Day: June 26, 2024

PUTRAJAYA, The Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) has formed a committee to monitor the progress of the construction of the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) National Training Centre (NTC), which commenced in the middle of this month in Precinct 5, here.

Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said the committee, which includes representatives from the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Economy, will ensure that the project is completed according to the targeted timelines, with Phase 1 scheduled for completion by December 2026 and Phase 2 by December 2027.

“Before 2022, this project could not proceed due to land and funding issues, but with the establishment of this monitoring committee, they will ensure that the project is carried out,” she told a press conference after the FAM NTC groundbreaking ceremony here today.

Previously, the FAM NTC project announced in 2019 was initially scheduled to begin construction in late 2021.

Earlier, FAM president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin informed that the NTC FAM
project, with a total cost of RM69 million, includes two phases with Phase 1 funded by FIFA amounting to US$ 5.2 million (approximately RM24 million), while Phase 2 involves an allocation of RM45 million from the government through KBS.

Phase 1 of the NTC project is being carried out by local company RS Green Master (M) Sdn. Bhd., involving the construction of three football pitches with different types of grass; natural (Bermuda), hybrid and synthetic, and is equipped with full floodlighting and quality drainage systems, landscaping and a six-metre-high perimeter fence around the piitches.

Phase 2, to be implemented by the Public Works Department (JKR), is expected to open for tender in September 2024. It includes the construction of a 1,682.8-square-metre building comprising a gymnasium, multipurpose hall, players’ changing rooms, rehabilitation space, and surau, in addition to constructing a roof for the synthetic turf pitch built in Phase 1.

The FAM NTC project will be part of a football hub in Precinc
t 5, which will also include the headuarters of FAM and also the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), and a mini stadium.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

SURABAYA, National judo exponent Nur Farah Izzati Wallah clinched Malaysia’s first gold medal at the 2024 ASEAN University Games (AUG) after defeating the host challenger, Olympian Maryam March Maharani in the final today.

In the women’s under 52 kilogrammes (kg) category held at the Airlangga Convention Centre here, Maryam March was disqualified for violating match rules by wearing ‘airpods’ during the bout.

Nur Farah Izzati described her victory as the culmination of her hard work and expressed her intention to use the RM3,000 incentive announced by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir last week to repair her car.

“My car broke down before I came here, that too while I was on my way to training in preparation for the AUG. I plan to use the incentive to fix my car.

“My journey before this… had many challenges. This year, I’m in my final semester before entering industry training. It’s not necessarily true that students cannot succeed in sports,” said the Perak-born athlete to repor
ters after the bout.

Earlier, in the first round, Nur Farah Izzati easily defeated Singapore exponent Shu Wen Yeo to advance to the final.

Meanwhile, another Malaysian exponent, Muhammad Fareez Mohameid, had to settle for silver after losing to host athlete Tommy Darmawan in the final of the men’s under 60kg event.

Muhammad Fareez had earlier defeated Bryan Tze Haeng of Singapore in the morning’s first round.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) defensive stalwart Faiz Helmi Jali has been recalled to strengthen the national hockey team who will embark on their European International Tour Series from July 1 to July 14.

National men’s hockey team head coach Sarjit Singh said the Speedy Tigers would benefit from the presence of the vastly experienced 32-year-old, who will add steel to the backline.

“Having competed in two tournaments, the coaches feel that we need the services of a more experienced player to add value to the team and Faiz Helmi deserves a recall.

“He has trained for two weeks and the coaches have seen how he can help the team,’ he said in a statement issued by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) today.

Faiz Helmi, who has won 215 caps, last played for the Speedy Tigers in the Asian Olympic qualifiers in Oman in January. He was also not on the radar when Sarjit focused on building a new-look young team to gear up for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.

Meanwhile, Sarjit said the tour serie
s would be a platform for him and his coaches to evaluate the players’ performance levels, especially in high-intensity matches.

“The coaching lineup also hopes that the team can rectify the mistakes identified at the two previous tournaments and every player must up their game. They must improve themselves to help the team and learn as much as possible from some of the world’s best teams,’ he said.

Apart from Faiz Helmi, young forward Tengku Nasrul Ikmal Hakimie Tengku Abd Rahim has also been recalled after being dropped from the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and Nations Cup tournaments recently

Having dropped five players – goalkeeper Adrian Andy Albert; defenders Luqman Nul Hakim and Muhammad Arif Syafie Ishak; and midfielders Mughni Mohamad Kamal and Naaveennash Panicker – Sarjit will take only 20 players on the tour series.

The Speedy Tigers will play seven matches in the tour series against some of the world’s top hockey nations like the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and India as well as the Monchengladbach
Hockey Club.

Of the seven matches, six are friendlies while the match against Germany on July 9 is a test match.

The Speedy Tigers will leave for Brussels, Belgium on June 28 and return home on July 16.

Following are the 20 players bound for the Tour Series:

Goalkeepers: Muhamad Zaimi Mat Deris, Che Shahrul Azmi Che Saufi.

Defenders: Muhammad Marhan Jalil (Captain), Faiz Helmi Jali, Muhamad Amirul Hamizan Azhar, Muhamad Syafiq Hassan, Muhamad Faris Harizan, Muhamad Kamarulzaman Kamarudin, Syarman Mat Tee.

Midfielders: Mohd Fitri Saari, Nik Muhamad Aiman Nik Rozemi, Shello Silverius, Alfarico Lance Liau Jr, Syawal Abdul Razak.

Forward: Faizal Saari, Muhamad Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal, Norsyafiq Sumantri, Azimuddin Syakir Kamaruddin, Tengku Nasrul Ikmal Hakimi Tengku Abd Rahim, Nur Rahull Hrsikesa Thaitchana Muruthi.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, The Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) today emphasised that they have yet to decide whether Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi or Shereen Samson Vallabouy will take up the wild card entry slot at the 2024 Paris Olympics next month.

The MAF said this to refute the claim by an X account user @AtletMalaysia which stated that Muhammad Azeem had been selected for the universal slot to the quadrennial Games.

“Don’t try to confuse Malaysian athletics fans. No official decision made by MAF yet,’ the MAF said in a statement posted on their Facebook page today.

For the record, only one of the two United States-based athletes will get to make a debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics via a wild card to be decided by the MAF after both athletes failed to qualify on merit.

Muhammad Azeem (men’s 100 metres) and Shereen (women’s 400 metres) failed to meet the qualifying marks for their respective events.

The MAF must submit the name of the athlete chosen for the wild card slot to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM)
by early next month.

The Paris Olympics will be from July 26 to Aug 11.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

PUTRAJAYA, Selangor FC can submit an appeal to the Malaysian Football League (MFL) after being handed four penalties for their non-attendance at the Charity Shield match at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri, Johor last month.

MFL Chief Executive Officer Datuk Stuart Ramalingam said the Red Giants have until the end of this week to submit an official appeal letter to the local football league governing body.

He said the number of penalties imposed on Selangor FC by the MFL Board of Directors could also be reduced based on the consideration of the MFL appeals body.

“The appeals body will go through relevant documents and convene for two to three weeks if Selangor decide to submit an appeal letter,” he told reporters at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) National Training Centre (NCT) here today.

Yesterday, the MFL announced in a statement that Selangor FC were penalised for the non-attendance, including being fined RM100,000 and having three points docked in t
he 2024/2025 Super League competition.

They also need to compensate Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), the home team for the season-opening match, with the amount to be announced later while the Week 14 Super League match between Selangor and JDT at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium will be played without spectators.

However, Selangor said in a statement last night that they are reviewing and considering all appropriate channels for further action.

Selangor FC explained that they requested a postponement of the Charity Shield match following the acid attack on their star player Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim on May 5 and several other incidents involving local football players, but the request was denied.

The decision resulted in JDT being awarded a 3-0 win and docked three points for the Super League match.

The three-point deduction will see Selangor, currently in second place in the Super League with nine points, drop to fifth place.

If the 2023 Super League runners-up seek other alternatives, including takin
g the case to the Civil Court or the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Stuart said they must undergo the legal process, including appealing to the MFL first.

When asked about the MFL’s decision to impose the penalty of playing without spectators, Stuart said the decision was made because JDT did not gain commercial revenue from the Charity Shield match.

“For them (the MFL Board of Directors), the reverse match shouldn’t have any profit for participating teams as it is a commercial matter. One team does not profit from not attending one match but profits from the return match, that’s the view of the board,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency