reality. She also said the academic scheduling is flexible so that it is conducive to the training and competition needs of the students. Contra to her statement, the school has arranged tight timetable with additional classes in the morning, evening and night apart from their normal classes all day to prevent students from attending the national training.

The basic fundamental objective of having a national sports school is to prepare and deliver young promising sportsmen and women for the country. The earlier they represent the country, the better they will perform in years to come as they will have enough international exposure and strength to outbeat the opponents

BJSS and BPSS has been undisputed producing finest junior athletics in the past but the path has been seen fading as they are heading the students in the wrong direction. Mrs Chin says in her website that BJSS is providing excellent education to prepare aspiring for a life after sports. This clearly shows she has lost the national sports schools identity and her credibility to lead the sports school to the highest level. She has lost the core values of a National Sports School and is not in line with the nation's interest, country's goal and ambition. Sports governing bodies like MSN, JPJS and KBS to look into this matter very very seriously and immediately. " (End of comment)

However, according to sources from the Sport Schools, their version of the story is different. They themselves are shocked as to all the fuss. The story that emerges from there seem to indicate that someone is attempting to "bulldoze" his way to get things done without following the procedures which safeguard the best interest of the players ie both as sportspersons and students.

Apparently the following points must be considered before apportioning blame:

The Project 2013 team training commenced on Sunday ie 21st February.

The letter with training schedule from NSC was dated Friday 19th February and only sent out on Monday 22nd February.

This did not give the Sport Schools the time to organise themselves as the training had commenced without their knowledge ie to reschedule lessons for players with the necessary teachers and hopefully to fit into the Project 2013 training programme would not be an easy task.

After all the Sport School has to look into the students' best interests ie sports and studies, which is not an easy responsibility.

This therefore begs the question whether NSC and the Project 2013 Team Management did it the right way. Perhaps what they are facing is the consequences of not getting things done in an organised and proper fashion. To start training without going through the process and procedure in a timely manner with parties that are the core element in the chain ie Sport Schools, is definitely a breach of basic rules of management.

If this information is factual then i think the Sport School cannot be blamed for recalling the players. The Sport Schools have an onerous task and they have to carry it out carefully. In this instance, what they did was right in the best interest of the students. In the short term what the Sport School did may have disrupted training but what they have done is to ensure that policies of the Sport Schools are followed and safeguarded, something the Schools Administrators must be praised for.

All these could have been avoided if NSC and Project 2013 Team Management had sat and talked to Sport Schools in advance so that they could get their act together and plan accordingly. The attitude of "bulldozing" and thereafter starting a "finger pointing" exercise would only create more "wounds" and problems for the future. Finally the people who are supposed to see hockey flourish may in fact be unintentionally destroying it.

Part 1 - Surprising ! MHF is still undertaking its tasks despite the "shortcomings" of majority of its elected officials.

2010-02-23T16:02:00.010+08:00

It is people that matters in an organisation. One may have the best of intentions and the resources but if you do not have the right people working cohesively as a team, nothing can be done properly. Even what is done would take greater pain and effort if only a few have to bear the burden of what would otherwise be done by many. This is why from the onset a team must be put together and elected, so the team knows it is the joint and several responsibility of each and everyone to make things work.

This now brings me to MHF. About 17 months ago there was a furor of who should lead MHF. There was utter disappointment with the previous regime and there were cries for change. Somehow, depending which version one subscribes to, the TM signified his intention to become President of MHF. Obviously, everyone knew he would not be challenged and it was the BGM who would endorse him as the President. As the TM, and being regal in nature, he was already fully cognizant of the prevailing politics in the election process and he kept his distance. The net result was a "hodge-podge" of people elected, each carrying his own "baggage" which has "weighed" down MHF.

Effectively 10 people were to be elected from President to Treasurer, of which 2 of the Vice Presidents (VPs) were to be from the states of Sabah and Sarawak. The TM as promised has kept to his word and moved MHF accordingly. Some believe he may be slow while most think that under the circumstances MHF was at, and is, the TM has done extremely well. Beyond this the 2 VPs, one heading the Finance Committee and the other the Competitions Committee, seem to have undertaken their tasks satisfactorily. On the balance of the 7 personalities, the underlying view points may summarise the predicament prevailing in MHF:

Deputy President - A person who can work hard and run around physically to get things done. More often his unwarranted comments or actions draw publicity plus controversy which tend to give the impression of the lack of material in him to hold the post. Yet he is courageous and had the guts to take on the incumbent Deputy President and win the election.Unfortunately he is easily swayed on matters without weighing the merits or demerits of the issues.

VP as Head of Medical Committee - Longest serving VP, however lately has been embroiled on an issue pertaining to seating arrangements at the MHL final. Prior to which he was rumoured to have made unsavory remarks on a coach who had served the nation as a player with the most number of "caps". Indeed his Medical Committee's existence and role has also come into question. The bigger picture of him not doing anything for MHF has become a talking point.

VP for Special Projects - Nothing "special" has taken place with him as a newcomer to MHF. Apparently he handled his task as an assistant manager of the national team at the World Cup qualifier fairly well. Unfortunately his advise to various Committee Chairmen on the "prerogative rights" of the Chair has permitted some people to take it on a "literal interpretation" and do what they want. This confusion has created a far share of MHF's confusion.

2 VPs - They are in the post by virtue of the constitution which requires Sabah and Sarawak respectively to hold the positions. Sadly, to date there has not been any contribution from them.

Secretary - A person who has learnt the fine art of survival in MHF. Friends to all and as such he has no discretion on information flow. He has been in the post for the last 2 terms and by "hook or by crook" he tries to get things done, though not necessarily properly. Even if it is not done he is not perturbed by it. It is in confusion he thrives as nobody becomes aware of his shortcomings. He enjoys the "trimmings" that come with the post ie allowance and a car. He seems much relieved with the coming of the new General Manager.

Treasurer - A person who is more caught with the politics of "power play" as he is the "eyes and ears" of vested interest groups. This was apparent at the latest Coaching Committee meeting. His understanding of finance and accounts is questionable including some of his actions. Maybe the presence of an Assistant Treasurer by appointment was a wise move by the TM.

Notwithstanding what is outlined above the main functions of MHF are still going on. This is where the TM has moved smartly by appointing the right person as the General Manager and setting him the direction to achieve the desired objectives. Indeed the GM's modus operandi has brought a professional transformation to the manning of the Secretariat. At least things are moving in an organised predictable manner. The overwhelming success of the MHL, from a re-engineered event of carnivals at various major towns coupled with live telecasts to a grand finale for the final, is a testimony that MHF is functioning.

This is a credit to the paid staff of MHF for holding the "fort". Critics would argue that they are paid to do their duties. Yes ! except that it is done with passion and in an accountable manner. Much cannot be said about the elected officials because they can argue that they are volunteers. They may have an argument but they must also understand that they had agreed to be elected and, as such, they have been "entrusted" to the posts. Therefore they have a "duty of care" to perform to the standard of a reasonable person holding that position. This they cannot run away from and they must know that they are in breach of the "trust" bestowed to them when they were elected.

Can you imagine if only the elected officials worked as a team and properly understood the TM's Vision of what he wants to achieve for Malaysian hockey. In the last 17 months we would have taken Malaysian hockey to greater heights. This is where the TM has to review his policy of non interference and ensure he has the right team ie the right person for the right position sharing his Vision, to bring Malaysia into the forefront of World hockey.

The "antics" of a long serving MHF Vice President.

2010-02-19T18:48:00.010+08:00

On 12th February at the Tun Razak Stadium, the final of a well organised Malaysian Hockey League (MHL) event was undertaken meticulously to get the crowd to come back to support hockey. Many milestones were created in the MHL this year and the ultimate manifestation was the attendance at the terraces ie. nearly 5000 people. Something that was not seen for main years in Malaysian hockey.

While the people concerned were out making the sponsors and related parties welcome to the finals, trouble was brewing at a certain corner of the grandstand by an MHF official. He seemed disgusted that the sponsors were given the front row of the VIP seats with the TM, while he was to be seated at a row back. This arrangement was not to his satisfaction and probably "huffing and puffing" he left the stadium. While the MHL season's grand finale was going on, he was sighted at the Royal Selangor Club. This person is no other than the long serving MHF Vice President (VP), who is supposedly to head MHF's Medical Committee.

Why the fuss? Just because he is the VP, he must get the limelight? Mind you there were people there who had contributed significantly as sponsors to ensure that the MHL succeeds and surely they have "better and greater" rights for the event. If any, this VP should be asked what he has done for Malaysian hockey in his long serving period with MHF. Oh yes! maybe being vocal only!

If we track this VP's records, that in itself may speak for him. In the previous MHF's administration, he managed to be with the winning team but as time went on he "fell off' with the "powers" who were controlling MHF then. He was relieved from the key portfolio of Development Committee and given the mundane responsibility of Competitions Committee. In a way that worked to his benefit for it gave him the opportunity to think about taking on the Deputy President's post at the last MHF elections. Fortunately his relationship with a particular personality in Asian Hockey Federation (AFC) paved the way for a "peace talk" whereby he was instructed to remain as VP. The reason was not to split the votes for Deputy President and allow the incumbent to win. Obediently he followed suit but he still has not forgiven the person who went on to win the election for the Deputy President's post.

This view stems from the fact that in the latest round of "fiascoes" relating to the Coaching Committees "politicking" on the appointment of coaches, he took side with people in the Coaching Committee including those he had "fallen off" with in the previous administration. Sadly, it is not the decision he made that is being questioned rather it is the unsavoury remarks which constituted the reason against of one Malaysia's greatest hockey sons who had loyally served the nation for 15 years. The person concerned was the most capped national player and his record still illuminates brightly awaiting to be surpassed for the last 10 years. This is a person who with his employer TNB is undertaking nationwide the "Thunderbolt" Development programme for kids. In the heights of audacity, the Coaching Committee supported by this VP with his cynical view decided to drop this former hockey international from the national coaching list for the most absurd of reasons. It probably shows that the VP is a staunch "Machiavellian" ie. "the end justifies the means".

Such an outlook may be because this year is election year for MHF and there are rumours that the VP may still want to fulfill his original intention of becoming the Deputy President. I think that is perfectly right for people to aspire but the "means" is what becomes questionable. Apparently , throwing support to the Coaching Committee, the VP may have mended "fences" with his old foes and strengthened with some Affiliates to get the votes. The point being the VP has found the "common enemies" of the present Deputy President and hopefully with their support he may still achieve his dream. In the process knowingly or unknowingly one of Malaysia's hockey sons had his reputation hurt. Is that fair ?

The story does not end here as the VP has made his way to become one of the two team managers of the senior national team. Mind you, he was not nominated rather he volunteered for the position when a recommended candidate refused the nomination. Shocking to many was when he explained that it was always his wish to be a team manager and as such nobody protested. As an afterthought, there is a view how is he going to undertake this new task? To date, he has done nothing as Chairman of MHF's Medical Committee. There is even a suspicion whether he has a Committee. So why volunteer for the position?

The gossip that emerges seems to make reference to 2 tournaments where he wants to be seen to be leading the national team as manager. The 1st one is Sultan Azlan Shah Trophy, where he hopes to make an impact with His Highness Sultan of Perak and the other at his "ancestral" home ie India for the Commonwealth Games. Strangely both these events do not have an impact on Malaysia's ranking in world hockey but it would do wonders for his reputation. That of course is quite important.

The morale to the stories outlined above seems to provide an image that one can remain a long serving official of MHF by being vocal and at the right time making the right alliances. It is not about what one brings to MHF, rather it would seem what one gets out of MHF. In a way this probably explains why Malaysian hockey has suffered in recent years. What is incomprehensible is even those who had painstakingly worked for the good of Malaysian hockey with the best of intentions get their reputations "mutilated" by people whose interest is all about themselves. Is this not sad ? Yet, time and time again such people seem to maneuver and remain in power for the glamour. At the end it is Malaysian hockey that suffers.

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The "games" officials play in the "after process" when players are selected for national hockey training.

2010-02-17T16:15:00.006+08:00

If people are left to do their job, provided on the first place they were the right persons to do it, then interference into their actions should not be the norm. This is because the people given to do the job have been "entrusted" with the role and they must be given that right to carry out their duties. At the end of the day the "benefit-burden" of the task rests with them unless the people who have the tendency to interfere are prepared to share the responsibilities. Unfortunately such a basic rule is not enshrined in the thinking of a few key officials in MHF who i call the "interfering officials". On the benefit they are prepared to be "glory seekers" while on the burden they are ever ready to make someone else the scapegoat. This somehow has been the "backdrop" in MHF in the past and some are still hanging on to it as desperate measures.

The National Coach was "entrusted" to shortlist 25 to 30 players for national training based on performance at the Malaysian Hockey League (MHL). At this point i must state that the National Coach diligently did his job whether it was raining or shining. People who were at the matches would see this lonely figure with an umbrella sitting by himself and making notes. Indeed some have even told the story that if any of his friends come by he would politely walk away to another spot to continue his duty. This is the level of commitment and ethics he has applied in undertaking his "entrusted" duty. Some have nicknamed him the "Lone Ranger" except here he does not have "Tonto" ie his obedient assistant, because of unusually strange decisions that had been made by the Coaching Committee and MHF. What we must recognise is that the National Coach is conducting himself professionally, one of the fundamentals involved in the search for "excellence". Something only a very few in MHF comprehend and apply in their tasks.

The lack of professionalism and the principles of excellence in MHF over the years, has permitted the development of the notion of interference, as though they are "entrusted" with it because they understand the "bigger picture". This therefore gives certain officials the belief that they have the divine right to interfere. Sadly, this belief was put into practice by a "dedicated interfering team" ( DIT) to solicit and ensure players who were not named in the National Coach's list should have their names there. Mind you the DIT was not mandated with the role but they have taken it upon themselves ie the "messiahs" of hockey, i presume. What is even more shocking is that the people in the DIT were not there for most of the matches at the MHL and yet they seem to have better expertise than the National Coach. I wonder why none of them in the DIT ever made it as a National Coach. Maybe that is where the answer lies!!!!!

The network of the DIT is extensive, covering the facets that is most required for propaganda work ie "connected" personalities and publicity. The idea here is to create a "make-belief" scenario ie a perception so as the DIT could achieve their desired results. Take for example, even before the National Coach could name the shortlisted players, friends of the DIT had been passing messages via sms to the pertinent people to get certain players to be named. What is peculiar is that the players they were canvassing have histories of various allegations and disciplinary issues, which could disrupt the very fabric of Malaysian hockey. Rather than sorting these issues they seem more interested in getting the players into the shortlist. Maybe the need for monthly salaries to upkeep expensive tastes or vices may provide the "fodder" for thought.

The question is: "Who are the people in the DIT ?

The Deputy President of MHF. He chairs the unconstitutional Team Management Committee (TMC) and realises that he is now unable to use the TMC to his "whims and fancies". So, unofficially he uses the DIT network to get things done and the position he holds helps in the matter. People believe that he is part of the "Malacca Mafia" in hockey

A Senior National Sports Council (NSC) officer, who has been involved in Malaysian hockey and is present at all MHF meetings including those relating to national teams. Apparently he is part of the 'Malacca Mafia" in hockey. Furthermore he is the source of information to personalities who are friends to people in the DIT. He has a close alliance with the national team manager because of a sense of obligation relating to employment of a family member. This team manager is the principal financier of a MHL team.

The National Team Manager, who wants players in his "stable" to be included notwithstanding the fact that there are allegations and discipline issues. Some believe the presence of such players in the national team would provide him a greater grip and influence of the national team.

The key question that arises is whether the people involved with the DIT are really interested in Malaysian hockey and its future or more related to some short-term gain beneficial to individual needs. I personally do not think they work on that basis and therefore it is difficult to comprehend why they do not permit people to do their job. This dichotomy is puzzling and the interference still prevails. It has to stop or else Malaysian hockey shall pay the price. We have already seen that in the past, and what is important is that there people who are ensuring it does not repeat. So allow the "entrusted" person to do his job and periodically review the progress. This is the way forward.

Selangor Veterans Open Hockey Carnival 2010

2010-02-16T22:05:00.003+08:00

I had received an e-mail from the VP of Selangor Hockey Association (SHA) and i think it is only appropriate to draw attention of such a Carnival to the readers of the blog. Kindly spread the message not only to get the teams to participate but also to get "hockey lovers" to be there.

Text of message as follows:

"Greetings from Selangor Hockey Association.

We are pleased to extend the invitations to the Selangor Veterans Open Hockey Carnival 2010 scheduled to be held on April 3, Saturday at Stadium Hoki Pandamaran.

The tournament is open to the first 20 teams to pay the entry fee anconfirm their entry. There will be a loser's pool as well.

The entry form, Tournament flyer and informational booklet is attached.These are also available in the SHA official web page effective February20th. www.sha.com.my

The informational booklet attached covers all aspects of TournamentInformation, Accommodation, Tournament Rules, Code of Conduct, Fixtures,Maps and Emergency Contact number

For outstation teams, we have made arrangement with hotel for exclusivelow rates for this tournament at your convenience.

I look forward to your feedback and support. Please feel free to spreadthe word to interested teams

Thank you

Kuganeson Poologasingam
Vice President
Selangor Hockey Association
016-5517100

Corporate personalities in TNB & Sapura who bring the "best" to hockey.

2010-02-15T09:43:00.009+08:00

Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) became the winner of the Malaysian Hockey League (MHL) final last Friday 12th February by beating Sapura 4-2 on penalty flicks after the game remained drawn at 1-1 following extra-time. Effectively TNB won the TNB Cup and the TNB management hierarchy led by their CEO & President would have been in ecstatic mood. More interesting is that the CEO had rushed all the way from KLIA at the right moment to provide the support for his boys.

Interesting looking at the game itself. it was about retired experience stars from Sapura taking on the young national stars of TNB. It would seem that experience would prevail in the match but Sapura did not have the ultimate "killer" instinct to finish the match. On the other side TNB was a "clinical" team whose young stars could not find the way to crack the solid defence of the experience Sapura. At the end the determination to carry the Cup provided the right frame of mind to TNB players to find the net at the penalty flicks. It is probably the young boys were not tired out after extra-time and they were mentally strong to do the job. This is where probably experience lost out to the mental strength of the young boys.

The game itself would have been exciting if it was not for the Umpires. Their poor standard of controlling the game had an impact on the ultimate results. One thing is for sure and that is this whole MHL season the Umpires have performed "sub-standardly". So when the Chairman of Umpires Board stated this is the best they have and comparable to international standards, I think he was illogically defending the consistent pathetic performance of his members. Even on the "outside" chance he may be right, he may not realise that he may mean international hockey umpiring is also at a disastrous standard. I am sure that is not his thinking.

While TNB Management were celebrating with their boys, credit must go to the Chairman and to the CEO of Sapura for spending that extra moments with their boys after the prize presentation. The father and son team showed the best of corporate leadership by talking and consoling the boys at an empty stadium when the crowd had disappeared. Their human touch even in hour of defeat is a reflection of the caring nature of Sapura's corporate philosophy and all credit go to the father and son team. Such people must be invited to be in MHF as it would do MHF a world of good.

One other person who needs mentioning is Nor Saiful Zaini. A person who has tactfully remained in the background of late because of the policies of MHF with regards to national coaches. Notwithstanding that he is also Head of the Sports Unit of TNB and where hockey comes under his portfolio. It is probably his thinking in line with TNB's corporate philosophy that there is blend between the youth and the experienced in the TNB team. It is also provides the pathway for the next generation of young kids in view of TNB's Development programme referred to as "Thunderbolt". A programme that is nationwide where TNB gets schools involved in hockey by not only conducting coaching sessions but also equipping the schools with hockey kits.

Nor Saiful himself has been a colourful figure in Malaysian hockey having served the nation as a national player including Captain for nearly 15 years. One of the rare breed who was a speedy right wing and also a penalty corner hit specialist, represented the country at 3 Olympics and 4 Asian Games. The years in the national team makes him the most capped Malaysian hockey international and the record is still awaiting to be "broken". He was one of the selected Malaysian named in the "Asian All Star" team. Such is his credential as a hockey star.

Saiful is a religiously devout person, who does not impose his values on others, other than advising people accordingly if there is a need. This he believes is a religious plus human duty that he does it with good "niat". Sometimes, the guilt in people tend to misunderstand or misconstrue his intentions and this is why unsavoury remarks are made of him. If only the truth is known by people who spread such "tales" of the opportunities he had given certain personalities to redeem themselves before the final decisions were made. Unfortunately, these personalities do not help themselves and this part of the stories are conveniently hidden or forgotten thereby making Saiful a victim of circumstances.

Strangely it is people in MHF, like a long standing Vice President and certain members of the Coaching Committee who listen to "tales" and conduct themselves in an inhumane manner. Ironically, these are the people who do the least amount of proper work for MHF. They prefer the "politicking" and creating trouble, which is the their idea of work.

Whatever it may, Saiful is beyond all these and only those who feel insecure and threatened would want to destroy a good person's creditability. Saiful is a focused person and TNB winning the MHL final is an honour to Saiful's dedication to hockey. More so to a person who gives his best with good intention without any prejudicial thoughts and does things for the best of the game. What we need is more of "Saifuls" in the game.

Well done MHF, this is the start. Sustaining the crowd is a question how MHF manages the performance of its national teams.

2010-02-13T21:22:00.010+08:00

Friday 12th.February, was the grand finale of the 3 months of the Malaysian Hockey League (MHL). The publicity and the marketing of the event portraying a carnival spirit with young kids displaying their skills, the Royal Malaysian Navy(RMN) with its band putting together a mini tattoo show and the of course the lucky draw with prizes from motorcycles to airtickets became the peripheral attraction.. Combine this with the final between TNB and Sapura, while for 3rd and 4th was between Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) and Maybank, which brought a sizeable crowd of close to 5000 at the Tun Razak Hockey Stadium. This is notwithstanding the fact that the games were telecast live.

It has been some time since such a large crowd had been present in Malaysian hockey and all credit must go to the person or persons in MHF who were behind organising it. The precise timing of the event ( barring the delay in the floodlights coming to full illumination after half time) plus the fanfare that came including the prize presentation is something new in MHF. There is obviously a new colourful thinking moving from certain mundane ways. More important is that there are some who are prepared to "stick their necks" out to make things happen.

There was a lot of criticism before the final particularly on the resources utilised to take the MHL to different towns and also on the attendance at matches particularly in Kuala Lumpur. The Friday night out to the hockey stadium by the crowd is a manifestation of people putting their minds and honestly addressing the issues, thereby creating scenarios that appeal to the crowd to come to the game. What was interesting was TNB had their sizeable supporters and they were vocal enough. Maybank too had their small crowd and there was a pocketful of Sapura's admirers.

In essence many who were there beyond the core supporters, were people who were attracted for some reason to be at the stadium. This is the result of effective marketing where publicity is a fundamental ingredient. When we are not a force in international hockey at any level, attendance is the yardstick of measurement of the popularity of the game. Friday night showed there is still the crowd for hockey and the key matter is how MHF is going to capitalise on it.

The sure way is to perform well in the international front. This is where basic issues of having the right people in the right positions does not only apply to officials but also to players. Hockey cannot afford another round of allegations of match fixing, betting or "Ah Long" businesses in the national squads or being a "bad" influence to younger players or partying late nights and coming to training with alcohol on their breaths. If this continues and MHF turns a blind eye to all these or remains lenient in taking disciplinary action then Malaysian hockey would go back to the "Dark Ages". The matter gets even more muddled as various officials start their canvassing for players particularly those who have been regarded as "bad apples". Indeed there were rumours spreading in the field how a team manager had sent sms messages soliciting for a particular player to be included in the future national team. The timing of course seems very coincidental as the new coaches were announced for the senior team.

Until and unless MHF officially settles the issues relating to the various allegations, it is unfair to Malaysian hockey and its supporters to be burdened in their mind with continuous suspicion. It is not only for the players involved in such allegations but also the other players, the fans and the future generation. This is something MHF has to understand and they should not take it that Malaysians have "short memories" and time would self resolve the issues.

If MHF wants the terraces in the hockey stadium to be filled it has a responsibility to the fans to ensure that they have the right players who are prepared to make the sacrifices to bring glory to Malaysian hockey in the world arena. MHF must understand that the players cannot sacrifice Malaysian hockey for their own selfish gains. This has to be seen from training, to free time to the game itself. Any "bad apples" in the team must be decisively and quickly ostracized from the onset such that professionalism prevails. This is a culture that needs to be inculcated to the team.

So the "ball" is back on MHF's feet and the crowd for hockey will be a reflection of how the national teams perform in the future and how MHF manages them. So MHf please do not let the Malaysian hockey fans down.

Do our local hockey coaches have the necessary knowledge? If not, is there a "pathway" for them to acquire such knowledge?

2010-02-10T19:37:00.006+08:00

Lately there has been much talk of coaches and part of it relates to local coaches against the appointment of a foreign coach. People have taken sides while others may be more concerned with the standard of hockey. While the debate continues, it is all about names that are being floated around, not about what qualities the coaches should have or have. This is where we miss the obvious aspects and straight jump to personalities. More often than not we start the whole exercise with the wrong end of the stick ie we do not list the needed requirements of a coach and then find the candidate to fit the position.

It is this failure that demobilises us from searching for excellence. Once excellence is compromised, we have lost sight of the concept of being world class. This eventually means that we are a mediocre set-up that are happy with the "crumbs". It is the lack of a vision and also determination in MHF to implement the concepts of excellence that has kept Malaysian hockey in a dogma. Coaches come and go but there is no clear pathway or infrastructure to develop coaches with the right qualities embodying the appropriate knowledge so that they inculcate the principles of excellence in their DNA. If this is achieved than everything they do carries with it the trademark of "excellence".

Today if we take the coaches involved with the various national teams and also with the teams in the Malaysian Hockey League (MHL), it is glaring that all sorts of people are involved. The question is whether they have the requirements to coach the top teams. Maybe if i list some requirements, people may appreciate my views.

A good coach needs to have the following:

Intimate knowledge of the game including the rules.

Coaching qualification and the requirements follows the level of coaching.

An experienced coach must have a success profile.

Working knowledge in:

Physical Education

Sports Science

Sports Information Technology

Psychology

Motivational Sciences

5. Knowledge of:

Bio-mechanics

Bio-medicine

Nutrition and Diet

6. Some understanding of "kinanthropometry" ie interface between anatomy and movement.

7. Analytical outlook to appraise the opponents style of play and tactics.

8. Communicating skills.

9. Sense of justice ie fair play.

10. A strategical mind.

It is a tall order but so is "excellence". This is where the coaches' hunger for knowledge comes into play and how they equip themselves is fundamental. If one pursues a Sports Science degree in reputed Universities, most of the subject matter would be covered.

Unless the coaches are made up of such mentality, it would be difficult to expect the players to strive for excellence. After all the definition of a "coach" is to train someone. If the trainer is not adequately knowledgeable, how can he disseminate the finer points of the game to his charges.

Time and time again MHF has overlooked this point. What is more disturbing is when they had the foreign coaches, MHF did not put in place a system to get the rightly qualified local coaches to be part of a broader training programme. The failure to properly train the "trainer" reflects the current status of the decline in standard of Malaysian hockey. Fundamentally we have not kept in pace with the changing phases of hockey over the years.

Now, it is rumoured that we would be getting a highly recognised foreign coach. I hope that with such a coach not only our players would benefit but also our local coaches. A detailed programme must be developed with the foreign coach taking every key facet in hockey which coaches must know as a sacrosanct rule. This programme must become the "core" syllabus for training our new breed of coaches. The programme must be continuously re-engineered to take account of the prevailing changes in the game so as we do not lag behind. This is a challenge MHF has to take up if they want to make the paradigm shift to excellence ie become a world class hockey nation. Maybe it should start first with the Coaching Committee.

KLHC's defeat by Sapura - "Is Malaysian hockey in crisis?"

2010-02-08T15:47:00.008+08:00

The 2-leg semi-finals of the MHL has brought out some interesting dimensions. The 4 teams who were involved probably has the best hockey players in Malaysia from current internationals both senior and junior plus age group blended with experienced former internationals. TNB played Maybank whilst Sapura took on Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC).

On paper TNB had a well balanced side of 2 former internationals with 4 current internationals and the rest were age group players. As for Maybank they relied heavily on their former internationals supported by at least 2 current internationals. The score for both the legs was a 2-1 win for TNB and 2-2 draw for the 2nd match, but sadly the umpires carried the day with the poor quality of umpiring. These are our Class 1 umpires and yet their display was of such a pathetic nature, they seem to give the distinct impression that they were absolutely novice in the field.

If not for the umpires , both the games were good and TNB had that extra edge. To be fair Maybank put up a great fight and credit should go to their Gobinathan, who was playing with a hamstring tear for both the matches. One person who needs mentioning in TNB is their young talent Faizal Shaari whose skill with the ball was outstanding. He remained a continuous threat to Maybank. This is a player who i believe would go places.

A special mention must be made of the CEO of Maybank and his team for finding the time to be at the 1st leg. What was interesting is that he spent time with the players before the game and thereafter sat with their small band of Maybank supporters at the terrace. Great to see him coming to support his team and doing things the simple way without any fuss.

Sapura's game against KLHC was dubbed as the game between Sapura and "Malaysia". The reason being KLHC literally has the Malaysian national players ie combination of seniors and juniors. Whereas Sapura were carrying about 7 former internationals led by Kuhan and had with them the wealth of experience. On top of it, acting as consultant for Sapura was Stephen Van Huizen, a former national coach who has the "Midas" touch with every team he has worked with. So this was a game of former internationals against the current internationals.

On paper, it should have been a simple job for KLHC. Unfortunately this was the team that was given all the resources, at the envy of the other teams. They not only played for Malaysia but they were paid unbelievable salaries and training allowance by their club for much longer periods than other teams or the league itself. Some were even given a lump sum and all of these encouraged them to be influenced by undesirable activities which has sparked off discipline issues. This was the problem with the national team and people wonder whether this was something that grew its roots at the club level. It would seem that once the appetite is full and life is filled with vices there is lack of " hunger" to perform. Was this KLHC's dilemma?

I pose this question as KLHC lost 4-2 to Sapura in the 1st leg and drew 1-1 in the 2nd leg, losing in aggregate 5-3. Yes! the national team lost to the retired internationals and what a ramification it would be for Malaysian hockey. What complicated matters is the "dual" system of control adopted by KLHC in controlling and influencing the team. Officially there was a coach and team manager at the bench yet, at the terraces, the "powers to be" in KLHC were "dishing" out instructions to the team. The "invisible" coach and manager was up at the terraces trying to circumvent policies of MHF and rules of ethics including conflict of interest. What is surprising is that everyone knew about it and so why have such an elaborate system to play the "hide and seek". These are the sort of "play acting" that young players notice and copy in their acts of "ill discipline" ie "what is good for the goose is good for the gander".

All this "hide and seek" choreographed by KLHC team management has come to haunt them as the players miss training or take a "tidak apa" attitude to the game. Team management have put themselves in an awkward position and this is where players tend to take advantage of the situation. Indeed stories have emerged from KLHC sources that players do not care much of the advice of their official coach. They even go to the extent of abusing his personal items when the official coach puts his foot down. In short, the players in KLHC are not an easy lot as they are already "prima donnas" and the younger ones are following suit.

In a way this explains some of the antics that took place in the field at the 1st leg. They were completely "stunned" when Sapura equalised and took the lead to 4-1. KLHC was totally demoralised and strangely a number of players were "out of position". The "hunger" to perform or fight back was not there in KLHC. Chua Boon Huat must be credited for trying to lift the spirit of the KLHC's lads but with little success other than minimising the defeat to 4-2.

Sapura on the other hand tactically moved Jiwa Mohan to defence and Shankar to half-line. This gave Kuhan more breathing space over the 2 half thereby ensuring Sapura's defence remain intact. In the forward line Rodnizam, Pon and supported by Mike were fast enough to get the penalty corners for Kuhan to strike. Meantime Vijiyan kept KLHC's penalty corner battery from making any deadly strikes with his speedy run-out. Sapura's players played with a purpose ie the pride to win and the presence of their Chairman obviously was a big booster.

For the 2nd leg, one need not be a "rocket scientist" to know that KLHC would be coming in "waves" to Sapura's territory to turn the results around. Sapura meantime decided to pack their 25 yd with their entire team thereby giving less room for KLHC to maneuver through the centre. It would seem Stephen Van Huizen and Sapura's coach Prakash may have planned this strategy thereby forcing KLHC to use the "flanks". This would be a wise tactic for Sapura as it relieved the pressure in the centre and gave more breathing space for the main defenders,. KLHC fell into the trap from start to finish and if there was any success it was the 9 penalty corners they earned. They could only convert one while they fumbled on the rest with too many unnecessary set-pieces. They did not play to their strength of direct conversion. Equally Nashihin, Sapura's goalkeeper was in marvellous form.

KLHC remained clueless and aimless and acting like "zombies" not knowing what to do. The more waves of attack they threw on Sapura, Sapura became more dangerous on the breakaway and that is how they equalised through a penalty corner they earned. Sapura maintained the 2 goal aggregate lead and KLHC could not find the way to crack Sapura's defensive wall. Effectively the so called "mighty" KLHC was brought to the ground to taste a defeat that they themselves may not have anticipated. "Goliath" of Malaysian hockey ie KLHC was brought to its kness while Sapura became Malaysia's "David".

KLHC's defeat raises a number of questions. In a nutshell it all falls back to the issue of whether "dollars and cents" is the answer to get players to become good hockey players or a combination of other factors. One of which is team management has to be honest in their acts rather then wanting to be just popular. This way they choose to avoid controversies thereby expecting to remain in the good books of players. The hope is that the players remain in the team thereby ensuring the team has strength. All that is good but if you have "bad apples" in the basket and nothing is done about it, the other apples may also get bad. Could this be the moral of the story of KLHC? It is for us to think about because with KLHC's defeat, it means Malaysia's national team had lost and this also at a domestic league. So what is our hope in the international arena with these sort of players?

It is not yet a crisis in Malaysian hockey but the writing is on the wall. So, MHF take note and do the needful or not we would be inviting the "crisis".

Retired international players who have made an impact in the MHL.

2010-02-04T18:53:00.011+08:00

It is a pity that some players, although young, seem to have prematurely retired from international hockey, while others gracefully left with the catching-up of age. Maybe they cannot get use to the "regimented" style of centralized training for days, months and years or they do not have the "hunger" to don national colours for whatever reasons or are just fed-up with too much of international hockey. Yet! we cannot overlook this and not comment on their performances in the current MHL.

The 1st of whom i feel needs to be mentioned and i consider as the "heartbeat" of TNB is Tajol Rosli. A player who left national hockey at a young age of 23 or 24 is performing superbly for his employer. His "mati mati" style of play with his penetrating moves gives TNB that extra edge in the game. He is fast enough to capitalise on the "gaps" in opponents' defence and tactically open the game for his colleagues. What is also interesting is that he is a "source" of inspiration for the team.

Another player in TNB who needs mentioning is Kalliswaran. As he ages he seems highly matured in his approach to the game. He is majestic in his movements and controls the team's play carefully. A much "cooler" person these days, he does things intelligently probably recognising the slight excess weight in him. Still he is a "force" to reckon .

At Maybank, it is without doubt Suhaimee. Again a player who "hung" up his hockeystick at an early age, he still has the skills of his younger days. Obviously he lacks the fitness but yet he is able to use his intelligence and economise his efforts for deadly moves or to permit the clock to run down in favour of his team. Suhaimee's style these days is like a "rhino" on the charge and more often than not he is able to "stampede" the opposing players.

Another arsenal available to Maybank is the ever versatile and lively Gobinathan. The "Ipoh mari" player provides a stability to Maybank in defence and brings an added dimension to their penalty corner battery. Gobi is much slower these days but he uses his body accordingly to slow down his opponents too. A player who has the ability to motivate his teammates, he too on occasions tends to charge down the opposing team's territory to "mark" out his ground. This indeed makes his presence felt in the game.

In Sapura, there is the ever-present towering figure of Kuhan. More sluggish these days but a great "fighter", he does not give up easily. With age his penalty corners have lost the "sting" but his presence in Sapura's battery gets opponents worried. He is excellent in the 1st half of any match but his fitness severely handicaps his movements in the last 15 minutes of most matches where he gets "short fused" fast. He is still enjoyable to watch.

Rodnizam is another former international who left the international scene at a young age. Today, he seems to show skills that were not there in the years when he was an international. It is probably the maturity with time plus now he has the freedom to think and play. Obviously not at his peak, fitness is an issue but he somehow finds the way to cope by adjusting his style. There is no doubt he is an important cog in Sapura's machine.

These players would be playing significant roles with their teams this weekend at the semifinals of the MHL. Some or all of them may make the difference between winning and losing for their teams. What is important is to see these former internationals still having the spirit to play and give their best for their clubs. Well done lads and Best of Luck.

UniKL - "Are they a glimmer of hope for Malaysian hockey?"

2010-02-02T15:53:00.011+08:00

The results of the MHL quarter-finals last weekend saw the obvious teams make it to the semis. They are KLHC, TNB, Sapura and Maybank. One need not visit and pay a fortune teller or a tarot card reader to predict which teams would have qualified. Among them they share the bulk of the national players ie seniors and juniors plus former internationals. On a "weighted" basis there is no doubt it favours KLHC.

The weekend for hockey seems to have given much of its attention to newcomers UniKL, who were pitted to take on the once mighty Maybank. Although the media seems to have played up the hopes of the young UniKL with an average age of 22 years and seemly giving the impression that the "tiger" in Maybank may be "toothless thereby losing its bite. They may not have been wrong for on the 1st leg the young novice team to MHL stretched Maybank with a 4-4 draw.

Many watching the match felt that UniKL should have "killed" the game much earlier and won. Unfortunately UniKL is made up in the main by Project 2013 players and some National Juniors. Due to their lack of experience and the "killer instinct", they were unable to finish off Maybank.

On the other side, as the years go by Maybank is losing its grip as a "force" in Malaysian hockey. In recent years they have been seen as "spoilers" for teams trying to battle for position. Having a few former internationals in the right positions combined with a few young internationals they have the combination of experience and stability to act as a major "hurdle" to the ultimate winners. It is exactly this that derailed the young UniKL in the 2nd leg of the quarter-finals where Maybank won 2-0.

Essentially what Maybank did was to control the "raw gusty" style of play of UniKL by ensuring that their freedom of running with the ball and taking on players was frequently interrupted. This essentially slowed the momentum of the game and the young boys were at a loss as to what to do. Meantime as Maybank broke UniKL's attack they had the experience on the "breakaway" to be goal searching and were successful. Even at the last 5 minutes of the game, UniKL had 6 penalty corners at a continuous stretch and they did not have a clue what to do. Maybank were merrily happy with the penalty corners as the situation provided the time to tick away.

UniKL team is like an "uncut" diamond that needs substantial "cutting" and "polishing" before it can glitter. There is no doubt that their Consultant - Mirnawan Nawawi and their Coaches - Vicki, Enbaraj and a Caucasian have worked hard on them. What is important is whether the "diamonds" of UniKL had fissure, which means any amount of 'cutting" and "polishing" would not help in the process of making the diamonds marketable.

I raise this because the UniKL team seems to have some major drawbacks:

While they are young and have the speed to take on their opponents, they do not have the skill to string passes as part of the tactical movements and operate as a cohesive team.

There is neither leader nor "playmaker", while their half-line formation's role is very "hazy".

Their penalty corner battery is weak because it is "aimless" which makes it "directionless", thereby losing the focus of goal scoring opportunities.

The team does not understand the concept of the "killer instinct" when they are at or in front of the "D".

The team's endurance fitness is suspect.

Essentially what UniKL team was doing was collecting the ball and running with it to the opponents goal-line. This obviously is a welcome change compared to the other teams but once at the "D" the players become "goal shy" and did not have the "killer instinct" to put the ball into the goal. This is where their "attack" formation crumbles and easily paves the way for counter attacks by opponents. This is where UniKL paid the price expensively.

I want to put this across because many people believe that the performance of UniKL provides the "ray of hope" for the future of Malaysian hockey. In desperate times even a small ray of hope is magnified to give the "hope" we are looking for. What we are doing is endeavouring to fix our thinking to the situation rather than allowing the situation to justify itself.

People who have played hockey or had something to do with hockey would not hesitate to state that the young boys of UniKL have a long way to go if they want to emulate the "Yogeswaran Babes" of the 1979 Malaysian Junior World Cup team that came 4th at Paris. If you take those lads 2 0r 3 years before 1979 and compare their standard of play to these boys from the 2013 Project Team, you would know exactly where they stand by the following words- "miles apart".

Having said what i had to say, i must also state that the UniKL boys can still be turned into future stars but the effort is harder and the pressure mounted to perform must be intelligently and psychologically undertaken. The grooming requires a sense of all round discipline particularly on training. Equally they must be given sufficient freedom to express their inherent strength of running with the ball and taking on players provided they incorporate the skill of creating tactical movements as part of an attack formation by learning how to acquire the "killer instinct". Similarly, the half-line and the backs must be taught to understand their effective role and how they fit into different game scenarios. At the same time there is no short-cut to success in penalty corners. The short corner battery at the minimum is required to do 100 attempts in the morning and 100 attempts in the evening to prefect their scoring skills.

Of course there are other aspects but this is a good starting point. The idea is to create that "ray of hope" and turn them into "shining stars" with time such that it provides the "glimmer" of hope that is much needed for Malaysian hockey at the world stage.

"Nur Insafi" seem to call the "shots" at the MHL.

2010-01-28T17:50:00.008+08:00

Nur Insafi, a hockey team from Penang, has been a participant in the national hockey and still remains an enigma to Malaysian hockey. This season they have secured the services of nearly 15 foreign players and are spending anywhere between RM 300,000 to RM 500,000 to win a title where the price money is only RM 30,000. This mysterious thinking rests in the mind of the "altar ego" of the club, who is their manager.

It is said that he has love for hockey that is 2nd to none. As a result of this he is prepared to spend the money to achieve the desired objective. He seems to have the same thinking as another "financier" of the game from a known hockey club. I must state that these people are great "devotees" of the game. The similarities run parallel including spending the monies to gain success. This means they fill the team with foreign players or national players to have easy access to the title.

Surely, that cannot be wrong. After all, it is their hard earned funds and they must have the liberty to do what they feel is good for the club and themselves. If any, it is entirely their choice except for the stakeholders of the clubs, they are free from being questioned. Can you imagine if these 2 clubs do not exist then there would have been only 4 teams in the MHL. What a disaster it would have been for Malaysian hockey.

Having said that unfortunately Nur Insafi did not fare well in the MHL. The pre-publicity for the team and in particular the foreign players gave the impression that they would be a force in the league. Some argue that the team did not have time to get the players to know one another and therefore they could not operate as a team. Others believe the so called foreign "stars" may not be the "better" stars or they are just "over the hill" so to say.

The disappointing performance of Nur Insafi was compounded by the team manager's outburst on the quality of umpiring plus nature's intervention with rain during their games. Apparently these 2 aspects had an impact on the team's performance. There is no doubt that the standard of umpiring in the MHL can be questionable but talking about the rain can be mind boggling.

What is surprising is that there were no formal complaints on the umpires other than what was rumoured of the team management having had "verbal diarrhea" with the umpires after the games. Again the umpires did not lodge any report nor did the technical members who were present at the incidences. Maybe the "heat" of the moment provided such a "knee jerk" reaction and as the "heat" subsided, everyone went their own way. So why make a big fuss over momentary reactions. In the best of sporting spirits it facilitated the self-made compromises which is a "fine art" and we all have become experts.

Of course Nur Insafi's public outcry is also a manifestation of the frustration that they are undergoing particularly on the level of resources they have invested on the team. The "returns" based on performance at the field, does not justify the investment. Reasons had to be found to mitigate these shortcomings. The umpires are an easy target and sometimes they themselves invite becoming the reasons when they do not display the standards expected of "class" umpires.

The fact that everybody remains silent of the onslaught on umpires without any reviews or investigation literally means that the matter is being swept under the carpet. Unfortunately it becomes a precedent where there has not been a resolution and the "ghost" of such matters may come to haunt MHF. As to how they are going to react in the future is a question mark.

The irritation to Nur Insafi did not end there. The MHL has now come to a "knockout" stage and based on 3 meetings of which Nur Insafi was present in 1, the teams had agreed that the knockout stage shall be played at the Klang Valley only. Obviously. Nur Insafi was the only team outside the Klang Valley and probably no special attention was paid to their requirements. What makes it intriguing is Nur Insafi themselves did not at an early stage request for home and away games nor protest on the requirement to play only in the Klang Valley.

Lately, Nur Insafi again grabbed the media attention on the "unfairness" of having to play the matches in Kuala Lumpur. It is probable that at this time, as the teams take stock of their expenditure, they may realise that they are getting "thin" on available funds and every cent begins to count. Therefore the cost of travel and accommodation can be an unplanned expenditure for some of the teams and can become a costly factor. Costs plus the issue of losing home ground advantage probably got Nur Insafi further irritated, which was compounded with the previous issues that were swept under the carpet. Nur Insafi probably felt that they were being unfairly treated.

Meantime and unexpectedly, probably in the best interest of hockey, MHF turned to Sapura the opponents of Nur Insafi to determine if they were prepared to play in Penang on a home and away basis to accommodate Nur Insafi's predicament. Sapura too had something to vent and apparently according to sources from Sapura they had submitted a long letter of disapproval to deviate from the scheduled programme as already outlined by the Competition Committee. In their letter there were other issues that surfaced which seem to reflect that the matters were not as simple as it seemed. Maybe part of the problem could also be that Sapura lost the last game of the league to Nur Insafi.

More twists and turns were taking place as the principle of "accommodating" Nur Insafi came into play. MHF was unable to do much as Sapura was sticking by the original decision of only playing in the Klang Valley. This did not leave much room for Nur Insafi and therefore they decided to go through with their threat to withdraw. Their formal communication was endorsed by the Technical Committee thereby giving Sapura a direct entry to the semi-finals. This caught Nur Insafi "offguard" as they must have presumed such drastic action would not have been forthcoming.

The "mystery" gets deeper when Nur Insafi changed their mind. The rationale being that they would not be participating in the next season and so they want to leave amicably. A highly noble and magnanimous decision by Nur Insafi and the Technical Committee endorsed their decision to withdraw their "withdrawal" communication. "Presto!" everything returned to "status quo" ie the Nur Insafi-Sapura game is on. So why all the "fuss" in the 1st place.

On the other side we must also note that Nur Insafi had brought significant publicity, right or wrong is debatable and yet got away without a "scratch". The point being a precedent is set without a resolution and more importantly can MHF live with it? I ask this question because the "ghost" may come to "haunt' MHF in the future and what would their position be then. Again, sweeping it under the carpet and hoping it does not "stain" MHF.

KLHC wins the national hockey league title - "Is it meaningful?"

2010-01-25T16:12:00.013+08:00

Before Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club's (KLHC) last match in the league with TNB at Malacca last week, KLHC were already Champions of the Malaysian Hockey League (MHL) when they beat Sapura 1-0 at Johore Baru the week earlier. Now that the MHL gets into "knock out" stage ie quarter finals, KLHC must be the front runner for the "double".

Firstly we must congratulate KLHC for becoming Champions. I must state before the league commenced I had put my bet on KLHC. They had inherited the entire team from EY ie the 2008 Champions, save for some "window dressing" on the team management.

On paper, the team was literally made up of the majority national senior and junior players. Indeed there was confusion in KLHC as they had more players on their payroll than they could register. Rather then releasing them, KLHC still kept them and appointed them to various non-playing positions, thereby not giving the players the opportunity to play for the other teams in the MHL. Unquestionably, an "employer-employee" matter.

Even before the first"whistle" could be blown in the MHL, KLHC was embroiled in the aspect of coaches. KLHC's original coach ( part of the inheritance from EY) is "going places" and is now the national coach of the Project 2013 team. His current employer ie MHF, did not permit the national coaches and their assistants from coaching any of the MHL teams. This did not go down well with KLHC and they had to make "questionable" arrangements. Again insofar as MHF is concerned, like KLHC on the excess players, this is an unquestionable aspect of "employer-employee" matter.

The MHL should in theory be a "walk through" exercise for KLHC. Packed with more than sufficient national players they should not have problem with any of the teams. It is all a question of margin of win only. Unfortunately what looks good on paper may not necessarily be in practice. KLHC had to struggle in some of their 10 matches they played to secure the title. They drew with Maybank, who only have the pleasure of having a few retired internationals. They were stretched by Sapura before winning 1-0. Sapura in this match did not have the services of their 2 current star internationals. Finally on the last day of the league KLHC loss to TNB 4-3 after leading 3-1. The ambition of coming through unbeaten in the league was demolished on the last day.

The results of KLHC has a "pin-pointing" affect ie it provides an insight of the state of affair of Malaysian hockey. The good news is KLHC won the league but the damning point is they struggled despite all the national players they are carrying. It shows that Malaysian hockey is in a diabolical state and despite all the "questionable" arrangements with coaches the best is not seen in the players. KLHC may represent the "decaying" nature of Malaysian hockey. In fact in various "corners" it had been heard that the Malaysian players in the KLHC team were not committed to training and the games as expected of internationals. Excuses of "loss in concentration" provides good narration for kindergarten kids as their bedtime stories.

Seriously, if this can happen to KLHC, then the probability of it happening to the national team is very great. Therefore, can KLHC take pride with its success in the MHL when in fact they should have easily "sailed" through it. MHL is the major tournament in MHF calender and when KLHC "national" team struggles with lack of commitment, what hope is there for Malaysian hockey?

MHF Umpires - "They maybe the best available but are they doing their job properly?"

2010-01-18T19:28:00.003+08:00

"This is the best available in the country," is a common statement made by sports administrators in defence when their sports come under scrutiny or criticism. The latest of whom is the Chairman of MHF Umpires Board (UB), who was responding to the comments of the team manager of one of the Malaysian Hockey League (MHL) teams on the poor standard of umpiring at the MHL matches.

Amarjit Singh as Chairman of the UB, is without doubt Malaysia's pride in the hockey umpiring world and he has "blown" in numerous renowned international tournaments including a number of their finals. Amarjit continued and at times emulated what was done by people like the late John Kanagaratnam, Datuk Vijiyanathan,Titus Havelock, the late N Valupillay, Lee Cheng Poh and the late V T Duray (Thamby). These are a special breed of officials who could compete with the best in the world of hockey umpiring and come out top.

So when a distinguished personality like Amarjit Singh makes such a statement, I become concerned whether it is a "guarded" statement. He states it is the best available and he could be right. He further emphasises that they can be compared with the international umpires and this is where I may agree to disagree with him and I have my reasons.

My disagreement arises because of the following matters that have taken place at the fields:

Players shouting obscene language during the game.
Players protesting on decisions of the umpires by harassing them or throwing their sticks to the ground in disgust.
Team officials and some senior players have confronted umpires after matches with abusive language.

In all these cases it would seem the umpires have chosen to adopt the "3 monkeys" philosophy ie "I no see", "I no hear" and "I no talk". No action whatsoever is taken by the umpires and like many things they may not want any controversy. Therefore sweeping it under the carpet would be an ideal solution for the umpires including technical officials.

What the umpires do not understand is the players, officials and spectators become aware of this. They may not realise but people do talk about it. In essence what the umpires are doing is condoning bad behavior both on and off the ground. These are discipline matters and the more it is swept under the carpet, the more dirt is being collected. Then there would be layers and layers and to remove them would be difficult particularly as it starts to "stain" Malaysian hockey. Indeed discipline issues have on many occasions unsettled the senior national team.

Again we have to ask why players and officials turn to such behavior against umpires. I believe it is what the umpires do in the game that seem to be creating the outbursts. Some of them are as follows:

Making wrong decisions.
Inconsistencies in decision making.
Influenced by current and former senior international players during the game.
Failure to control the game properly.

In tense situations as frustration builds up and the lack of anger management in teams both with players and officials, various unnecessary instantaneous emotional outbursts manifest which I have outlined much earlier. While it is not good for the game, it is sacrosanct that the umpires must be respected and decisions followed despite the countless repetitive errors.

This is where if both umpires and team management make formal complaints rather then just confronting the umpires, then at least Amarjit and the UB would have something to go by to investigate the issues. Sweeping under the carpet by umpires, technical officials and the various team management does not help in wanting to improve the overall situation of umpiring. Sometimes the fear that umpires in defence of their colleagues may victimise the teams, may act as a hindrance to formally raise the issues.

This is where I believe Amarjit and the UB must review matters carefully. Maybe one of the solution is to have reputed retired umpires doing "checks" on the current umpires during the MHL matches to judge if they are performing satisfactorily. Again MHF must ask the technical officers to ensure that umpires are not harassed after the game. Finally umpires have to be strict with players and do not give them the room to display their emotional outburst. The issues must be "nipped at the bud".

So Amarjit, I must state that the current "crop" of umpires have not reached anywhere near your calibre when you were in their position. This is why I disagree with you that they are comparable to international umpires.

Outwitting an MHF policy and the far reaching consequences.

2010-01-14T15:39:00.007+08:00

Man's creative propensity is such that if he comes up with something, there will always be others who shall find a way of circumventing it. This can sometimes be good and at other times can be a drawback depending on the subject matter.

Using this as the backdrop, my story relates to Malaysian hockey particularly to the coaches attached with the various national teams. These coaches are in the payroll of MHF ( in reality it is NSC) with MHF as their employer. In essence the relationship between MHF and the coaches is a "employer-employee" one and therefore there are both written and unwritten rules to be observed.

This matter must now be microscopically analysed in view of the prevailing inconsistencies that have arisen. Being employees the coaches have to abide by the contractual terms and policies of MHF. Here i believe the concerned coaches had followed suit and requested clearance from NSC to permit them to coach some Malaysian Hockey League (MHL) teams. Apparently NSC gave the clearance and the matter was communicated by MHF Secretary to the Chairman of the Coaching Committee. Peculiarly, i believe the Secretary had not informed the President of MHF nor the Management Committee. The Chairman of the Coaching Committee in his enthusiasm by-passed the Coaching Committee and "rubber-stamped" the NSC clearance, thereby permitting the coaches to seek a supplementary employment ( not for some of the coaches ) with the MHL teams.

Sometimes "the world moves in strange ways" and as such at the first available meeting of the Management Committee, it was decided that the coaches involved with the various national teams should not be involved with the MHL teams. The directive for the coaches was to scout for talents at the MHL matches. There was wisdom in that decision from an ethical and conflict of interest point of view. This decision was subsequently endorsed by the Coaching Committee and this put the coaches in a predicament including the teams.

At this stage it must be noted that it only involved 3 coaches and 2 teams. 2 of them are full-time employees of one of the involved team's organisation and were seconded to the various national teams. One of them is regarded as a senior coach and is not even being paid by MHF or NSC while the other gets a paltry sum only. Insofar as the 3rd person ie the chief coach of one of the national teams, he is a "career" coach and lately his livelihood is dependent upon the remuneration from coaching. Therefore coaching the "other" team would have significantly improved his quality of life. It would be a sound enough reason if that is the only reason.

Superficially everything seems to be OK except when one "lifts the team's veil" to see what is happening. Some may say it is a beauty while others may think it is ugly. Maybe an insight of what actually is taking place may give you a better understanding:

The team that wanted the 2 coaches, only wanted to use their own full-time staff to undertake the team's coaching task. So to avoid any controversy, one of the coaches was registered as a player. This permitted the coach to be present at all times with the team. As for the other coach, his full time job is being the Head of the Sports Unit and this provides him access to the team while they are training. Meantime the team had registered another person as the official coach.

The other team with the chief coach seems to have adopted a different stance. They seem to have a "hide & seek" approach. Having registered a different coach as the official coach for the team, the chief coach is used as a "consultant" (not in an official capacity) by sitting at the stand and giving telephone instructions to the registered coach. Apparently he also attends team meetings before and after games. As to whether he is being paid for the services, i am unable to comment as i do not have information on such matters.

In a nutshell when we "lift the teams' veils" what we have is 2 scenarios. The team with their full time staff seem to be transparent in their workings. It is probably the principles of corporate governance in their organisation that is brought to the hockey field. It shows when you carefully groom people with the right attitude and training, the modus operandi of the team speaks for itself.

As for the other team , the "hide & seek" approach is a reflection of a desperate desire to win the MHL and therefore seemingly anything to everything is done by the backdoor. They seem to be in a "pressure vessel" and performance with result is the only governing factor. This is obviously a "Machiavellian" outlook and maybe the people behind the team may subscribe to such principles. This may not surprise me as the team is literally made up of national players and the investment in keeping the players is extremely enormous. Therefore winning at all cost is something that cannot be compromised, which itself imposes considerable stress to the people behind the team.

The problem with the "hide & seek" approach is that it becomes an example for others to follow. The danger being when players of the team who are all national players or youngsters would think that this is "normal". Effectively we would be teaching them the wrong things and thereby players may find it difficult to distinguish between right and wrong.

This paves the way for indiscipline issues among players especially when they see people involved making a wrong look right. The maxim of "what is good for the goose is also good for the gander" may come to haunt Malaysian hockey if the leadership at clubs do not set good examples to their players. Indeed if any, issues pertaining to excessive drinking with late night partying during training, smoking, betting and so forth could have had their "seeds" sown because of such instances ie condoning acts that are normally not accepted in our country. Lets not be "teachers" for the wrong things in life if we are in a position to influence young sportsmen.