You blew it, Seela (12/12/1994 - The Malay Mail)

Publication : MM
Date : 12/12/1994
Headline : You blew it, Seela


THE sacking of Pahang's Alan Davidson and Kedah's Norazam Ishak in the
second leg Malaysia Cup semifinals on Saturday was too harsh, to say the
least.
The two players, in attempting to get back on their feet after a
collision in the 80th minute, appeared to kick each other.
It was nothing serious, just a heat of the moment reaction. But referee
S. Seelarajen saw it as a capital offence.
The decision was very much a reflection of Seelarajen's attitude towards
the players.
He showed no diplomacy and probably saw the players as his enemies.
Perhaps he should be reminded that a referee should use his power
judiciously to ensure the game is played according to the rules.
However, his aggressive nature on the field shows either he insecure or
feels he should punish the players.
Seelarajen, in sacking the players on Saturday, certainly did not take
into consideration that they had slogged the entire season to play in the
final.
The two players did not throw punches at each other, abuse the referee
or were violent in their conduct.
There is no question about an infringement, but did it warrant a red
card?
Seelarajen could have just warned them verbally or at worst flashed a
yellow card.
Norazam had only come on as a substitute eight minutes earlier and had
not committed any offence during that period. Did he not deserve a warning
first?
Norazam, who has not played for almost three months because of a back
injury, only returned to play on Saturday. He was in tears immediately
after the sacking.
Davidson was in the thick of action but was never warned by the referee.
Instead, Davidson appealed to Seelarajen to be more stern as both teams
were getting carried away in the heat of the game.
It is reliably learnt Seelarajan told Davidson to shut his mouth
because he had a big mouth.
Is that any way to treat a player?
And to make matters worse, there were several incidents which warranted
a caution but Seelarajen either missed it or allowed play to go on.
One such incident was the deliberate elbowing of Pahang's Azamat
Abdouraimov by Kedah's Farouk Ismail but Seelarajen waved play on while
linesman Amir Shariffuddin also did not make his stand.
Perhaps Seelarajan should take a cue from his senior peer, V.K.S.
Sinniyah, who officiated the first leg in Kuantan on Tuesday.
Despite the muddy and slippery ground conditions, Sinniyah had full
control of the game.
He told the players to calm down and get on with the game.
His diplomacy worked and Sinniyah saw no reason to flash any cards
during the entire game.
He did not disrupt play unnecessarily and blew for only 21 infringements
throughout the match.
Match officials should have a better rapport with players instead of
adopting an antagonistic attitude.
Punish them if necessary but do not abuse your powers!
The FA of Malaysia referees committee could have been more sensitive in
appointing match officials.
Although they are all considered national referees regardless of the
state they are from, referees are only human and sometimes allow their
emotions to get in the way.
Seelarajen is from Selangor and with Selangor battling for a Cup final
berth too, it was unwise to appoint him as the referee.
He was also the centre of attention in the last Group A match when Perak
entertained Singapore.
Seelarajen flashed the red card at Singapore's Malek Awab for a sliding
tackle on a wet pitch.
It so happened Selangor were playing Singapore in the first leg
semifinals at the National Stadium in their next match.
Coincidence? Maybe, but why give room for such speculations or put the
match officials under such pressure.
On Saturday, it was surprising that Malaysia's top referee, Nazri
Abdullah was at Darulaman Stadium, but as a reserve referee.
Initially it was felt Nazri had taken ill before the match and
Seelarajen had deputised.
However, match inspector Zainal Abidin said after the match he had
insisted Seelarajen be the referee.
Seelarajen is an up and coming match official but if he does not change
his attitude, he will not be going very far.
Where the players are concerned the damage has been done and Davidson
will have to bear the pain of missing the Malaysia Cup final.

Forever 17 (The Malay Mail)

THE number 17 is special to Pahangirsts Zainal Abidin Hassan (above) and
Singapore's Fandi Ahmad. And it's coincidental that the Malaysia Cup final
will be played on Dec 17 at Shah Alam Stadium.
 Immediately after Pahang qualified for the final in Alor Star on
Saturday, Zainal said he is looking forward to meeting his old mate in the
final.
 "And I think it means a great deal to both of us as the final is on Dec
17," said Zainal.
 "The number has been pivotal in our careers. For me, I'll be wearing it
for my eighth Malaysia Cup final."
 Zainal, 32, picked the 17 jersey because he made his debut with Selangor
at the age of 17 in 1980.
 "It must be the same for Fandi," said Zainal, who in 1992 played
together with Fandi for Pahang in their Malaysia Cup victory over Kedah.
 Fandi began wearing the 17 jersey in 1982 while playing for Niac Mitra
after a suggestion from a fan. Before that, he was using the No 14 jersey.
 Indeed, attention will be on the duo who are their respective country's
top player since the 80s.
 Fandi, without doubt, is Singapore's most talented and decorated player.
He not only made his mark with Singapore but also with Kuala Lumpur,
Pahang and in Europe.
 Both are now in their twilight of their careers, thus another appearance
in the Malaysia Cup final is quite a remarkable feat.
 Zainal appeared in four finals with Selangor (1980, 1981, 1982 and 1986)
and three with Pahang (1983, 1984 and 1992). He has five winner's medal -
three with Selangor in 1981, 1982, and 1986, and two with Pahang in 1983
and 1992.
 Fandi appeared in his first final as 16-year-old in 1979 for Singapore
and has since played in six finals. He has five winner's medals.
 Like Zainal, Fandi has winner's medals from different teams. He has a
winner's medal with Singapore (1980), three with Kuala Lumpur (1987, 1988
and 1989) and one with Pahang (1992).
 The battle between Zainal and Fandi will not be a battle of who is the
better striker but how Zainal is going to stop Fandi from scoring.
 In a twist of fate, Zainal will be filling the sweeper's role in the
absence of the suspended Alan Davidson.
 Pahang coach Tajuddin Nor said Zainal had played this role once this
season - against Sarawak in their Malaysia Cup group tie.
 On Saturday, Zainal assumed the role immediately after Davidson was sent
off in the 80th minute.
 "I could also use Ahmad Yusof as sweeper but I think Iirstll go for Zainal
against a team like Singapore," said Tajuddin.
 "Whatever, I am glad I am still playing at this age," added Zainal, who
is five months younger to Fandi (Fandi was born on May 29, 1962 while
Zainal was born on Nov 8, 1962).
                              (END)

Spare Shalin the pain (The Malay Mail)

MALAYSIAN sports is better known for controversies, squabbles and
bickering rather than achievements.
 And when something fruitful does come along, it is only a matter of time
before we allow the achievement get the better of us. Or worse, to fade
away just as quickly.
 There's already a storm brewing in bowling. And that's unfortunate
because bowlers have always allowed results to speak for them.
 They were the top contributors in the Asian Games in Hiroshima, having
won two golds, a silver and two bronze medals,  And in the process broke
six Asian Games records - women's doubles (two pairs), womens trios (two
teams), women five players and men's All-Events.
 But all that has been spoilt by the controvery surrounding youngster
Shalin Zulkilfi, who won golds in the All-Events and women's trio.
 In all started when Shalin's parents misconstrued coach Sid Allen's
statements. Allen never claimed credit for Shalin's victory here.
 All he had said was that he was glad Shalins parents have left her to
bowl on her own.
 Allen said then: "Shalin is a natural. She needs little coaching and
should be allowed to be independent. She will seek advice when she needs
it.
Anguish
 "Even when she turns to me, I merely correct her flaws, if any. In the
end, she makes her own decision."
 Shalin's talent should be encouraged. She doesn't deserve this mental
anguish.
 Shalin's parents role has been signifiant. Nobody can deny them that
credit. But there also comes a time when parents should hand over the
reins to the professionals.
 A case in point is swimmer Nurul Huda Abdullah, who faded away before
she realised her full potential. Her mother's influence was just too
overwhelming.
 The athlete should not become a victim of cirumstances. The youngster
should not be a pawn in a game that adults want to play.
 Shalin is a potential world champion but if the pettiness is not nipped
in the bud, she will never make it there.
 Allen has been good for Malaysian bowling. With the parent's dedication,
Shalin's own talent and Allen's expertise, the world will be world beckons
Shalin.
 Under Allen, the bowlers have improved technically, physically and
mentally. Not many of Malaysia's other athletes can boast about such
complete preparation.
 Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) have done well under Dr P.S.
Nathan's leadership. The administration is stable, have a good development
programme and there's continuity in coaching.
 Allen has been in the country for four years and MTBC have a nine-year
programme to ensure Malaysia is among the top bowling nations.
 MTBC have certainly done better than their local counterparts.
 Let's bury the hatchet and work with the interest of sport and nation at
heart.
                              (END)

Shalin a hit at 16 (The Malay Mail)

Reporting from Hiroshima, Japan (Asian Games)

YOUNG bowler Shalin Zulkifli has put herself in line to become the darling
of the Malaysian contingent and a world champion in the near future with
her alley-blazing efforts in Hiroshima.
 The 16-year-old student from Sekolah Menengah Bandaraya in Kuala Lumpur,
after failing to win medals in two earlier events, the singles and
doubles, more than made up for that when she bagged the gold in the
women's trios partnering Lydia Kwah and Shirley Chow yesterday.
 After another fine performance, the Form Four student stayed in line for
another medal, probably a silver, in the All-Events where she trails South
Korean leader Kim Sook Young by 212 pins.
 She will also qualify for the Masters.
 In fact, she narrowly missed the singles bronze, finishing just five
pins behind the winner of that medal, Singapore's Grace Young.
 In the doubles, Shalin did well again but was unlucky that partner Lisa
Kwan was sick and did not bowl to expectations.
 Shalin is very much focused on the job at hand. "I am doing fine but I
could do better," she said. "I am just giving my best and competing with
no pressure at all.
 "It is great to be doing well and I hope I will continue to bowl the way
I have been doing the last few days, if not better."
 Shalin gave the bowling team a scare on the opening day when she fainted
at the opening ceremony and also had a cut on her thumb.
 But she has shown tremendous determination and mental strength to rise
to the occasion.
 She is so cool despite getting all the attention at the bowling centre.
 A product of the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) development
programme, Shalin is certainly heading for bigger things.
 "She is a world class bowler," said national coach Sid Allen.
 "I have been in bowling for 31 years and never have I seen a 16-year-old
bowl so well. She is an exceptional talent who can become a world
champion."
 However, Allen voiced one reservation: that Shalin is allowed to
progress at her own pace.
 "I just hope that Shalin does not become another Nurul Huda Abdullah.
The swimmer had tremendous potential, but she got lost along the way.
 "Shalin is a bowler who does well on her own. She will ask for guidance
or help when she needs it. That is why I leave her alone to a great extent
and only guide her when she turns to me.
 "I do not see her fumbling here unless there is some drastic change in
form. She is hitting the head pin very well and gets it nine out of ten
times. With such accuracy she cannot go wrong."
 It has been a great year for Shalin. Since making her international
debut at the Singapore Sea Games where she won two gold (trios and fives)
and two silver (Masters and doubles) medals, she won the singles bronze at
World Youth Championships in Mexico this August, then a gold (singles) and
silver (All-Events) at the Asian FIQ, and then the gold at the prestigious
Malaysia Airlines International All-Stars in Kuala Lumpur - the first time
in 14 years that a Malaysian had won in a highly competitive event
featuring world class bowlers.
 And her winning streak continues here in Hiroshima.
                              (END)

Man with the Midas touch (The Malay Mail)

DATUK TAHA ARIFFIN, Malaysia's Chef-de-mission to the Hirsohima Asian
Games, is the man with the Midas touch, at least where Sarawak soccer is
concerned.
 He is responsible for transforming the backwater state into a soccer
powerhouse and many are hoping Taha will lend that golden touch to the
Asian Games contingent.
 But the modest and softspoken Taha prefers to keep a low profile and
motivate the contingent in his own way.
 "I certainly don't have a magic wand. Whatever was achieved with Sarawak
soccer was through hard work and over a period of time," said Taha.
 "Besides, with Sarawak soccer it is just one sports. We are competing in
18 events in the Asian Games.
Motivate
 "Then again, each sport has had its own preparation and the role of the
chef-de-mission is very different from being involved directly with just a
sports.
 "Nevertheless, I intend to do my best to motivate the athletes to give
their best," he said.
 Taha is honoured to lead the Malaysian contingent to a pretigious event
like the Asian Games.
 "I was really surprised when I was first nominated as the chef-de-
mission.
 "I intend to take the appointment as a challenge and do my best to help
the athletes in Japan," he said.
 Taha said the national training camp in Shah Alam was one area where he
had helped to motivate the athletes.
 "The stint at the national training camp was an important one. Instead
of going as individual sports for the Games, we have managed to instill a
family unity among them.
 "The odds are stacked against us but will fight on.
 "The athletes are aware they are not representing their sports or
themselves but the whole nation. They are also aware that discipline is
the key to success."
 Taha does not want to put any undue pressure on the athletes.
 "They have all worked hard and long to prepare for the Games. I am sure
they want to do well.
 "But at the end of the day it is going to be a team effort as we have
have to be united in our effort and support and encourage each other,
especially since we are competing away from home," said Taha.
 In the last Games in Beijing, Malaysia won two goal medals in
sepaktakraw (regu and team) while the silvers came from men's badminton
and swimmer Jeffery Ong.
  The bronze medals came from Rashid Sidek (singles) and Razip-Jalani
Sidek (doubles) in badminton, the men's hockey team and women's athletics
4x400m relay team.
 Taha will be assisted by Ho Koh Chye, the National Sports Council deputy
director general, who is the assistant chef-de-mission.
BIODATA
Name: Datuk Taha Ariffin
Age : 51
Place of Birth: Kuching, Sarawak.
Position: A Lawyer who has been invloved with the Sarawak State Government
for many years. He was the secretary to the Ministry of Social Development
of Sarawak before being appointed Deputy State Secretary three years ago.
 He is the Deputy-President of the Football Association of Sarawak and an
FA of Malaysia vice-president. He is also a member of the excecutive
council of the Olympic Council of Malaysia.
 He is the chef-de-mission to the Hiroshima Asian Games.
                              (END)

Where states are as guilty (26/09/1994 - The Malay Mail)

Publication : MM
Date : 26/09/1994
Headline : Where states are as guilty


JUDGING by the State FAs registration list for next month's Malaysia Cup
competition, it's being left to the FA of Malaysia to fight the bribery
allegations.
What else can anyone deduce, because after many State FAs stating that
matches have been fixed in this years Premier League, and given a
opportunity to clean up their respective teams by allowing them fresh
registration for the Malaysia Cup competition (utilising players from the
Reserve League), they have still decided to stick with the same players
who played in the Premier League.
Except for Sabah, who have left out their first choice goalkeeper M.
Pavalamani, the rest of the States had only used the new registration to
include two more players because the registration number is now 22 instead
of 20, or filling players for injured or banned ones.
It only underlines that State FAs would join in the bandwagon to say
matches have been fixed and even mention names of their players whom they
think are fixing matches, but when it comes to the crunch of things, they
back out.
It only goes to show that most States FA will not do anything drastic to
jeopordise their teams chances in the Malaysia Cup competition.
Of course, most State FAs will argue that they cannot take action
without ample proof of bribery allegations on their players, but if they
seriously believe that their players have been cheating on them, why dont
they just leave them out.
Sabah has done it, but just to one player, although many more were
suspected.
But at least they have taken a bold step compared to the rest who rather
sit back and see others like the Police or the Anti-Coruption Agency (ACA)
do the dirty job for them.
If the State FAs do not help or initiate the move, it will definitely be
difficult for the Police or the ACA to act.
States will also argue that players are contracted and they cannot
terminate their contracts all of a sudden.
If State FAs are really serious about cleaning up the Malaysia soccer,
there should be no BUTS.
Surely, the State FA can leave the player out of the registration list
but still keep him on their payroll until the contract is over.
And if the player does not show up for training just because he has been
left out of the Malaysia Cup competition, they will have a reason to sack
the player, as was in the case of Pavalamani.

Heading Nowhere (The Malay Mail)

ANOTHER Olympic soccer squad for the 1996 Atlanta Games have been named
and are now training in France and coincidentally, a national team have
also been named at the same time for the Hiroshima Asian Games in October.
 One may ask what have the two squads in common?
 The answer should matter a great deal because in most countries, their
Olympic squads have seen many of their players promoted to the national
squads.
 But sadly in Malaysia, it has always not been the case.
 Time and again, we have the Olympic squad or the Tigers or back-up squad
... call them by whatever name, but they are supposed to be feeder squads.
 But most of the time, we find that millions of ringgit are spent on
these feeder squads, only to see these players never realising their full
potential or are neglected halfway and failing to make the national squad.
 It was no different when the Asian Games squad were named.
 Only four players from the "Barcelona Babes" made the national squad.
 They are strikers Azman Adnan and Ong Kim Swee, midfielder Yap Wai Loon
and defender Chong King Kong, who was a striker with the squad then.
 Whatever happened to the 24 odd players who had trained for 18 months
for the Barcelona pre-Olympic tournament and featured in more than 80
local and international matches - where close to one million ringgit was
spent on them!
 Most of these players are still playing with their respective States,
but they are suddenly not good enough to make the grade for the senior
national team.
 One would ask what had happened along the way? Many reasons come to
mind.
 One of them is that the Barcelona Olympic squad were not retained after
their assignment.
 This is nothing new because since the Tigers squad were formed in the
early 80s, we have often been told that they would be our future national
team but only to see a few of the players being promoted midway and the
rest of them left out.
 And each time a national coach was named, he would pick the cream of
players to have a mixed squad and more players were lost in the process.
 Then of course, the players themselves have to be blamed. Their Olympic
status are upgraded the moment they finish their assignments and State FAs
would pay high wages to secure them.
 Therein lies the problem because players who are only 21 suddenly get to
enjoy the luxuries of life and soon get carried away and forget all about
professionalism.
 Among the players from the 1991 Olympic squad who have not made the cut
are Chong Kim Boon, Mohamad Firos Mohamed, Othman Katmon, Chee Wan Hoe,
Salahuddin Che Ros, Saziman Ismail, Ahmad Fauzi Ibrahim, Ghazali Ismail,
V. Thinagaran, G. Karthekayan, Loius Jakai, Wong Kok Sum, Abu Bakar
Ismail, Edres Selamat, Lee Thean Ewe, Mubin Mokhtar, Malek Rahman, Adnan
Ibrahim, Azmi Ahmad and Mohamad Riduan Abdul Rafar.
 It is hoped that the same fate does not befall this Olympic squad
because we will only be going through the motion all over again without
heading anywhere.
                              (END)