Day: May 13, 2024

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysian football, still reeling from the violent attacks on national players, suffered another blow after a video clip of players fighting during a 2024 Youth Cup match went viral.

The incident occurred during a Group A match between Melaka FA and Sri Pahang FC at the Hang Tuah Stadium in Melaka yesterday.

The 44-second clip of the match showed players from both teams pushing and shoving one another as team officials tried to defuse the tense situation.

However, one of the players could be seen acting aggressively by kicking the back of an opponent.

“The incident saw Sri Pahang’s reserve player Adam Syaqir Barzu being shown the red card in the 41st minute for kicking a Melaka player,’ according to a post on the Melaka United Media Facebook, which also shared the video clip.

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) had previously warned that stern action would be taken against any party involved in fighting in the President’s Cup (Under-20) and Youth Cup (Under-18) this season.

FAM Sec
urity Committee deputy chairman ACP (R) Md Dali Wahid, when contacted today, confirmed that a fight occurred during the game yesterday but said he has yet to receive a full report of the incident.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KOTA KINABALU, Sabah FC head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee is left ruing his team’s poor finishing en route to a 0-0 Super League draw with Penang FC at the Likas Stadium yesterday.

Saying his team played well by controlling the game, he was at pains trying to explain how his men failed to finish off the many chances they created.

It’s no surprise then that Kim Swee intends to work on the two Fs – finishing and fitness – ahead of their second Super League match against Kelantan Darul Naim FC in Kota Bharu on Friday (May 17).

“We did not get the result we deserved but, overall, we controlled the game well and we must now improve on our finishing. We were let down by our profligacy against Penang.

“It’s a little disappointing to have started the season at home without a win but it’s still early days… but we must get a good result after this,’ he told a post-match press conference last night.

Asked about the absence of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system due to technical problems, he said although it would
have helped the referee make better decisions, he and his team are ready to move on and do better in the next game.

Penang head coach Akmal Rizal Ahmad Rakhli admitted that they opted to play a defensive game and rely on counterattacks as they knew it would be easy to tame Sabah at their home ground, the Likas Stadium.

“The positive thing about tonight (last night) is that we drew. We will work on improving our weaknesses, including our fitness, ahead of our next game,’ he said as the Panthers gear up for their home game against Terengganu FC on Sunday (May 19).

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, The National men’s Under-19 and Under-15 table tennis squads created history by winning the team events at the South East Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships 2024 for the first time at the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) Sports Complex, here today.

With the win, both teams also qualified to participate in the 2024 Asian Youth Championships scheduled from June 30 to July 6 in Chongqing, China.

In the U-19 final played at the Tan Sri Hamzah Arena, Malaysia beat Vietnam 3-0 to lift the title.

Lai Yong Han gave Malaysia the first point by beating Nguyen Duy Phong 11-9, 11-6, 8-11, 11-4 before Pang Xiang Jun made it 2-0 after sweeping past Tran Manh Cuong 11-7, 11-3, 11-4 while Rchard Yap Rui Zhe continued the winning momentum by cruising past Nguyen Hoang Lam 11-7, 11-5, 11-13 to complete the clean sweep.

National U-19 coach Chai Kian Beng said he did not expect his charges to bag the title with such a commanding performance.

‘I did not expect to beat Vitenam 3-0 because in the group stag
es, we only managed to edge Vietnam 3-2. During the final I just told them to continue the winning momentum and they did it in style.

‘After this we will focus on the Asian Junior Championships in China. The win is also an indication that Malaysian table tennis has a bright future,’ he told Bernama when met here today.

Meanwhile, the U-15 squad clinched the title by beating Thailand 3-1 at the same venue.

Lai Yong Ren gave Malaysia a flying start by winning the first point after beating Nimit Soiphuang 11-4, 11-4, 0-11, 11-9 but team mate Lee Hong Ann lost to Thitaphat Preechayan 8-11, 8-11, 11-6, 6-11 to see Thailand claw back to levl the tie at 1-1.

Malaysia however, raced into a 2-1 lead when Tey Hong Yu swept aside Leonard Piyachai 11-6, 11- 2, 11-3 in three straight games before Lee Hong Ann put the icing on the cake with another straight sets victory over Nimit Soiphuang 11-8, 12-10, 11-9.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) psychologist Frederick Tan is set to introduce a new programme specially designed to help shuttlers bound for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, which kicks off July 26-Aug 11.

Frederick said he will likely roll out the new programme following the conclusion of the 2024 Indonesia Open, which is scheduled to take place in Jakarta from June 4 to 9.

While he didn’t disclose the specifics of the ‘magic potion’ he plans to employ, Frederick said he will collaborate with Akademi Badminton Malaysia’s coaching director Rexy Mainaky to fine-tune the details before putting it into action.

‘Olympic Games is totally different from Thomas and Uber Cup, Asian Games, SEA Games or even World Championships. Therefore, I need to devise a new programme specifically catered to shuttlers need for Paris 2024.

‘The programme will be implemented after the Indonesia Open and stretch before the shuttlers leave for Paris,’ he said when met recently.

In the meantime, Frederick ho
ped that the programme will yield positive results, drawing from his successful initiatives at the recent Thomas Cup 2024 in Chengdu, China.

During the Chengdu meet, Frederick implemented nightly pep talks and distributed personalised notes of encouragement to each player’s room.

‘I can sense that something has changed in terms of team spirit in Thomas Cup. It seems like that they totally enjoyed my programme for Chengdu,’ he said.

Indeed, Frederick’s strategies had a significant impact on the team’s performance, culminating in their first Thomas Cup semi-final appearance in eight years.

However, their journey was halted by the hosts and eventual champions, China, with a 1-3 defeat, in the semi-finals.

Malaysia secured their spot in the last four by defeating the 2014 champions, Japan, 3-1, in the quarter-finals.

Malaysia began their Thomas Cup Group D campaign with 5-0 wins over Hong Kong and Algeria but failed to top the group after losing 2-3 to 2016 champions and European powerhouse, Denmark.

Sour
ce: BERNAMA News Agency