WHAT A JOKE, OR JOKES

It was one messy affair at the team managers meeting of the Milo-NSC Junior Hockey League at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil today.

From fixtures that made no sense to over zealous manner of conducting the meeting right down to basic fundamentals of answering queries from team managers.

Lets take it one step at a time and start with fixtures that really take the cake.

Just because of the failure to address the issue of teams from the same school needing to play the first match to avoid the issue of "goals" coming into play, in this case from SSTMI, the MJHL will now start a day earlier, on Jan 10 instead of the next day.

Then the teams are required to play three consecutive matches. While that may be okay for a carnival like tournament, just look at this scenario - SMKDMT play a match in Tampin on Friday, play in Kuantan on Saturday and then rush back to play in Tampin on Sunday.

There are just so many mistakes or incompetency in drawing up the fixtures that one wonders the person responsible in drawing them up actually knows the fundamentals of how fixtures should be drawn up.

And while the rules clearly spell out that first mentioned teams are home teams, the answer received when it was raised smacked arrogance.

Then we look at the quarter finals where six out of eight teams in Division One qualify from Division One while 20 teams from Division Two vie for two spots. This is a ridiculous decision and when the stakeholders, being the teams, raised the issue, the answer they got was the Competition Committee has decided and no changes

Rightfully it should be taken back to the Committee for deliberation and even consider a play off between the sixth team in Division One and third in Division Two.

But when people who overstay their welcome and do not know what the MJHL is all about and try to assert their authority, then it's MHC that faces the wrath of the teams.

And in the end it's hockey that suffers.

Lets not even go into the issue of subsidy where the Secretary opts to blame the previous administration by saying files are missing.

You just need to walk out of your office and ask the staff in charge of accounts what the subsidy was last season.

But perhaps the person was too busy plotting with others how to destroy others when they are incompetent in the first place as evident today.

It sure is a Happy New Year.

EXCLUSIVE: LISSEK HEADS TO KOREA

Renowned master coach Paul Lissek will take up a role either as a consultant or chief coach with Korea later this month.

Lissek when contacted in his hometown in Limburg, Germany, confirmed with this blog that he will be going to Korea on January 13 after a brief stopover in Kuala Lumpur.

"It will present a new challenge to me and I have always admired Korean hockey. This is a good opportunity for me and I am happy to be heading to Korea," said Lissek.

"Very few people in Malaysia believe in me as a qualified and good coach.

"Australia sent to me big compliments through Ric Charlesworth regarding my work last three years.

"Germany let me know through Markus Weise (Head-Coach), that they regret my decision, for not being able to be their consultant from now on."

Lissek was first associated with Malaysian Hockey in 1995 when he used to come and conduct coaching clinics both for coaches and players under an NSC initiative.

While Malaysia were keen to get his services as a coach, Lissek instead recommended his understudy Volker Knapp who did well to lead Malaysia to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and two years later made it even better by qualifying for the 1998 World Cup in Utrecht after a hiatus of 16 years.

Lissek took over the reins of the national team, albeit on a temporary basis as he was in Malaysia preparing the national team for the Commonwealth Games in 1998 where Malaysia won a historic silver.

It was not until February 2001 that Lissek arrived to take a full time job and held the position until the 2004 Asia Cup after which he was dumped by the then MHF.

He then went on to sign as a consultant with Australia from 2010 until the 2012 London Olympics after which he made a brief appearance with the German Juniors at the Sultan Johor Cup where the Germans emerged champions.

Though several efforts were made to retain Lissek in Malaysia, especially by NSC Director General Dato Seri Zolkples Embong, it was all in vain as factions with MHC were throwing a spanner in the works.

Lissek was the one who came up and prepared the plan to form the 2017 Project Squad, involved in selecting and training the players over brief periods in the last two years.

It will be a Lissek led Korean team that will play in the forthcoming Azlan Shah Cup next March but while they may not be able to prove themselves, it is the Asia Cup in August where Lissek could use his inside knowledge to derail our hopes of a World Cup appearance, our last on merit being 1998, an effort by another German.

2013 SQUAD NAMED

Below is the list of 24 players and reserves that have been named as members of the Junior World Cup squad for the December challenge.

More on this later tonight.

Namelist for year 2013- Project team

MOHAMAD HAZRUL FAIZ AHMAD SOBRI, MUHAMMAD HAFIZUDDIN B. OTHMAN, MOHD NOR AQMAL ABDUL GAFFAR, SHAHZRUL IMRAN BIN NAZLI, MUHAMMAD RASHID BIN BAHAROM, KAVIN KARTIK S/O GOVINDASAMY, MUHAMMAD AZRI BIN HASSAN, MUHAMAD HAFIZ ZAINOL, MUHAMMAD ASLAM BIN MOHAMED HANAFIAH,
SHAZRIL IRWAN BIN NAZLI
MUHAMAD NAJIB BIN ABU HASSAN
Namelist for year 2013- Project team


MOHAMAD HAZRUL FAIZ AHMAD SOBRI

MUHAMMAD HAFIZUDDIN B. OTHMAN

MOHD NOR AQMAL ABDUL GAFFAR

SHAZRUL IMRAN BIN NAZLI

MUHAMMAD RASHID BIN BAHAROM

KAVIN KARTIK S/O GOVINDASAMY

MUHAMMAD AZRI BIN HASSAN

MUHAMAD HAFIZ ZAINOL

MUHAMMAD ASLAM BIN MOHAMED HANAFIAH

SHAZRIL IRWAN BIN NAZLI

MUHAMAD NAJIB BIN ABU HASSAN

DANGEROUSLEE MATHEW

MOHD SHAHRIL BIN SAABAH

MOHD ZULHAIRI B. HASHIM

SHAHRUL AZADDIN AUSKARZIE

MUHAMMAD AZWAR BIN ABDUL RAHMAN

SOBIRIN BIN ILIAS

MUHAMMAD HAZIQ BIN SAMSUL

MEOR MUHAMMAD AZUAN HASSAN

MUHAMMAD FIRHAN ASHARI

MUHAMMAD AMIRUL AIDEED

MUHAMMAD NAJMI FARIZAL

NORAZRUL ABD RAHMAN

MUHAMAD AMINUDIN MOH

Reserve
Norsyafiq Sumantri
Azrul Hasbullah
Azril Misron
Firdaus Omar
Zizi Azwan
Mohd Ridzwan

UMPIRES WALK OFF

Received information that two umpires walked off the pitch during the Project 2013 v KNSU matches last month

This was after one of the umpires was involved in a shouting spree with the Korean coach after a Korean player was hit on the face by the stick of a Malaysian player.

This is interesting as MHC attempted to just "close both eyes" in a situation that is potentially embarrassing to the country.

So while the MHC Umpires Committee Chairman deems it fit to usurp every position within the Competitions Committee, why has he not acted on this matter yet? It's time to get the house in order as so far as umpiring is concerned in the country.

So it appears that the Chairman is so keen to do everything these days, from doing fixtures to pitch inspection when he really should be looking into such incidents and act upon them.

It appears that one of the umpires had influenced the other to walk off, pack their bags and leave the stadium, thus forcing team officials to officiate the match themselves. The said incident happened just minutes into the second half.

And how is it that the MHC website administrators failed to write or highlight the said incident? Perhaps the policy of you scratch my back and I scratch yours was put into place.

Time to act Tengku Abdullah. Am certain that you were not aware of this incident and the impact it has on the good name of hockey in the country and internationally with HRH an elected member of the FIH.

It's a crying shame when certain officials within MHC gang up to serve self interest and when Chairmanship of Committees is just mere positions of status rather then being effective.

DREAMS DO COME TRUE

 S. Kumar ended up playing hockey by chance. For in 1994 when he was studying at the Tunku Besar Secondary School Tampin, he was training with the school football team that he was approached by the late V. Sivapathasundram to give hockey a try as a goalkeeper since he could kick with both feet.

Kumar was assured by Siva that he only had to be the reserve keeper for the school team, but little did he know that his whole life will change after that.

For not only did Kumar end up as the first choice keeper, but he went on to represent the national team, making his debut at the 1999 SEA Games in Brunei. He has gone on to win 203 interentional caps, playing in two World Cup Qualifiers ( 2006 China and 2009 Invercargil) besides three Olympi Qualifiers ( 2004 Madrid, 2008 Japan and 2012 Dublin) but never once played in the actual events as Malaysia failed to qualify.

And come January 16, Kumar will be creating history, for he will be the first goalkeeper from Malaysia to play in a foreign league when he turns out for Utter Pradesh Wizards in the Hockey India League.

The team is based in UP capital, Lucknow and holds one of the highest paid marquee players of the tournament, Teun de Nooijer from Netherlands. Among the notable players in the team are Tushar Khandker (India), Edward Ockenden (Australia), David Alegre (Spain) and  Luke Doerner (Australia.

UP Wizards will be coached Roelant Oltmans and the technical director of the team is Dhanraj Pillay, the former Indian captain who played in the Malaysian Hockey League.

The team has two goal keepers from the international circuit in George Bazeley from Australia, Kumar and one from India, Sreenivasa R. Katharu.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think of this moment, that I will be auctioned and be part of the HIL,"said Kumar when met while applying for a visa ll by himself without any official from the Malaysian Hockey Confederation.

"It is indeed not only a personal honour but one for the country as well for I had to compete with well known custodians from all over the world. And to think that I was picked over some household names in goalkeeping has further bossted my confidence.

"It will be a totally newexperience for me as I will be up against the world best players, what more playing in India, where hockey is amongst the most watched sport after cricket.

"This is a chance of a lifetime and I hope to fight for a place in the starting XI as it will be tough competing against Bazeley."

Kumar owes much of his interest in hockey to his late father S. Subramaniuam who passed away when Kumar was representing the nation at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. And it was with the encouragement of his mother K. Sarasah that Kumar continued playing the sport.

Not many are aware the sacrifices that Kumar had to make as a parent, for he was in China for the 2010 Asian Games when his first son Varshan was born two years ago. And he could only spend hours beides his wife L.Parimalah and their second born Haarshenn before catching the flight to Amsterdam for a goalkeeper coaching stint in November last year.

"My family is very understanding and have been supporting me. This month long stint requires a lot of sacrifices and I am indebted to my wife for being able to manage the kids," said Kumar who has won several accolades during his career as the best goalkeeper in many an international tournament.

Kumar feels that there is a wide gap between the senior and junior goalkeepers as both he and Ros;an Jamaluddin are in their 30's.

"It all boils down to have match exposure. And one will not get that sitting on the bench and waiting for their chance. Thus my advise to the keepers in the junior squad is to look for teams in the MHL where they will get to play instead of warming the bench," said Kumar.

"There is not better way to gain experience but by getting the necessary exposure. So what if you are on the losing side always. You will get to improve your game instead of just standing between the posts playing for a top team."

The UP Wizard Squad

George Bazeley (Australia), Sreenivasa Rao Katharu (India), Kumar Subramanium (Malaysia), M Gunasekar (India), Jeroen Hertzberger (Netherlands), P.L Thimmanna (India), Nitin Thimmaiah (India), S.K Uthappa, Pradhan Somanna, Tushar Khandker (India), Teun de Nooijer (Netherlands), Edward Ockenden (Australia), David Alegre (Spain), Pradeep Mor (India), Harjeet Singh (India), Sander Baart (Netherlands), Rocky Lohchab (India), Vivek Dhar (India), Siddharth Shanker (India), Luke Doerner (Australia), Harbir Singh (India), V.R Raghunath (India), Marcel Balkestein (Netherlands),Wouter Jolie (Netherlands).

A RECORD NUMBER OF TEAMS IN MJHL

A total of 28 teams will participate in the 2013 season of the Malaysian Junior Hockey League that will run from January 11 until March 3.

This is the highest number of entries since the MJHL was initiated in 1995 and the teams have been placed in two divisions.

Division One will comprise of 8 teams while Division Two will have two groups with each group comprising of10 teams each.

The attempt to include the SSTMI Girls team by the MHC Senior Vice President was defeated at the MHC Competitions Committee Meeting.

The teams in Division One are defending double champions SSTMI, UniKL Young Guns, Bukit Jalil Sports School, MSSSPP-USM, MBI-Anderson, PJCC, SSTMI Juniors and newly promoted Malacca High School.

For Group A the teams comprise mostly from the northern region in order to cut down the cost of travel. The teams are, Sabah Juniors, Anderson Juniors -PHA, PHK-MSSS Kelantan, 1MAS Penang, Matri, SM Sains Tun Azlan Shah, KHA Juniors, MSN-PHP-MSSS Perlis, Nur Insafi and Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman Ipoh.

Group B will comprise of Tunku Besar Secondary School, SMK Dato Mohd Taha Gemencheh, Olak-PKT, SMK Padang Midin, MSN-PHJ-MSSS Johor, Politeknik KPT, Kuala Langat, BJSS Juniors, KL Sports School and Tunas Muda Pahang.

CRYSTAL CLEAR BY TENGKU ABDULLAH

While the Malaysian Hockey Confederation continue to play games with regards to the participation of the SSTMI girls team in the Malaysian Junior League, the MHC President Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah spoke like a true leader, taking the bull by its horns.

"Since its just an idea,I think its not a good suggestion. Ladies should have their own league, with the inclusion of strong team from the girls school," said Tengku Abdullah when his views sought on the statement by the MHC Secretary Johari Aziz in a local daily today.

That statement alone should make matters crystal clear as Tengku Abdullah made it obvious that he is not agreeable and proposed a women's MJHL, something the Competition Committee should have thought of instead of allowing one of their members to bulldoze her way.

The said personality should be taken to task for bringing disrepute to the game and at the same time putting MHC in bad light and rightfully should be brave enough to admit the error and design from the Competition Committee.

The issue was first highlighted by this blog when the name of SSTMI Girls appeared on the MHC micro website as one of the teams of playing in the Division Two.

It was then learnt that it was the prodding of the MHC Senior Vice President that led SSTMI sending in an application addressed to the said Senior VP who in turn tried to lobby members of the MHC Competitions Committee via email.

In the first place procedure was not followed as the entry was not submitted through the Sports Nit of the Ministry of Education. And more importantly MHC was shifting the goal posts to allow a favored team instead of opening the MJHL to other girls teams as well.

It was in 2011 that a MWHA team played in the MJHL but that was on invitation and that led to issues when Matri refused to play them and were subsequently thrown out from the MJHL, fend RM500 and barred from participating for a year.

So why would MHC want to revisit history and create an issue. Best is the matter not be discussed at all and ignore the entry, but not before taking those responsible to task first.

Infact many hockey officials have voiced their concerns with regards to the participation of the SSTMI Girls. Here we carry their messages either ia email or SMS to this blog without naming them as MHC is known to go after them.

"Regardless of lack in women tourney ( which need to be address as well), SSTMI girls don't belong in MJHL albeit Division Two,( competitiveness wise). I might agree to women national team to participate (still some might cry over sensitive religious issue). if this is already a decision, I wold question which body in MHC that resolute to this ridiculous precedent."

"Do all the participating teams know about this? Will this be discussed during the managers meeting? Why are they taking the risk again and what has the Competition Committee to say about this?"

"We already had a problem a few years ago where a Perlis team refused to play?"

"I totally disagree. In MHL do we let the senior women team participate. That will be better instead of wasting money participating in overseas tournaments. Will Matri play against the girls team. They should let other girls team to participate as well and not bother doing a JHL for girls."

"MHC making a mockery of the MJHL. I don't agree and MHC should consult teams first."