DISREGARDING CONSTITUTION

In what can only be labeled as startling and a sheer abuse of power, it can be revealed now that a letter from SSTMI to field a girls team from the school was addressed to a Senior Vice President on MHC and not through the MHC Secretary.

And the entry form was not endorsed by Bahagian Sukan of the Ministry of Education thus raising concerns so as to why the team was listed by MHC in their micro website in the first place.

And it gets even murkier as the said official then tried to convince members of the MHC Competitions Committee to accept the entry via an email to the members.

Let us take a step back into 2011 and revisit the participation of a team called MWHA-SSBP in the MJHL that year.

Matri, a team from Perlis refused to play against the MWHA-SSBP team on religious grounds and that resulted into Matri being thrown out of the league, fined RM500 and banned for a year.

Is MHC willing to risk such a situation to satisfy the ego of one personality?

Several clubs and states contacted by this blog voiced their dis-satisfaction over the decision.

Looking at it from a develioment perspective, putting aside religious sentiments, it will be good for hockey but it will be better if there was a womens junior hockey league that I had advocated to this personality years ago.

Shifting goal posts in the midst of a match is something MHC should never do as it will be unfair to womens teams from states or clubs had this been made known earlier.

While it is left to be seen what MHC will do on this issue, they should investigate asvto why SSTMI was misled into addressing the letter to the said official; why was the entry accepted and listed on their official website and why the need to coerce the members of the Competitions Committee?

It is necessary for MHC to put their house in order,  not allow individuals to overstep their boundaries and above all protect the intergrity of MHC from being continously being dragged into the mud week in and week out.

A MOCKERY OF MJHL

It seems that MHC has accepted the entry of a team SSTMI Girls. There was a girls team participating a couple of years ago but that was an exception as the MWHA failed to organize events to cater for women hockey.

But with the so called specialist office bearer who considers herself as gods gift to Malaysian Hockey insisting that every tournament for the men is duplicated for the women, then why is there no Junior League for women?

No disrespect to SSTMI, but the girls should compete at their own competition and since MHC has accepted a women's team, then lets have an influx of teams, lets let women club sides into the league as well.

Since some want to make a mockery of things, lets make it a full circus.

MJHL UPDATES - ONLY AT UNOFFICIAL SITE

The MJHL entries closed on Saturday noon but till now there has been no update on the MHC Website nor its micro site for the MJHL. Hence the UNOFFICAL website www.mjhl.com.my takes the trouble to update hockey lovers. Its easy to talk but always difficult to construct a sentence, what more a full story. But wait, the easy way out, just copy and paste.

Though the closing date of the Malaysian Junior Hockey League was today, there are still teams missing from the official list released by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation.

It probably has to do with the fact that the MHC Office closed at 12.30 noon, and some teams could not make it on time to submit their entries. Hence while MHC says there are 24 teams in total, with 8 in First Division and 16 in the Second Division, this website has received confirmation that two teams from Johor had actually submitted their entries earlier in the morning, thus 26 is the correct figure.

 

Read more...www.mjhl.com.my

GET SMART, MHC STYLE

At times, or rather most of the time, the MHC administration is accused of being so slow in acting on matters.

But take a look at the circular they sent out on the 2013 Malaysian Hockey League. Yup you read it right, the letter is dated January 1, 2013 but was emailed out today.

And that is not all, the circular is so shallow that a club actually emailed asking the following questions, which are valid points.

How many teams to play in Premier and Div 1

Which are team to play in Premier

How will the game be played –home and away or only at KL

Games to play only on weekend or even during normal days

What is the subsidy for the Premier Div Team

What is the subsidy for the Div One team

Price money for each category

Umpiring improvement plan, same as this year or we have any changes such as video or third umpire as reference

Media publicity for the participating teams

Players insurance due to injury during game

Who will sit in the organizing committee, will the team repsentitive will be included in the organizing committee

What is the plan for MHC to make this tournament the success one

Plans to attract crowd to watch games, we r playing in empty stadium

Medical assistance for teams from MHC

Will this league be better league than the last few previous year or just another calendar date to fulfill.

Ironically that is not all the inadequate issues the circular is guilty of for it is mentioned that each club will receive the RM2,000 as subsidy for using the sponsors logo. But whatever happened to the RM2,000 for the 2012 season which teams have yet to receive till today?

The President of MHC Tengku Abdullah promised a revamped MHL, but what the clubs are getting is recycled circulars as the Competitions Committee under the new leadership of M. Gobinathan seems to have gone into a slumber if they are dishing out re-runs.

The MHL is a marketable product but when you let personalities that could not care less about the sport, then you get have baked ideas as well.

Over to you President, live up to your word of improving the MHL. These questions beg for an answer and there are more then doubts your people know what they are saying right now.,

 

REVINGTON: MUCH TO DO YET

After having coached the national team for the past three months, Paul Revington has made an impression with his result orientated style.

A bronze medal finish at the AHF Champions Trophy, equalling the feat of Ordos last year, coming on the heels of an impressive outing at the Champions Challenge in Argentina has given the South African a renewed sense of optimism as to what the national team can achieve.

He spent some time replying to questions posed by this blog before flying of to Cape Town to spend a much deserved break with his wife Sandy and the family.

Read what he shares exclusively with this blog: 

Malaysian Hockey: Your overall assessment on the performance of the team? 

Revs: We scored 20 goals in 6 games (could have been more had we not battled with PC's in game versus Oman on bumpy surface) - so pleased again with that aspect to go with 22 from Champions Challenge 1. There is still lots of work to be done in attack and defence - but pleased with the speed of improvement made inside of 4-5 weeks of actual training time with squad. 
 

Malaysian Hockey: Any players that impressed you? 

Revs: Several - just not wanting to name them separately to the Team/Squad. 
 

Malaysian Hockey: What makes the team tick, adapt to new style fast? 

Revs: I think the new adaptations to the already existing Malaysian style are difficult not to like and/or embrace as a player. It just involves the next level of current evolution in the game. The Leaders in the Squad have played a big part as has all the support staff. 
 

Malaysian Hockey: The plans for January and February, any matches or tours lined up? 

Revs: I am in the process of getting these established and can't confirm any games/tours - although there are several lined up. I am wanting the squad to take a break until around mid January 2013 as their bodies (and minds) must be rested before we start the next 8-9 month season. 
Malaysian Hockey: Any changes to be made to squad of 30? Who from reserve list of 8 likely to be drafted in? 

Revs: Any official changes only made after the next MHL round. Players could be requested to train with the Squad as additions - this could include players from the 8 attachment squad or from the National U21 Squad.

MALAYSIA TAKE BRONZE

Malaysia exacted sweet revenge over China, winning 3-1 and taking the bronze innthe second edition of the AHF Champions Trophy in Doha tonight.

China cost Malaysia a place in the final with a 2-1 win in the preliminary round and threatened a repeat performance as they took a halftime lead through a goal scored by Liu Yi Xian in the 21st minute.

Mohd Marhan Jalil scored the equalizer in the 41st minute with a delightful reverse stick hit. And in the 60th minute pint sized Mohd Razir Rahim put Malaysia 2-1 ahead from a penalty corner.

Hardly seconds later a Chinese player turned the ball into his own net after an attempt by Azlan Misron to give Malaysia a 3-1 lead which they held on to repeat the bronze feat achieved in Ordos China last year.

Earlier Oman created the pest of the tournament when they edged Japan 2-1 to take the fifth spot.

DID INDIA PLAY TO LOSE?

That seems to be the question mark in minds of many after Malaysia had taken a 4-0 lead over India in the AHF Champions Trophy match in Doha last night.

Malaysia needed six goals to pip Pakistan for a place in the final, and the Pakistanis were incensed when Malaysia scored four within 38 minutes, so much so there was an angry exchange of words between Indian and Pakistani coaches.

Pakistan’s 5-2 result meant that Malaysia knew exactly how much they had to score against India to qualify – six goals to be precise. Dark horse Malaysia, who had held Pakistan to a 3-3 draw earlier in the tournament, were all over the Indian territory right from the word go and they pumped in three goals – in the 18th, 20th and 27th minute before going into the breather leading 3-0.

Soon after the change of ends, India conceded another goal and now the scoreboard read 4-0. Suddenly an impossible target looked achievable. Several eyebrows were raised following the dramatic turnaround of events and chants of cheating and match fixing echoed around the ground.

Read the quotes lifted from The Gulf Timres and draw your own conclusions.

Malaysian coach Paul Revington also came in support of the Indian team saying, “I don’t think India was deliberately back paddling at any stage. I had given my team instructions to go all out and they did that. We piled on the pressure on India. It was unfortunate that we had a bad match against China or else we would have been through to the finals. We played well to even draw against Pakistan,” said Revington adding that, a third place would be a good rewards for the team after coming this far.

 

Pakistan coach Rasool also felt there was something fishy and he left the VVIP box, heading straight to the India dugout and was seen exchanging words (See picture).

Trailing 4-0, India replaced their custodian P Srejeesh with PT Rao and then the team showed some spine. They rallied back with three goals – in the 48th, 61st and 63rd minutes. And with every goal, Pakistan’s chances of qualifying brightened and the negative chants from the Pakistani supporters also stopped. Even the Pakistan team members, who were watching the game from the players’ enclosure, were seen getting behind the Indian players as they scored back. India eventually lost the match 5-3 and Pakistan made it through to the finals on better goal average than Malaysia.

As coach Rasool walked past the India dugout after the match, few of Indian players was seen giving him a mouthful. The Indian team physio Sreekanth Iyengar was heard saying, “Sir, we didn’t expect this from you. You are such a senior player. Is this how you talk to our coach? You guys are talking about playing Test series with this type of behaviour. You saw how we fought back in the second half.”

Rasool though choose not to respond this time, when probed by journalists later said, “What should I say? You all saw what was happening. It is for you all to judge. They were not giving 100 percent.”

India coach Nobbs speaking about the incident said, “Our players took things a bit lightly at the beginning. I think they were already thinking ahead after being in the finals. Malaysia is a strong team and they made us pay. We had to work hard for our goals.

“As far as Rasool goes, I don’t want to talk much. He behaved in a very unprofessional manner.”