Failing to merge the men's and women's bodies in the state may cost Perak Hockey Association the host job for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup this year.
The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) had stipulated in their council meeting on Aug 18 in Malacca that the states which have not merged in accordance with the MHC constitution will no longer be considered as affiliates and are not allowed to host any tournaments.
At that time, Perak, Selangor and Terengganu had yet to adhere to regulations following the merger of the Malaysian Hockey Federation and the Malaysian Women Hockey Association.
However, Terengganu and Selangor went on to meet the deadline.
"The decision of having Dec 31 as the final deadline was taken at the MHC council meeting in Malacca in August, and I need to check with Perak HA on their status," said MHC secretary Datuk Johari Abdul Aziz.
"Perak HA cannot host any tournaments in accordance with our constitution.
"I am not at liberty to decide their fate as that's for the council or executive board to determine."
The status of Perak hockey not being merged was confirmed by Sports Commissioner Ahmad Shapawi Ismail.
"I really do not see what the problem is about merging as Selangor and Terengganu, who initially had issues, managed to merge without any fuss,"said Shapawi.
With the deadline over yesterday, it will be interesting to see the MHC carry out their threat or allow Perak HA to be continued to be run by two different entities — the men headed by Datuk Rahim Md Ariff, while the women are led by MHC deputy president Raja Puan Sri Noora Ashikin.
The Azlan Shah Cup also seems to have lost its glitter following the decision of the organisers to invite teams ranked lower than Malaysia for the 2014 edition.
New Zealand and Argentina declined the invitation while India, who had initially confirmed their participation, withdrew two weeks ago.
Malaysia could have invited the likes of Japan and China but did not do so, opting to invite South Africa instead who are also likely to decline as they will be in Kuantan for the Champions Challenge 1 in April.
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