Skip to main content

Rajagopal: I’ll take stern action if we don’t get desired result

National coach Datuk K. Rajagopal has issued an ultimatum to his under performing players: Buck up or pack up!

He is willing to give them one last chance to prove their worth – win their AFF Suzuki Cup opener against Singapore on Sunday.

Lose, and heads will roll, he promised.

The team have come under fire for below par performances which have resulted in two defeats – 1-0 to Vietnam and 2-0 to Thailand – and two draws – 1-1 with minnows Hong Kong and Bangladesh.
His ultimatum came following Tuesday’s draw with Bangladesh.

“We didn’t get the desired result against Bangladesh and I’ll take stern action if we don’t get a positive result against Singapore,” warned Rajagopal.

“I’m concerned with the team’s display … but we have four days to rectify it. Another below-par performance will force me to make drastic changes to the team.”

Key players Mohd Safee Sali, Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, S. Kunalan and skipper Mohd Safiq Rahim, who were in the team that won the Suzuki Cup in 2010, were also unconvincing against Bangladesh and were replaced in the second-half.

Their replacements – Ahmad Hazwan Bakri, Mohd Zaquan Adha Abdul Razak, Mohd Shakir Shaari and Badrol Bakhtiar – were no better.

To add insult to the injury, Zaquan picked up a knee injury after playing for only 13 minutes and had to be replaced by Ahmad Fakri Saarani.

Rajagopal is set to recall winger Mohd Azamuddin Akil to the team due to Zaquan’s injury.
The 53-year-old coach said he will focus on motivating the players and boosting team morale in the days leading to the opening match of the Suzuki Cup.

“We all need to be positive at this crucial part of our preparation and we have to keep the momentum going,” he said.

Malaysia, the defending champions, are co-hosting the tournament with Thailand from Nov 24-Dec 22.

Malaysia open their Group B campaign against Singapore at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Sunday. They play Laos on Nov 28 before taking on Indonesia, whom they beat in the 2010 final, on Dec 1.

Group A comprises Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Myanmar.



Reports by ERIC SAMUEL, K. RAJAN and P. EU JIN
PETALING JAYA:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ex-coach's jail sentence cut to a year

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal yesterday sentenced former athletics coach C. Ramanathan to 12 months' jail for molesting two junior athletes 19 years ago. A three-man bench led by Datuk Mohd Hishamudin Mohd Yunus unanimously dismissed Ramanathan's appeal against conviction, but varied the jail sentence of four years to a year, which was to run concurrently. Following yesterday's ruling, Ramanathan, 75, a former teacher, walked out a free man as he had served 10 months in Kajang Prison. Convicts get one-third remission for good behaviour while in prison. However, he will lose his pension. Hishamudin, who sat with Datuk Abdul Wahab Patail and Datuk Linton Albert, said the court found no merit to overturn the conviction. "However, in reducing the sentence, we considered Ramanathan's age and the long years the appeal has taken." Deputy public prosecutor Awang Armadajaya Awang Mahmud submitted that then High Court judge Tan Sri Abdull Hamid E...
2 comments
Read more

Rajagobal Let Off The Hook

PETALING JAYA, April 24 (Bernama) -- National head coach Datuk K. Rajagobal was let off the hook by the Football Association of Malaysia's (FAM) Disciplinary Committee after finding no evidence that he had violated FAM's Article 88, as claimed. FAM Disciplinary Committee chairman Datuk Taufik Abdul Razak said the committee had decided not to charge Rajagobal after carefully analysing the video of the post-match press conference by the 56-year-old coach. "After listening to the recording of the post-match press conference, we decided to drop the charge against Rajagopal as he did not make such a statement. "Maybe his (Rajagobal) assessment and comments of the match was misconstrued by the media. There was no mention of the FAM policy throughout his comments," said Taufik after emerging from a three-hour Disciplinary Committee meeting at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya, here, Wednesday. Rajagobal who does not mince his words when asked to com...
4 comments
Read more

Govt Always Gives Emphasis To Sporting Culture, Says PM

KUALA TERENGGANU, May 29 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badaw i said the government always gives emphasis on cultivating a strong sporting culture in achieving excellence at the international level. As such, the Prime Minister said, it was important to scout for young talents in sports. "I observe that the Malaysia Games (Sukma) has become one of the important platforms to do so. "In this arena, the potentials and skills of the youngsters can be identified for development so that they can achieve greater success in sports," he said in his message in the souvenir book of the 12th Sukma from May 31 until June 9. Abdullah said he was aware that competition in sports was very keen and challenging but this did not mean that Malaysian athletes were incapable of competing at the international level. "The fact is that we have all the characteristics required to be excellent. We must inculcate a strong fighting spirit so that we don't easily surrender,...
1 comment
Read more