Saturday, October 20, 2012

BIG PLANS FOR RAZAK CUP


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The Tun Abdul Razak Cup will most likely be held in Kuantan for the next five years as Malaysian Hockey Confederation President Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah attempts to make it one of the most popular and competetive hockey tournaments in the country.

Despite it being the 50th year in existence, probabaly the longest hockey tournament in the world, the Razak Cup has been criticised, right from the poor timing, fixtures to poor attendance, let alone the lack of importance paid to it by the MHC and hosts Pahang Hockey Association.

And that got Tengku Abdullah all riled up and when met after the MHC Annual General Meeting in Kuantan this afternoon, Tengku Abdullah admitted that it not only needs a revamp but more a reinvention in order to give the prestigious tournament the due respect it deserves.

“What I have in mind is to create a benchmark, improve standrads in other words to something akin to Malaysia Cup, so that it can renew the inter state rivalry in hockey,” revealed Tengku Abdullah.

“I have some ideas, and want to be hands on, thus I want the Razak Cup to be held in Pahang.

“Other states can apply to host it if they can match what is being offered in Pahang. So what I ask for it to give me a chance, I would not call it privitisation but would like to form a working group in order to make it happen.”

When asked if MHC would want to look at the ossibility of forming a MHC owned company, similar to what the Football Association of Malaysia did when they formed the MSL Sdn Bhd during Tengku Abdullah’s tenure earlier in 2000, he did not discount the possibility but lamented that it was two different sports.

“It is difficult to do that, let me look at the MHL structure first as the committee responsible is supposed to get back to me about their proposal first,” said Tengku Abdullah.