Weed out the party poopers

Friday, October 25, 2013 - The Malay Mail

BOUQUETS to Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) president Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad and his council members for selecting only athletes who have qualified on merit for the Myanmar Sea Games to be held in Naypyidaw in December.
They have also selected the seven athletes who are in the top three of the Southeast Asia ranking list.
However, MAF have come under fire for naming nine athletes for the relays in the name of "national interest", although only the men's 4x400m quartet qualified on merit.
Maybe MAF can be excused for making the compromise.
After all, the relays are ‘the’ events in any athletics meet, other than the sprints.
Besides, those selected for the relays are budding athletes being groomed for the future.
That aside, MAF’s stand not to send veteran athletes Lee Hup Wei (high jump) and Noraseela Khalid and Robani Hassan (hurdles), who failed to meet the qualifying marks, should be applauded.
Finally, the right message is being sent to the athletes — there is no such thing as a free ticket. They have to earn their place.
If the other sports associations can adopt the same stance, then the standard of sports in the country will be elevated.
For too long, compromises have been made, especially in the hope that veteran athletes would win medals based on their experience even if their current form suggested otherwise.
In fact, the only time exceptions can be made is when an up-and-coming athlete is close to the qualifying mark or if it is felt the exposure would do the athlete some good. Then, too, the expenses for sending such athletes should be borne by the association or sponsor.
For the Myanmar Games, 529 athletes — 404 under category A (qualified on merit) and 125 under category B (sponsored by associations who will be reimbursed if the athletes win gold [fully] or silver [partially]) — have been listed for selection by the Olympic Council of Malaysia.
The National Sports Council (NSC), who are grooming athletes through their Pelapis (back-up) programme, have requested MAF to include nine of their interns under category B.
But this is a peculiar situation because MAF, as the governing body of athletics, should be overseeing development as they know the performance of the athletes well.
NSC should engage MAF fully in their programme or have the body run the programme for them because, after all, they are the experts.
In fact, several sports associations have given up development because NSC have taken over the role. This situation needs to be revisited to ensure that sports associations are held accountable for the rise and fall of their respective sports, not NSC.
NSC could assist with funding and monitoring to ensure the programmes are running smoothly and according to plan.
One good programme that was in place — and whose respective associations were actively involved and results were forthcoming — was Sukan Teras. It involved the eight elite sports of football, hockey, badminton, squash, bowling, gymnastics, aquatics and athletics.
Sadly, the programme, which was approved exactly nine years ago today (Oct 25, 2004), was derailed five years ago by NSC, which cited lack of funds.
Also, 50% or 224 centres for various sports throughout the country were closed so that Pelapis could be enhanced.
This national scheme now has 139 athletes training full time under 40 coaches. Its academies around the country have 96 athletes and 21 coaches in total.
The 241 state centres have 4,773 athletes involved in programmes and 347 registered coaches.
The question is, with so much in place, why is there still a dearth of talent when it comes to selection for international meets? Why do we have to make compromises to send a decent contingent?
Clearly, it is not about numbers or plans on paper, but about execution, proper selection and training, qualified coaches, competition and, above all, transparency.
For starters, the national sports associations should play a more active role in development instead of allowing NSC to do it for them.
Maybe then the need to send athletes who have not qualified on merit would not arise, and maybe we would have a bigger pool of talent knocking on the door to make the cut for meets.
The situation faced in the selection of high jumpers, where six qualified but only the two current best can make the trip (Sea Games allows only two entries per event), is healthy and good for the development of sports. This should be the goal of all sports associations.
Defending champion Lee Hup Wei, despite his season’s best of 2.22m, failed to make the cut as he finished fourth with a 2.10m jump at last weekend’s Malaysia Open because of a back injury.
Newcomers Nauraj Singh Randhawa and S. Navin Raj qualified with jumps of 2.20m and 2.15m respectively.
Whether or not the duo go on to win the gold in Myanmar, their presence certainly augurs well for the future of athletics.

TONY MARIADASS is sports editor of
The Malay Mail. He can be reached
at tonym@mmail.com.my

Don’t bring greed and hypocrisy into sports

Friday, October 18, 2013 - The Malay Mail 

 

IT is indeed sad to see the very people who are supposed to hold sports in high esteem drag it through mud.
When you have blatant disregard for the purity of sports and use it for personal gain, when money and a good dash of politics come into sports, then a massive beast is created in the industry.
When you mix sports with business and politics, you inevitably produce a dangerous environment that fosters greed. This often leads to bitter conflicts and is the reason why there are so many stories about how avarice is destroying sports.
I highlight here two issues that are prime examples of the above.
In one, it is the very authority that is supposed to safeguard sports that is trying to kill it, and in the other, the very people who are responsible for a sport are defying the rules that govern it.
Case No 1: The UKRC saga, and Case No 2: The formation of Tennis Malaysia.
I cannot understand why a town council was suddenly ordered to take over the UKRC field recently when the issue had been dragging on for years.
The field had been managed by UKRC for 57 years and is one of the best in Kuala Lumpur.
It was a mining pond that was converted into a space to house the recreational centre for the residents of Ulu Klang.

THANKLESS TASK: A council worker trimming grass at UKRC

Many attempts were made previously to convert the field for development use, but UKRC proved to be tough opponents.
In the meantime, they maintained the field, raised funds countless times to upgrade it for public use until a fallout among its members dismantled all the good work.
Then, the Ampang Jaya Town Council (MPAJ) joined the fray with a push from the Selangor government, blatantly ignoring a motion tabled in the state assembly in 2011 to give the land title to UKRC and to let them take over the field this month.
What boggles the mind is that the town council has taken over the field despite being unable to maintain it. In fact, it has asked UKRC to sell to them the goalposts in the field and wants to hire their mobile grass-cutting machine. Meanwhile, it is using garden shears and lawn movers to cut the grass.
And just 100m away, there is another public field that is in deplorable condition. Why hasn’t the town council done anything to restore or maintain it? Why did it focus on the UKRC field?
The latest news is that UKRC’s lawyers are going to file a lawsuit against MPAJ for seizing the field without a court order.
The land was allocated to UKRC on July 12, 1958, to be used as a football field and to build a club-cum-community hall on it.
And as requested by the Kuala Lumpur land office, they paid the surveyor’s fee of RM690.
The irony of it all is that since surrendering the field to the town council, UKRC have had to pay RM200 per hour to use it for their weekly community football development programme, team training and friendly matches.
And so, the UKRC saga continues. Will the field be maintained for football and for the use of Ulu Klang’s residents or will it be snatched away from them and replaced with a condominium? Only time will tell.
Let’s now look at Tennis Malaysia, newly formed by several lawn tennis state associations (LTAs) supposedly to complement the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM) in unearthing fresh talent.
Kuala Lumpur LTA president Mirzan Mahathir, who had challenged and lost to Tan Sri Abdul Razak Latif for the LTAM’s top post in elections last month, is the head of Tennis Malaysia.
However, the Sports Commissioner's office has yet to receive any application from Tennis Malaysia to register the body.
Tennis Malaysia claims that it will not compete with LTAM, but complement and aid the national body in raising the standard of the game in the country.
But only LTAM is recognised by the International Tennis Federation and the Olympic Council of Malaysia. Anyone who wants to assist LTAM will have to be affiliated to it.
So, why form another body when the members of Tennis Malaysia are already affiliated to LTAM through their state LTAs and can offer their assistance through their associations? It is a real puzzle.
These two cases are enough to make one wonder if sports in this country is mired in greed and hypocrisy.

TONY MARIADASS is the sports editor of
The Malay Mail. He can be reached
at tonym@mmail.com.my

Zul and his injury delimma

Zulmazran at the crossroads

Malaysian Open performance will determine his career path

Wednesday, October 16, 2013 - The Malay Mail 

by Tony Mariadass

Location: 

PETALING JAYA

HAPPIER TIMES: Zulmazran is determined to overcome his injury woes in the Malaysian Open next month

DEFENDING champion Zulmazran Zulkifli faces a dilemma on his bowling career when he competes in the Malaysian Open championships in Petaling Jaya next month.
Zulmazran, who turns 30 on Nov 20, has been plagued by a nagging wrist injury he suffered just before the Guangzhou Asian Games in 2010.
While he has done everything required to recover from the injury, which includes resting, rehabilitation, strengthening his muscles and changing his technique, the relief has been temporary.
"I even asked other world-class bowlers who are similar to me (heavy bowler) whether they use any technique which does not require using wrist power," said Zulmazran.
"Some have shared their thoughts, while others have been secretive. For instance, Dominic Barret bowls similar to me, but he does not use his wrist power. When I asked if he could share his style, he simply said: 'Why should I?'
"It's frustrating, especially when you work so hard to get back on the road and cannot perform to expectations because the injury affects the revolution of the ball, which is an essential part of my game."
Zulmazran said he is giving himself one last chance to see if he can get back to normal bowling and do well in the Malaysian Open.
"The Malaysian Open is my favourite ... it brings the magic in me and I hope it works again," he added.
"But this time, it has to work instead of me having to worry about the injury and delivery.
"Although I won the title last year, the injury still affected me for the rest of the year."
Zulmazran said he has been working extra hard, especially after his disappointment in the recent World championships in Las Vegas.
"I am already thinking of bowling with two hands, like Australia's Jason Belmonte and Finland's Osku Palermaa (both of whom revolutionised the two-handed approach in bowling)," said Zulmazran.

"I have already spoken to them and have been trying it out in practice.
"I might even try my left hand out of desperation," laughed Zulmazran. But he hoped it would not come to that.
"That is how serious I am to stay in the game and start doing well again. I am not getting any younger and I need to get my act together fast," said Zulmazran, who has won the Malaysian Open thrice — last year, 2008 and 2009.
Zulmazran said he has not spoken to anyone about opting for two hands or left-handed, including national coach Holoway Cheah.
"For now, that is my last option. I hope to get back to normal and hope the Malaysian Open will show me the way."

Cardiff honeymoon over for Tan

Friday, October 11, 2013 - The Malay Mail

CARDIFF City owner Tan Sri Vincent Tan is slowly but surely changing the perception of Malaysian involvement in the English football league, but he seems to have hit a bad patch that could undermine the reputation of Malaysians.
However, after Queens Park Rangers, owned by Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, were demoted from the Premier League last season and the nightmarish stint of former Kuala Lumpur national defender Serbegeth Singh as the global adviser for Blackburn Rovers, has Tan become a victim of perception? Are Malaysians being branded as failures in English football?
Tan saw Cardiff City earn promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 51 years. In fact, the Welsh club were sitting above Manchester United last week and looked set for better times this season.
But all that has been torn to shreds with news undermining Tan’s contribution to the team.
He has made changes at Cardiff, the biggest of which was changing their kit colour from blue to red, which he deemed a lucky colour. He also amended the club crest, swapping the traditional Bluebird for a Welsh dragon. Last season, a name change was mooted — to Cardiff Dragons — the name of an amateur team in the city.
Despite bankrolling promotions and signings, the fans seemed to be against Tan’s every move.
Last week, there was a breakdown in communication between Tan and the senior members of Malky Mackay’s squad with the angry players wanting to bar him from having any involvement with the first team on match days.
The anger was due to Tan’s refusal to fork out a seven-figure sum for the players’ end-of-the-season bonuses.

RED-FACED: Tan is facing a breakdown in communication with his players

The latest conflict arose after Tan replaced his head of recruitment Iain Moody with 23-year-old Kazakh Alisher Aspalyamov. Mackay is said to be shocked and disappointed at the suspension of the club’s former press officer.
Will the current situation force Tan to pull out of Cardiff ?
He has done well so far despite having made unpopular decisions. Shouldn’t he be given the opportunity to see his plans for the club through?
Replacing Moody with Aspalyamov, who has admitted that he does not have any footballing experience, may be seen as interference in the management of the team, but Tan is known for his shrewd decisions, be it in business or sport, and he has been successful so far.
Maybe Tan has something up his sleeves that will add a new dimension to Cardiff.
While Cardiff fans and even the players are up in arms, maybe they should give him the benefit of the doubt.
Diehard football fans would l probably disagree and say that Tan should stick to what he knows best — business — and leave football to the experts.
But has Tan been unfairly judged in England simply because he is a Malaysian? Can he weather the storm?
Malaysians, whether or not they like Cardiff , will surely take a special interest in the team and Tan’s next move in the club, especially with a big question mark over the future of Mackay?
He is full of surprises and for now, Cardiff have the attention of the Malaysians, what with them promoting “Malaysia” on the front of their jerseys.

Corporate sponsors key to bright future

Corporate sponsors key to a bright future

Friday, October 04, 2013 - The Malay Mail

CORPORATE entities should support the development of sports in Malaysia. More often than not, they back sports events that bring immediate returns to the sponsors or fund the more prominent sports associations.
True, development is a lengthy process and takes time to produce results. Any association with development programmes leaves a lasting legacy because when the programmes bear fruit, the money invested generates returns that are meaningful.
This week, a RM1 million cash injection into 17 national sports associations (NSAs) was announced as part of a collaboration between Astro and the Olympic Council of Malaysia. This will also see the respective sports benefit t from coverage and promotions through the 24-hour sports channel Astro Arena.
Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin described the deal as the start of a brighter future for local sports and urged more similar contributions from corporate entities.
Corporate-sponsored sports associations is nothing new in Malaysia. This was the reason former sports minister Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman introduced Rakan Sukan in 1994.
Sadly, many of the NSAs have seen their partnership severed because of poor relations with the sponsors, who demand reports on how the sponsorship money, in some cases as much as RM1 million, was spent.
After all, these organisations are accountable to their boards and owners for every sen that goes out of their books.
However, one association — the Malaysian Amateur Basketball Association (Maba) — have stood the test of time and are still part of Rakan Sukan. And here is why Petronas is still their partner.
“Petronas’ longstanding partnership with Maba began in 1994 under the national ‘Rakan Sukan’ programme and is today one of the programme’s most successful partnerships. Through this partnership, we have helped develop the sport at national, regional and international levels,” the national oil company says in a report on the partnership.
“Many landmark achievements have been made in raising the standard of the game in Malaysia with the establishment of the Petronas-Maba basketball academy and the introduction of the Petronas Cup competition, an annual inter-state championship to promote basketball as a national sport.
“The Petronas-Maba basketball academy provides a valuable platform for nurturing young talent aged between 16 and 20. It scouts for talent within this age group at schools and district-level competitions organised nationwide by Maba and provides them with training.
All academy students are given financial aid for studies up to college level to ensure that they receive a comprehensive education while they undergo training and participate in competitions.

MILLION RINGGIT DEAL: Khairy (second from right) together with Henry Tan, Astro Chief Operations Executive (right) and Tunku Imran Tuanku Jaafar, Olympic Council of Malaysia president, at the partnership signing ceremony between Astro and OCM on Tuesday — BERNAMApic

 

 

“In 2003, a 3-on-3 basketball competition was held at selected Petronas service stations to promote the sport directly to the local communities. The annual competition has become increasingly popular, drawing an overwhelming response from the public.”
CIMB is another corporation whose partnership with the Squash Racquet Association of Malaysia is thriving.
Recently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak urged corporate bodies to continue to sponsor sporting events in the country because it was an effective investment in terms of promoting their brand and indirectly helped generate income for the country.
“The contribution from the corporate bodies should not be perceived as merely charity from them but should be looked at in terms of their commercial value,” he said.
Sure, the NSAs should look for corporate sponsors, but their priority should be long-term programmes. At the same time, corporates should target development programmes.
When the funds start flowing in, the NSAs must ensure their programmes work because the end results will show whether or not their efforts were earnest.
In 2005, the Cabinet Committee for Sports, chaired by the then deputy premier Najib, approved a RM193 million budget to revive the country’s sports culture. Of this, RM125 million was for sports at grassroots level — a clear indication of the direction the government was taking.
However, accountability is the essence of success and must be monitored closely.
With recent successes in the inaugural Asian Schools track and field championships in Kuantan, the national junior hockey team’s second placing in the Sultan of Johor Cup and Harimau Muda winning the Merdeka tournament, clearly, a focus on development and youth is the way to go for Malaysian sports.
TONY MARIADASS is the sports editor
of The Malay Mail. He can be reached
at tonym@mmail.com.my

Don't seduce us with 'gifts'

Friday, September 27, 2013 - The Malay Mail

 

WHERE do sports journalists draw a line when it comes to accepting gifts during assignments or ‘angpows’ given by individuals for attending a gathering or sport event? News or sports journalists, as professionals, have to adhere to a code of ethics. They need to be fair to all parties involved in any story.
However, they operate in an imperfect world that tries to make them behave in a way that goes against their principles. Nevertheless, they must resist such pressure.
Perhaps public relations companies should not entice them to attend press conferences with expensive ‘door gifts’.
I remember in the early 80s, when I was a rookie, we had to fill out a form when we received a gift, even if it was a ballpoint pen, which had to be signed by the sports editor and then handed to the office of the then New Straits Times group editor-in-chief (GEIC), the late Tan Sri Dr Noordin Sopiee.
Only if the GEIC’s approval is granted could you keep the gift. Otherwise you'd have to hand it back to the giver.
More recently, in July, The Malay Mail editor Frankie D’Cruz ordered a sports reporter and photographer to return the RM100 they had each received from a national sports association president during a ‘buka puasa’ function.
In his commentary “Cutthroat sport of ‘bribing’ reporters”, D’Cruz condemned such acts by associations. His fear is that if journalists are seduced by monetary handouts, the freedom to criticise will be severely compromised.
Although the RM100 ‘gift’ was given ‘dengan ikhlas’ (sincerely), it still went against journalistic ethics.
In response to D’Cruz’s article, National Press Club president Mokhtar Hussain commented that such ‘gifts’ should not be condoned by the fraternity.
“It (handing out money to reporters) is unethical and will jeopardise the integrity of our profession,” said Mokhtar.
Sportswriters Association of Malaysia (SAM) president Ahmad Khawari Isa also said it does not approve of such handouts to sports journalists.
“We are proud of the fact that sports journalists are free to articulate their opinions on any issue,” he remarked.
“We know the gifts are given in a spirit of festivity and I would like to believe they do not influence sports journalists. However, SAM stresses that money should not be given to journalists in general.”
Considering its strong stance, it was indeed a surprise to read that SAM’s pre-Sea Games visit to Myanmar (about 35 of its exco and ordinary members left for Yangdon on Wednesday) was sponsored by the National Sports Council, Frenz United (a soccer academy), the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF), the Negri Sembilan government and Milo.
I have no issue with Milo’s sponsorship as it is a corporation that has been involved in sports for decades, but where the others are concerned, isn’t it compromising journalistic ethics?
Why would Negri Sembilan want to sponsor SAM? And while the NSC and MNCF are directly involved in sports, aren't their sponsorships an effort to win over SAM and call in favours in the future?
As for private entity Frenz, which organises tournaments, its sponsorship could be seen as a reward for the publicity it has received so far in the sports pages.
So, what kind of message is SAM sending its members?
I remember when, as the special officer for the sports minister, I was asked to distribute US$100 (about RM330) each to the media crew — both print and electronic — at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, as a token of appreciation.
But having been a journalist for 29 years, I strongly objected to the idea as the media might think the minister was trying to “buy them over”. I suggested that she host a lunch or dinner instead and also hold a press conference to brief the media on the proceedings in Doha.
I was told off by the minister.
“You don’t know the media. What is wrong with a token of appreciation for the job they are doing out of the country?” she asked.
When I still refused, she asked another official to hand out the money. I was told to organise the dinner for a meet-the-media session instead.
Then in 2007, at the Korat Sea Games, I was again faced with the same predicament, this time to give out RM200 to each member of the media covering the Games. Again, another official handed out the money, although I was present to witness the ‘handouts’.
That was when I had a rude shock. News had got around and several sports journalists approached me for the ‘envelope’.
I realised then that this was the norm and sports journalists wanted ‘gifts.’ In all fairness, there are those who hold journalistic values in high esteem.
In Korat, I got another telling off from former sports editor of The Star Ng Weng Tuck. He called and gave me an earful when he heard that his staff had received handouts.
He had them returned the 'envelopes'. Several members of the New Straits Times team also refused the handouts.
Indeed, Ng was the gold medal winner in the ‘race of the journalists’ in Korat.
He refused to accept the minister’s reasoning that the ‘gift’ was a token of appreciation for all the hard work the journalists had put in.
To him, his team were doing what they were paid to do.
If only we had more Ngs.
Then sports journalists can walk tall and write without fear or favour.

TONY MARIADASS is sports editor
of The Malay Mail. He can be reached
at tonym@mmail.com.my

Fix the fixers or be damned

Bizarre game of moaning, groaning and heartache

Tuesday, September 24, 2013 - The Malay Mail

Comment by Tony Mariadass

Location: 

KUALA LUMPUR

WHAT if we called for the suspension of the M-League in the wake of fresh match-fixing allegations? What if we said teams with dubious players and officials should play to an empty stadium?
What if we said the authorities were inept in their action against suspected match-fixers in M-League teams? What if we demanded that the authorities step up surveillance and have a bigger presence in stadiums?
As a matter of fact, these measures to tackle football bribery should have been in place a long time ago.
The humiliation of Malaysian football continues. The fans are being ripped off — and no one is lifting a finger except to spew that mundane rhetoric: “We don’t have evidence.”
The Perak FA have suspended their Super League team coaches, officials and staff for two weeks over suspicion of internal sabotage and football bribery.
They have also lodged a police report and with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) but shockingly, it has come across as a minor episode to the sporting fraternity. Week in and week out, officials moan about:

• Players making silly back passes
• Goalkeepers making schoolboy errors
• Defenders making half-hearted tackles

Coaches had even vowed not to field ‘dubious’ players, only to go back on their word. The result: bizarre high scoring games.
So, the FA of Malaysia, in an unprecedented move earlier this month, suspended and fined Kuala Lumpur’s Hafizi Roslee for ‘unsporting behaviour’ in a Premier League match this season.
The FAM disciplinary committee slapped Hafizi with a six-month suspension and fined him RM2,000 without appeal. The penalty wasn’t convincing.
What was convincing though was when Negri Sembilan President’s Cup coach was banned for life and 18 players were suspended for two to five years by the FAM for fixing matches in the national Under-20 tournament last year Probably the most convincing and concerted action was in 1994 when more than 100 footballers were banned or banished for being involved in match-fixing.
Maybe a similar action is required in the wake of suspicious match results recently.
But with Putrajaya having abolished the Restricted Residence Act 1933 two years ago, players and officials no longer can he detained or banished without trial.

Fix the fixers or be damned

The main problem with match-fixing has been the evidence or lack of to nail the culprits.
And even more difficult is getting the big bookies while 'runners' sometimes being nabbed, does not deter syndicates.
So are we going to condone the acts of irresponsible players and officials who take the fans for a ride and make a mockery of the game?
State FAs and clubs too are to be blamed for not taking proper measures to curb the menace.
They have failed to haul up players when they suspect indifferent performances, give them show cause letters, suspend them or deduct their salaries — all of which are provided for in the contracts.
State FAs, too fail to pay salaries of players on time and this has led to some resorting to match-fixing.
Pulling up the players at the end of the season, does not help much.
Players suspected of match-fixing should be blacklisted and not recruited by other teams.
But this does not happen, as players dropped by one team, will be picked up by other teams who are well aware that the errant player was dropped for disciplinary reasons.
Legalising betting was another option considered to curb the illegal betting which is linked to match-fixing. But that too was shot down.
The FA of Malaysia have set up their own Integrity Committee comprising the police, MACC and FAM officials. States have been asked to set-up their own integrity committees.
How effective have these committees been? No one can tell.
So is there an end to the problem, or is it going be part and parcel of Malaysian football?