It was an interesting conversation with regards to the national hockey team.
For the topic was on its participation at the forthcoming Champions Challenge and the Azlan Shah Cup 2012.
Let's take it one by one though.
While MHF named Stephen van Huizen as the Assistant Manager of the team to Johannesburg, he was in actual fact a last minute inclusion.
For in the registration sent to South African Hockey earlier, the MHF named Mokhtar Lassim, the Medical Assistant as the Stand In Manager. And before MHF officials want to deny this, let me assure them that I have a copy of the registration form in my possession.
So why was Stephen a last minute inclusion?
Next the Azlan Shah Cup. It is to be held from Feb 2-12 at Ipoh.
The Olympic Qualifiers is scheduled for March 11-18 in Dublin. So effectively there are only 32 days between the two events.
And that too not taking into account the traveling dates, for the team should be in Dublin at least a week before the qualifiers for lest the great coaches forget it is the tail-end of winter in Europe.
So how come Tai Beng Hai agreed to Azlan Shah Cup to be held so close to the Qualifiers?
Why deny two juniors of a chance to play at the recent Sultan Johor Cup as he advocated that it was too close to the Champions Challenge.
And lest he forgets, his contention that the MHL should not be held as he wanted to concentrate on preparing the team and does not staging the Azlan Shah Cup work against the team for any injuries, as was the argument for MHL, might affect the team?
Or is this a case of having a ready made excuse should we fail to qualify for London 2012?
So do the honorable thing,for the draw for the qualifiers has been kind, hence those associated with the national team and those who have misled the President and Council of MHF, be brave enough to declare now that they will vacate their positions should we fail at Dublin.
But wait a moment, was not the whole MHC thing a manipulation to secure their seats for the next 4 years in addition to the one year they have served?
Keep up the drama for some can actually win awards for play acting, for they keep giving false hopes to stay in position.
