THE GOOD DOCTOR SURVIVES THE ILL WILL

https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2020/04/588629/dr-ramlan-injects-good-health-malaysian-sports

By Tony Mariadass

DR RAMLAN INJECTS GOOD HEALTH INTO MALAYSIAN SPORTS

IT is common knowledge that if a person wants to survive being involved in Malaysian sports, he or she has to play ‘sports politics’.
But not in the case of Datuk Dr Ramlan Abd Aziz, who rose through the ranks to become a leading authority in sports medicine and sports science technology, a no-nonsense officer in the anti-doping community of practitioners in Malaysia and a sports administrator, and all this in his 32 years of service.

Dr Ramlan, on turning 60 on April 21, retired.
Looking back his career was met with many challenges including deceit and disappointments, non-appreciation of his work and being bumped around.
But there were also the pleasing moments mostly at the grassroots of athletes, honest sports officials and loyal staff, all of whom shower him with accolades.
A down to earth person with no airs although he held some important portfolios, Dr Ramlan always had time and never failed to listen to anyone who approached him for any reason whatsoever.
Although a true blue medical man, administration was not his forte, although he tried his best and managed. Knowing his limitations in this area, Dr Ramlan readily brought in people who were experts to assist him, but sadly many undermined him and made him look bad.
That was Dr Ramlan – he trusted people explicitly and gave them space to work independently and listened to their advice - which was more often than not abused by these people.
But despite led down the wrong path by his trusted lieutenants, the good doctor never once had a bad thing to say about any of them. His nice-guy persona was used against him by many.
However, his medical skills did not go unnoticed and he stood out to be a recognised and respected figure regionally and internationally.
Dr Ramlan sits on various international and national committees like the Health and Safety Committee of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), the Medical and Sports Science Committee of the Asian Paralympic Council (APC), the Therapeutic Use Exemption Sub-Committee of the FIH and the Medical and Anti-Doping Committee of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM).
He was a member of the Health Ministry of Malaysia’s Specialisation Committee for Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine that vets and approves applications for specialist recognition from appropriately qualified and gazetted doctors in Malaysia.
There were numerous occasions when attempts were made to discredit him or shuffle him around by many who were envious of him or had their own agenda, but never once did Dr Ramlan use his ‘connections or people in power’ whom he knew well (ministers included) and some were close relatives, to get even with his 'unseen enemies'.
Once asked why he did not want to use his ‘connections’, he simply replied: “I want to be recognised on merit and not try to stay in any position using my 'so called' connections.
“If people want my position, let them have it. I can still contribute in many ways to sports which is always close to my heart.”
That is the true Dr Ramlan. He is humble, honest and humility is his virtue.
His father may have been just a baber but the way his wife and himself brought up Ramlan, has everything to do with the kind of person he is today.
Dr Ramlan, the eldest in a family of five, many may not know, is an accomplished musician too and it runs in the family. He plays the guitar and drums. His brother is famous music composer Roslan Aziz.
 
Dr Ramlan, still has a band comprising his fellow students of MCKK (he is the oldest member in the band), who on rare occasions make appearances at The Malay College, Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) functions and jam nights.
 
In writing his profile at the end of his career, Dr Ramlan said: “It hit me at the end ... how much that I had done. Certainly it wasn’t all good or the best of me at all points ... but it just left me with a sense of - did I do all that ... and how did I find the time and energy to do those things.?"
The well-read and articulate doctor went on: “I don’t worry about being forgotten for my own sake, but at least for my family, whom I had neglected quite often at various points along the way ... just to get some sense that all missed, love and comfort, was not in vain.”
 
Dr Ramlan is married to Datin Dr Nasibah Mohamad Ali and the couple have five children - Zaira (Rehab and Wellness Clinic Manager, Sports Science graduate UM), Dr Madiha (English Literature PhD Adelaide, UIAM Lecturer), Dr Abdul Muiz (Ipoh Hospital), Fariha (lawyer) and Adeeba (Biochemistry UPM) and a granddaughter, Lily Sarah Fidzuan (23 months, born to Madiha)
Dr Ramlan was born in Kuala Lumpur and had his early education at SRJK (English) Jalan Padang Tembak and went on to join MCKK.
He started his medical career in 1988 as a young government officer.
After graduating from the National University of Malaysia (UKM) in 1987, he did his housemanship at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital (same hospital he was born), before a brief stint as Medical Officer at the same hospital’s Outpatient Department. On being transferred to the Kuantan General Hospital, he gathered invaluable experience for nearly a year in the Anesthesiology Department until 1990 when he left the Ministry of Health to join the National Sports Council of Malaysia (NSC) as a Sports Medical Officer on 10th May, 1990.
His long and illustrious career in sports medicine is underlined by his being at six Olympics with the Malaysian team - from Barcelona 1992 to London 2012 -  five of which he served as Chief Medical Officer.
Another highlight was his sixteen-year tenure as team doctor with Malaysia’s hockey teams, starting with the National Junior men’s team in 1991, which culminated in the Junior Men’s World Cup in Barcelona, Spain in 1993 where he worked with highly experienced Malaysian coach, C. Paramalingam.
He was soon leading a double life as the team doctor of the men's senior team as well, having had a brief stint at the Beijing Asian Games 1990. He resumed his involvement with the senior team for the Barcelona Olympics, initially working with Australian coach Terry Walsh and then a succession of renowned coaches such as Germans Volker Knapp and Paul Lissek, and finally with Malaysia's Stephen Van Huizen until February 2006.
He was appointed Director General of the NSC in July 2005 by then Sports Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman.
As if all that was not enough, Dr Ramlan also found time to serve as team doctor for the national badminton squad, working with elite players such as Datuk Wira Lee Chong Wei and Wong Choong Hann among many others and with renowned coaches Datuk Misbun Sidek, Denmark's Morten Frost, Han Jian of China, South Korean Park Joo Bong and Indonesia's Rexy Mainaky. He was deeply involved in the medical care and high performance scientific service management for the badminton squad with regular stints at the Thomas Cup and other world badminton tournaments from 1996 to 2006.
He was also involved in the rise of several sports while leading ISN, working closely with world-class coaches John Beasley of Australia in track cycling, China's Yang Zhuliang in diving and other coaches in paralympic athletics, archery, karate-do and taekwondo. He never neglects the so-called smaller sports as he firmly believes in helping those who believe in sports science as a way of garnering meaningful and sustainable progress.
He led the Malaysian medical team to numerous regional games festivals like the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the SEA (South-East Asian) Games which featured not only his medical service but also leading teams of fellow doctors, paramedics, physiotherapists and also sports scientists that included psychologists, dietitians, physical conditioning experts and video analysts.
The pinnacle of his career with the Malaysian Games Contingents came when he was given the honour of leading the delegation as Chef-de-Mission at the SEA (South-East Asian) Games in Laos 2009 and the Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, China 2010.
His multi-disciplinary roles and responsibilities as a leader also saw him serve as Director of the National Sports Institute (NSI) from 1996 to 2005, Director General and later Chief Executive of the ISN from 2007 until 2016, advisor in Sports Science and Medicine to the Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin between 2012 and 2013 and as the Director of the Anti-Doping Agency of Malaysia (ADAMAS) at Sports Ministry for two years from 2017.
He had played a pivotal role in establishing ADAMAS in 2007 and led its progress among his other myriad of responsibilities, until 2015 when it became an independent organisation within the Sports Ministry structure.
He returned to ISN to resume his role as Senior Consultant Sports Physician in January, 2019, until his retirement.
Although now retired, Dr Ramlan has one more project on his hands – a book he is almost finishing on Malaysia’s Olympians which will be unveiled before the Tokyo Olympics.
Indeed, Dr Ramlan has had a colourful career which he served with much distinction and will be hard to be match by anyone.

SAVING MALAYSIAN FOOTBALL

https://www.nst.com.my/sports/football/2020/04/586106/how-save-malaysian-football

By Tony Mariadass

Thinking out of the box

There are several options the FA of Malaysia can adopt to save the M-league from being totally cancelled this season because of the Covid 19 pandemic.

The FA of Malaysia will be coming out with a statement this week for the way forward for the M-League which has been derailed by the pandemic.

While the cancellation of the M-League would be the last option, but it has been underlined that the health and safety of the players is more important than the game itself.

But with the Movement Control Order (MFO) expected to prolong but probably with lesser restrictions, one area which the Ministry of Health is strongly recommending is the ban on inter-state or boundary crossing.

If this rule comes into effect, it will virtually cripple the M-League which will not allow teams to travel for their matches.

The inter-state travel ban which is expected to be implemented for at least six months if started from May, will end in September.

So one option FAM or the Malaysian Football League (MFL), can consider is to seek for special permission from the authorities to bring all teams to a central location – say Kuala Lumpur – and place them in separate hotels with strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) related to the Covid 19 observed.

But before that all players, coaches, their staff and team officials, will have to undergo the Covid 19 tests and be cleared before they can travel.

Then they can be transported from one ‘Clean Area’ to another ‘Clean Area’ and constantly monitored from time to time. Adopt the present quarantine rules observed by Hotels which is used for quarantine passengers coming from overseas.

Organise a month long league to complete the M-League fixtures (but only one match instead of two – home and away format), to be played in empty stadiums and streamed live to the fans.

This way the players will still be employed and the fans still can get their dose of football.

Presently teams have played four games each which leaves 18 more matches if played home and away.

If the carnival format and centralising the teams does not get the approval of the authorities, then the best option is if cancel the M-League and concentrate of the Malaysia Cup.

The Malaysia Cup can be played on a knockout system in October and complete the FA Cup fixtures too.

Discuss with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and seek their approval to allow the FA and Malaysia Cup winners to qualify for AFC tournaments next year.

Under this format, May to August can be considered as off season.

The other option would be to resume the M-League in October and run into 2021 like the English Premier League which runs over two years.

Of course the off-season in May to August will raise questions with salaries of players and coaches, which needs to be discussed and resolved.

It is definitely better than the league being cancelled and players and coaches out jobs.

Food for thought. Over to you FAM and MFL.

Ends.

A 'NEW NORM PLAYING FIELD' FOR MALAYSIAN ATHLETES

By Tony Mariadass

 ‘New Norms’ to change the face of sports

https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2020/04/585823/new-norm-playing-field-malaysian-athletes

WHEN this 'war' against Covid 19 is won, although it may not be a total victory, the world as we know it will have little choice but to embrace ‘new norms’ and people must change their lifestyle completely.

   The anticipated devastation of this virus will be huge and felt in all corners of the world. Besides affecting the lifestyle of the world's population, it will also have huge impact on the different economies, businesses, employment, poverty and the list goes on.

   But sports and entertainment, nowadays a major part of our lifestyle, is one area which is going to be hit severely.

   Will there be huge crowds at sports or entertainment events like in the recent past?

   Here in Malaysia, the strong possibility that mass gatherings at events will not be allowed for at least another six months, is going to have a negative impact on sports.

   With all activities, sports or otherwise, suspended during the Covid 19 pandemic and the Movement Control Order (MCO) in place, all major sporting events came to a shuddering halt. When will things be back to normal? That's anybody's guess.

   When things are back to normal, the M-League, as an example, is definitely not going to be the same.

   Are matches going to be played to empty stadiums or maybe a restricted number of fans be allowed for each match as stadium capacities will be halved or even reduced to one-third?

   Is there going to be social distancing enforced at stadiums where fans (if allowed) must sit one metre away from each other and demarcations are made in the stadiums?

  Are there going to be new rules governing the use of sports equipment where it's compulsory for athletes to wear masks or even gloves?

  Also, no handshakes or hugging?

  No celebrations after scoring a goal or on wrapping a victory?

  In sports where a net separates the opposing players, like badminton and sepak takraw, contact between players will minimised.

  What about swimming? Is it safe to jump into the pool with numerous other swimmers in it?

  Sanitisers placed around the stadium?

  Sanitisers curtain is a must at all sporting venues? Stadiums must be sanitised before and after every match.

  What about sports in schools? Is physical education going to be a classroom session? No more field activities?

How is all this going to affect the health of the younger generation?

   All this is happening while we have been actively promoting a healthy lifestyle to the young and older generation which in turn helps keep of our health bills lower.

   What will happen to the numerous weekend fun-runs which have become a norm in Malaysia?

And what about fitness centres and sports gymnasiums? Will social distancing be rule? Will clients or sportsmen and women going to feel safe?

  In Australia where sports is a part of their culture, Aussies are still allowed to engage in physical exercise (either alone or in the company of no more than one other person).

  But Malaysians, regrettably, are not as disciplined as the Australians. Just look at the number of cars on the roads or the number of people at markets and supermarkets, despite the MCO being in place and if not heeded can result in a heavy fine, arrest and being charged in court.

  As more and more people clamour for flexibility during the MCO, they had better be prepared for life being totally different when the MCO is relaxed or lifted. They must get used to the ‘New Norms’ which could well last a few years.

Probably and sadly, sports will turn to E-sports as an alternative and gain further popularity, although it has been shunned by many as a ‘non sport’, which only turns people into ‘couch potatoes’.

  Sportsmen and women get ready for ‘Distancing Control Order’.

GET HELP FROM EXPERTS FIRST, KRITHANA TOLD

By Tony Mariadass

 Eye for a gold?

Karim Ibrahim, Perak Amateur Athletics Association (PAAA) president, has called for thorough assistance to national triple jumper, R. Krithana, before even considering her to be enlisted as a para athlete.

Karim, the former Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) president, was puzzled why there is a rush to get the 23-year-old athlete who hails from Bagan Serai to become a para athlete before every avenue has been exhausted to assist her to correct her failing eye sight.

Krithana has been having eye sight problems since 2017 but her vision has been deteriorating and finished a seventh in last year’s Sea Games in Philippines in her third Games.

It was later revealed that her poor performance at the New Clark City Athletics City was because she could not see the jumping board and had a few foul jumps.

“I urge the National Sport Council (NSC) and National Sports Institute (NSI) to do everything possible to assist her by sending her to specialists for tests and assist her if her condition can be corrected or at least improved. She is a national athlete and NSC, NSI and even MAF should look into saving her condition from deteriorating further,” said Karim.

“If tests have been done, I would like to know her real condition and if there is anyway Perak AAA can assist further for further tests or rectify her condition, we will.

“We also will provide her any welfare assistance, as we understand she lost her father two months ago and the family has difficulties, as only her older brother is employed.”

Krithana, a mass communication undergraduate with University Putra Malaysia, when contacted, confirmed that she is considering becoming a para athlete but said that she has no knowledge of her actual condition and whether her condition will qualify her as a para athlete.

“I had gone for a test after returning from Philippines, but had returned back home in January as my father was ill (has since passed away two months ago) and do not know the result of the test.

“Of course I want to get back my normal eye sight if possible or correct it to be better, but as a last resort I may have to consider being a para athlete if my condition worsens,” said Krithana who is contract navy personnel, as she runs for them.

Asked how she manages with her studies with her eyesight, she said: “I manage with contact lenses.”

Krithana’s coach, Ahmad Firdaus Salim, has claimed that the doctor who examined her, had told that Krithana has uncorrected refractive errors – a condition where the eye is misshapen (not having the normal or natural shape or form), preventing successful refraction and suggests her competes as para athlete.

Paralympic athletics head coach R. Jeganathan, also confirmed that he has been approached to see if Krithana can compete as a para athlete.

“As a Paralympic coach I will assist anyone who has a handicap and but the athlete first has to be certified by the Paralympic Council, that the he or she, has a handicap,” said Jeganathan.

“However, I hope that relevant bodies first test Krithana to ensure that her handicap is serious and cannot be corrected. I am here to assist her if that is her last resort.

“I was told that Krithana has gone for a test at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital and was said to be suffering from eye nerve problem,” he added.

However, Jeganathan also said that like several Paralympic athletes, Kirthana if certified as a Paralympic, can still compete under the able bodied athletics meet.

National paralympians Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli (shot putt) and Abdul Latiff Romly (long jump) are two athletes who compete under the able bodied athletics meet.

Dr S. Radha Krishnan, president of Malaysian Blind Sports Association (MBSA) and also deputy president Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM), said he sympathises with Krithana’s condition but she must first get herself tested by certified doctors by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

“Firstly, Krithana should get assistance to see if her condition can be reversed or made better. We are taking about deteriorating eyesight and it is serious, because it effects a person’s life,” said Dr Radha.

“But if her condition is bad and has already been tested to give her assistance, then I can assist to get one of the three certified doctors by IPC from Malaysia to test her.”

According to Dr Radha, the three doctors in Malaysia who are certified are Dr Vijaya Menon and Geetha Ramakrishnan (both Tun Hussein Onn Eye Hospital) and Datuk Dr Rokiah Omar (UKM).

To be eligible to compete at the Paralympic Games, athletes must have at least one of the following diagnoses:

·        Impairment of the eye structure

·        Impairment of the optic nerve or pathways

·        Impairment of the visual cortex of the brain.

Athletes are classified according to their level of corrected vision and must have an impairment in both eyes that meets the minimal disability criteria of visual acuity that is less than or equal to LogMAR = 1.00 (6/60) and/or a visual field that is less than a radius of 40 degrees.

Karim said that he hopes that the interest of Krithana to improve her eye sight is given utmost importance and not look at her as an opportunity to win medals in the Paralympic competitions including seeing her qualify for the Olympics, where will have a chance to win medal and get rewards.

Krithana has a personal best of 13.48 has finished fifth in the Asian championship in Doha last year with a distance of 13.33m.

Ends.

Get help from experts first, Krithana told

FILE PIX: Perak Amateur Athletics Association president Datuk Karim Ibrahim.

By Tony Mariadass - April 16, 2020 @ 8:15am

THERE is a move to get national triple jump champion, R. Krithana to become a para-athlete due to her failing eyesight.

However, Perak Amateur Athletics Association (PAAA) president Karim Ibrahim has called for the authorities to provide extensive medical assistance for her before anything else.

Karim is puzzled over the hurry to get the 23-year-old from Bagan Serai to switch to para-athletics before every avenue to help her vision, has been exhausted.

He said the priority should be on improving Krithana’s eyesight and not for others to think about her in a situation to win medals in Paralympic competitions and get rewards.

Krithana’s eyesight has been deteriorating since 2017. And it led to her finishing seventh (she could not see the jumping board and had a few foul jumps) in December’s Sea Games in Philippines. She came in fifth in last year’s Asian championship in Doha with a distance of 13.33m.

“I urge the National Sport Council (NSC) and National Sports Institute (NSI) to do everything possible to help Krithana,” said Karim.

“Help her by sending her to specialists and see if her condition can be corrected or at least improved.

“She is a national athlete and NSC, NSI and even MAF (Malaysian Athletics Federation) should look into giving her the best possible medical help.

“If tests have been done, I would like to know what is her ‘real’ condition, and if there is anyway Perak AAA can help in further treatment.

“We will provide her with welfare assistance, as we understand that she lost her father two months ago. Her family has difficulties, as only her elder brother is employed.”

Krithana, when contacted by Timesport, confirmed that she is considering becoming a para athlete.

However, Krithana said she has no knowledge of her actual condition and whether she will qualify as a para athlete.

“I had gone for a test after returning from the Philippines Sea Games, but went home in January as my father was ill (he later died) and I do not know the result of the test.

“I hope to get back my normal eye sight if possible or that it can be corrected.

“But as a last resort, I may have to consider being a para athlete if my condition worsens,” said Krithana, who is a contract navy personnel, as she runs for them.

Asked how she is coping with her studies amid vision problem, Krithana said: “I manage with contact lenses.”

Krithana’s coach, Ahmad Firdaus Salim revealed that the doctor who examined her, had said the athlete has uncorrected refractive errors – a condition where the eye is misshapen (not having natural form). Ahmad feels that she should compete as a para athlete.

Paralympic athletics head coach R. Jeganathan said he had been asked whether Krithana can compete as a para athlete.

“As a Paralympic coach, I will assist anyone who has a handicap but the athlete first has to be certified by the Paralympic Council, that he or she has a handicap,” he said.

“I hope the relevant bodies first test Krithana to ensure that her handicap is serious and cannot be corrected. I am here to assist her if that is her last resort.

“I was told that Krithana had gone for a test at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital and she was said to be suffering from eye nerve problem.”

Jeganathan pointed out that several Paralympic athletes can till compete in able bodied athletics events. For example, national paralympians Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli (shot putt) and Abdul Latiff Romly (long jump).

Dr S. Radha Krishnan, president of the Malaysian Blind Sports Association (MBSA) and deputy president of Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM), sympathises with Krithana but said she must first get herself tested by doctors of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

“Firstly, Krithana should get help to see if her condition can be reversed or made better.

“We are talking about deteriorating eyesight which affects a person’s life,” said Dr Radha.

“I can get one of the three certified doctors by IPC from Malaysia to test her.”

BEWARE OF COVID CORRUPTORS

https://www.nst.com.my/sports/football/2020/04/583299/open-chances-match-fixers

EXCLUSIVE BY TONY MARIADASS

THE Covid 19 pandemic could well see a different disease, one which is considerably more dangerous – match fixing – resurfaces again when the M-League finally resumes.

   The FA of Malaysia, Malaysian Football League (MFL), States FAs, clubs and authorities must remain extra vigilant and nip any such attempt in the bud.

   It's no secret that in the past Malaysian football was heavily plagued by rigging of matches mainly because of late payment of players' salaries, low wages and on occasion players living the high life.

   With pay cuts being the hot topic presently due to the temporary suspension of all Malaysian football tournaments because of the Covid 19 pandemic, and with several clubs yet to settle outstanding payments to players, the recipe for match-fixing to rear its ugly head is on the cards yet again.

   Of course, present day players earn much more but there are still teams surviving on low budgets with some players being paid well below what they are worth which brings about rumblings due to disparity of wages among the players in the team.

   How can we forget the blow Malaysian football suffered when an investigation in 1994 resulted in a total of 21 players and coaches being sacked, 58 players suspended and a further 126 questioned about corruption?

  Contrary to the many who choose to sweep the match-fixing problem under the carpet and opt believe that it has been completely eradicated from Malaysian football, it is no secret that the problem still exists and will continue to do so as long as there is illegal betting on football matches. Maybe not as rampant as previously but it still exists, as has surfaced on occasions.

   A majority of officials will side-step the subject when brought up, but the bolder ones who have nothing to hide and only have football's interest at heart, as was a recent case when club team's coach raised the issue. Not surprisingly he was quickly shown the exit soon, despite some players being hauled up by the authorities

   NST Sports, in a bold effort to try and get rid of the match-fixing menace, has held an exclusive interview with English coach, Steve Darby, who coached several teams in Malaysia from the late 90s up to seven years ago. Darby talks about his personal experience and gives his suggestions on how to combat this menace.

  Darby, who turned 65 on Jan 15, is a well-known football pundit in Asia but is currently back in Oxton Wirral (opposite Liverpool) looking after his 88-year-old mother. “My mother is not doing well, so it was time for me to come home and do the right thing, and with the current corona virus situation, it was indeed the right thing to do.”

  “Match-fixing is not a black and white issue. It’s very complex and not easy to understand. But I fully agree with Declan Hill, author of 'The Fix’, and an expert on the subject when he said "it is the greatest threat to sport that exists. But a few salient points have to be stated first.

   1. It’s not a recent phenomenon, it was happening in the 1900s e.g. Liverpool and Manchester United.

   2. It effects every country including England, Italy, Spain, Germany, as well as the Asian continent.

   3. It’s driven by gambling, especially Asian gamblers. Online gambling causing a boom.

   4.There are many reasons why people fix and there are many ways on how to fix.

   I played and began to coach in England and Australia and a major feature was that it was pre-internet and hence no online gambling. This made me believe, rather naively, that when I first encountered the match-fixing menace in South East Asia, that it was a straight forward black and white issue. You were either a cheat or you were not.

   I first encountered match-fixing (I think!), while coaching Johor FA. I was walking off the pitch at half-time and a foreigner from the other team said “you’re going to win 2-0 …” and I asked how do you know? He replied: “I can understand Bahasa!” Sure enough, we scored in the 84^th and 89^th minutes, so no time for a third and they weren’t going to score. When you are winning, you don’t think about the fix. You think you are a great coach and winning.

   In another match that my team won, I noticed during the game, and this was confirmed on video, their goalkeeper never made any major blunders (the good fixing keepers don’t) but was slightly out of position and any save he made was palmed back into dangerous areas.

   An honest Malaysian player explained some of the realities, or if you prefer, the complexities of the subject. He told me you will get a call, and the caller will mention the amount of your salary and knows if you have or have not been paid. The bookies have access to all confidential information, it’s their business to be in the know. For example, they know you earn RM3000 a month and maybe are two months behind in wages. They offer you RM10,000 to help fix a result. You say No! Then they ask does your daughter still go to this school, or does your mum shop every Saturday at 10am? The player has little choice but to agree and takes the money. You get it, but next time, and there is always a next time. you get offered less as they know you have nowhere to go.

   Also, as we saw a few years ago in Negri Sembilan, young players were targeted and once the bookies have them they have them for life.

  Again my naivety kicked in. I innocently asked why not go to the FA or even the Police. It took the player a while to stop laughing before replying you don’t know how high this goes and who is pulling the strings.

  Also what do you do if your father is in debt with the bookies? Your daughter needs an operation? It is very easy to take the moral high ground, but there are situations where players close an eye to their principles.

   This summed up the most realistic issue for me. Why should an often uneducated player have these wonderful ethics and values, when the Police, politicians and administrators, who are meant to be pillars of our society are often corrupt. But the sadder issue is that the players who are at the bottom of this food chain are often the ones caught and banned for life, whilst the players above, the runners and the fat-cat money men at the top get away with it.

  There was a case in Perak where one of my players was approached by runners. He reported it to me, including photos of him with the runners. I reported this to our FA, and they in turn reported it to FAM. Nothing happened! PFA reported it to the Police, who interviewed me (not the player) and again nothing happened, despite photo evidence.

  Overall I am convinced I have been involved in both winning and losing of 11 games. I am certain there must be more. Some are publicly confirmed such as Kelantan v Ninh Binh in the AFC Cup when the Ninh Binh team were banned after the game. Others were confirmed in the book ‘Kelong Kings’ by Wilson Raj Perumal, the renowned convicted fixer. He speaks about games he was involved in at international level but were fixed by referees.

  'Buying' a referee is a cheaper and easier way to arrange for a game to be fixed, and again there are solid rumours in Malaysia about who is 'buying' referees, but then again no proof. Though I have been shown video evidence of a bookie giving signals to a referee in a match, and this was reported but again nothing happened.

  The other naive view of match-fixing is that it is a win/lose scenario. Not with the Asian handicap system or simple spot fixing e.g. a red card in the second half. You can win and still make money! It almost compensates for the immorality.

  My last coaching role was with the Laos national team for the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers. After the qualification was over and I had left, four of my team players were banned for life. Two I had suspicions of, but they were easily in the best eleven and trained well and played well in the World Cup matches. But apparently they earned their money in friendlies. Usually away from home so there was less pressure of exposure on them.

   The other two I would have put my house on being honest, I would now be homeless! Though I am convinced one is still innocent and sadly the fixers who are well known in Laos football are still free and operating.

A trusted player said to me: “Coach think about it, we don’t get paid to be in the national team, some even lose money. We are on about US$200 a month from our club. We go into a match knowing we will lose as the other team is better so we may as well lose by a set score.”

It’s a logic, a different cultural logic, but if it means they buy their mother a house, they justify it. Or the less altruistic ones buy a car.

How do we stop this menace?

Sadly, I think it will never be stopped while there is money to be made by somebody somewhere. All I think you can do is reduce the incidents.

These measures will help:

·   Pay the players on time. Poverty is the best avenue for the bookies to exploit. That is a big problem in Malaysia. I experienced that in Perak when the new state government stopped paying the players. 

·   Education programmes in schools/academies. It’s too late when players are full professionals. The fixers are now going after youth players as they are cheap and you have them for life. An AFC representative came to my national team, said the right things and left a shiny leaflet with hotlines for whistle-blowers. After the session there were 22 paper aeroplanes flying about. The pamphlet was in English; the players couldn’t understand or read English so the education has to be locally driven.

·      If someone is genuinely guilty and fixed for pure greed, then bans must be for life from all forms of the game. Not allowed back as a coach or an administrator.

·         Legalise gambling in Malaysia with the profits going to the poor, or to Youth development. This would at least eliminate a percentage of money going out of football. I suggested this in Malaysia, I was hammered by the zealots! But no one is made to gamble, just as no one is made to drink beer, but you can legally buy beer. And let’s be honest, all races in Malaysia are gambling!

·         Catch the Big Boys, the money men.

    Though perhaps that's my naivety kicking in again.”

Steve Darby’s coaching details

Darby obtained his UEFA A Licence in 1979. He became an official FIFA Instructor for the Oceania region in 1981 and AFC Instructor 1998 and was Technical Director for the Australian Soccer Federation between 1990–1995.

He then moved on to coach Sydney Olympic, but left in 1998 to coach Johor FA, where he enjoyed a successful spell, winning Malaysia FA Cup and league title. He left the club in 2001 to take charge of the Vietnam women's team, whom he led to a gold medal in the 2001 SEA Games. The first ever Gold medal for Vietnam in Football.

After that, he was appointed youth team coach for Sheffield Wednesday FC under Terry Yorath, but remained there only for a season before taking over the reins at Singapore'sHome United. In his four-year tenure as Home United boss, Darby led them to a league and cup double in 2003 and also a semi-final spot in the 2004 AFC Cup. Also winning the Singapore Cup in 2005.

At the end of his Home United contract, Darby was heavily linked to the vacant India manager's post. However, he did not take up that job, choosing instead to join Perak despite having offers from two other Malaysian clubs and a Vietnamese club.

He led Perak to the Super Cup in 2005, a second spot in the league 2006–07 season and to the Malaysia Cup final in 2006 and an AFC quarterfinal. It was the furthest a Malaysian club had gone in Asian Competitions at that time.

In October 2008, he was appointed as Thailand coach and worked together with Peter Reid who was appointed Thailand Manager in August. He would stay on as coach to the newly appointed Bryan Robson and as the U-23 Team Coach, after previous coach Peter Reid left to become Coach at Stoke City. In 2012, he spent a year as a coaching consultant in Asia for EPL club Everton and as a football advisor to the Manipur government in India.

In September 2013, Darby was appointed as Coach for Kelantan FC in the Malaysian Super league (MSL) He was familiar with Malaysian football as he previously coached Johor and Perak. He coached Mumbai FC in 2014 in the inaugural Indian Super League (ISL) including players such as Nikolas Anelka, Freddie Ljungberg and Manuel Friedriche.

In 2015, he was appointed as Technical Director of the Laos Football Federation and later as National Coach preparing for the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers. In this time Laos obtained its first World Cup points and its highest ever FIFA ranking.