Malaysian Sports - Today's back pages!

Association of Malaysia (FAM) is expected to haul up National coach Datuk K. Rajagobal next week for allegedly violating Article 88 of the FAM constitution. According to Article 88, only the President and the Secretary-general can issue press statements on issue and policies related to FAM. FAM Disciplinary Committee chairman Datuk Taufik Abdul Razak said the committee had concrete evidence to charge the 56-year-old coach for criticising the policy of the governing body for football in the country. "We have the evidence to charge (Rajagobal) because he has breached Article 88 and we are also looking at reports in the media, allegedly issued by him," he told reporters after chairing a four-hour Disciplinary committee meeting at Wisma FAM, Kelana Jaya, Wednesday. Taufik said just like how the others who breached Article 88 were charged in the past, the same procedure would be applied in the case of Rajagobal, to be fair to everyone. Rajagobal was reported to have blamed th...

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 (Bernama) -- Pahang brought down star-studded Johor Darul Takzim FC 3-2 with a thud at the Darul Makmur Stadium in Kuantan to score the biggest upset on the opening day of the Super League season Tuesday night. Newcomers to the Super League, Pahang, came back from two goals down to overcome Johor Darul Takzim who were parading a number of stars, like 'million dollar striker' Safee Sali, M-League's player of the year Norshahrul Idlan Talha and national skipper Safiq Rahim. Johor Darul Takzim coached by the mercurial Fandi Ahmad from Singapore took a 2-0 lead through Safiq and Norshahrul who scored in the 10th and 25th minutes but a polished second half display by the east coast side saw Mohd Fauzi Roslan score a brace in the 48th and 72nd minutes while R. Surendran was the hero of the victory when he scored the winning goal in the 82nd minute. Former powerhouse Selangor scored a 1-0 victory over Negeri Sembilan at the Shah Alam Stadium with newly acqui...

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 (Bernama) - Malaysia beat Indonesia 2-0 to make the AFF Suzuki Cup 2012 semi-final in a Group B match at National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, here tonight. The win put the 'Harimau Malaya' squad second in Group B with six points, behind Singapore who collected seven points who beat Laos 4-3 in a match at Shah Alam Stadium Saturday night. As Group B runner-up, Malaysia will face Thailand who won Group A in the semi-final to be held here on Dec 9 and in Bangkok on Dec 13. The other semi-final will be between Singapore and Group A runner-up, the Philippines on Dec 8 and Dec 12. Despite Malaysia's win, it was Indonesia who started well when Samsul Arif Munip shot wide from outside the penalty box as early as the 3rd minute.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 (Bernama) -- Fans of the national football squad 'Harimau Malaya' need to be more professional and not emotional when giving their support, said Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek. He said the Harimau Malaya players need the full backing of the fans in facing arch rivals Indonesia in their final group match in the AFF Suzuki Cup tournament tomorrow. "However, they (fans) need to adopt a more professional attitude. They must support the team till the very end and not quickly leave the stadium whenever Malaysia lose. "Don't only be with the team when we win and curse and scold when we lose. No matter the outcome, we must be loyal supporters," he said when met on the sidelines of the Umno general assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre here Friday. Earlier, Ahmad Shabery together with his deputy Datuk Razali Ibrahim had conducted a lucky draw for visitors of the ministry's booth at the assembly.

JOHOR BAHARU, 2 Nov (Bernama) -- Presiden Persatuan Bola Sepak Negeri Johor (PBNJ) Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim mahu semua pemain pasukan Johor dan Johor United memiliki tahap disiplin, dedikasi dan integriti yang tinggi. Tunku Mahkota Johor itu bertitah tiga elemen itu penting bagi memastikan usaha mencapai misi pasukan yang akan bersaing pada Liga Super dan Liga Perdana tahun depan itu tercapai. "Dengan mempunyai ketiga-tiga elemen ini, kita akan berjaya mencapai misi kita," titah baginda selepas majlis menandatangani kontrak pemain Liga Super dan Liga Perdana Johor di sini Jumaat. Saingan Johor pada Liga Super akan dibawa oleh pasukan Johor yang dipimpin pengurus merangkap ketua kebangsaan, Ismail Ibrahim dipertanggungjawabkan sebagai jurulatih. Saingan negeri pada Liga Perdana pula akan dipikul oleh Johor United dengan Onn Jabar dilantik sebagai pengurus manakala ketua jurulatihnya pula adalah bekas pemain Johor, Azmi Mohamed.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 (Bernama) -- The Harimau Muda squad (National Under-21 team) booked a place in the semi-final of the VFF Newspaper Cup Invitational Football Championship, Wednesday, after beating Sydney FC 4-2. Syahrul Azwari performed well at the city stadium in Pleiku, Vietnam contributing two goals for Harimau Muda, in the 6th and 18th minutes respectively. In the second half, the Sydney FC team got its act together to narrow the gap but their efforts were easily thwarted by the squad coached by Ong Kim Swee.

An under-strength Malaysian team bounced back from their defeat to Vietnam last month with a big win over Ernest Merrick’s side in Hong Kong. Datuk K.Rajagopal’s assessment of Malaysia being better than some of the teams above them in the official FIFA ranking was proven correct by his players when they went to Hong Kong, completely bossed the game and came away with a resounding 3-0 win over the hosts. Rajagopal’s charges made a mockery of the ranking system with an absolutely commanding performance over the higher placed Hong Kongers at the Mong Kok Stadium in Kowloon, despite starting with a team deprived of some of its star names. Khairul Fahmi Che Mat, S.Subramaniam, Norshahrul Idlan Talaha and Aidil Zafuan Abdul Radzak are just four of the nine players who did not travel with the squad due to their involvement in the Malaysia Cup final while regular skipper Safiq Rahim only started on the bench. Malaysia registered their first shot on target through Kedah ski...

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 (Bernama) -- The National Under-21 squad beat Laos 4-2 in their opening match of the VFF Newspaper Cup tournament played in Gia Lai, Vietnam Saturday. Malaysia opened accounts through Muhammad Ariff Farhan Md Isa in the 15th minute before Ahmad Hazwan Bakri extended the lead in the 34th minute to take a healthy 2-0 half-time lead. But while Ong Kim Swee's boys took their foot off the pedal at the start of the second half, Laos mounted a spirited fight back to level the score through Thinnakone Vongsa's 53rd minute strike and Sitthideth Khantavong's 56th minute goal. The two goals served as a tonic for the Malaysian boys as skipper A. Thamil Arasu restored the advantage in the 86th minute before D. Saarvindran made sure of all three points with the fourth goal in the dying seconds. Malaysia take on Sydney FC from Australia in their next match on Wednesday. --BERNAMA

Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM) layak ke final Piala Malaysia 2012 apabila mengalahkan Lions XII dari Singapura 5-4 menerusi sepakan penalti pada perlawanan separuh akhir kedua di sini, Khamis malam. Kedua-dua pasukan terikat 1-1 selepas masa tambahan. Pada perlawanan separuh akhir pertama minggu lepas, kedua-dua pasukan tersebut terikat 1-1.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 (Bernama) -- Kenny Pallraj, a Perak SUKMA squad player was among 20 young players called up by coach Ong Kim Swee to spearhead the country's challenge in the VFF Newspaper Cup in Gia Lai, Vietnam from Oct 11 to 21. Kim Swee, the national Under-21 head coach picked a majority of Harimau Muda A players to strengthen his squad. Among those in the squad are goalkeeper Mohd Izham Tarmizi Roslan, defender Shahrul Mohd Saad, midfielder Mohd Irfan Fazail and striker Ahmad Hazwan Bakri, said a statement from the Football Association of Malaysia here Tuesday. The National U-21 squad has been drawn in Group B with Iraq and Indonesia while host Vietnam who head Group A have Syria and Singapore for company. Malaysia's best performance in the tournament was a semifinal spot in the 2010 tournament but lost to Vietnam 0-1.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 (Bernama) -- The national football team is expected to face an uphill task to qualify for the finals of the 2015 Asia Cup after being drawn in Group D with three Arab nations, namely Qatar, Bahrain and Yaman. During the draw that was telecast live through the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) website www.the-afc.com, Singapore were also drawn with three Arab nations in Group A, namely Jordan, Syria and Oman. Three-time winner Iran head Group B together with 1980 champion Kuwait; Thailand and Lebanon while 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup runner-up, Indonesia are in Group C with Iraq, China and Saudi Arabia. Vietnam are drawn in Group E with Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan. The top two teams from each group automatically qualify for the next stage while the best third placed team among the five groups will earn one slot. Four teams have already earned their spots in the next round, namely host Australia, defending champion Japan, South Korea as third place wi...

KUALA LUMPUR, 2 Okt (Bernama) -- Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM), Selangor, Lions XII dan Kelantan mengesahkan tiket ke separuh akhir Piala Malaysia selepas berakhirnya perlawanan suku akhir kedua, Selasa. ATM yang membawa kelebihan jaringan 3-2 pada perlawanan suku akhir pertama Jumaat lepas, mencipta kejutan terbesar setelah menewaskan juara bertahan Piala Malaysia, Negeri Sembilan dengan keputusan 3-1 di Stadium Tuanku Abdul Rahman Paroi, Seremban. Juara 32 kali Piala Malaysia, Selangor pula mengesahkan kemaraan ke separuh akhir dengan keputusan agregat 5-2 selepas mencatatkan kemenangan tipis 2-1 ke atas Johor FC di Stadium Shah Alam. Pada perlawanan suku akhir pertama Selasa lepas, Selangor mencatatkan kemenangan selesa, 3-1 ke atas Johor FC di Stadium Majlis Perbandaran Pasir Gudang. Lions XII yang membuat penampilan pertama Piala Malaysia meneruskan kemaraan selepas mencatatkan kemenangan selesa, 2-0 ke atas Pahang di Stadium Jalan Besar, Singapura untuk layak menerusi agreg...

SHAH ALAM, Sept 30 (Bernama) - Selangor Selection ended a drought of three years by lifting the 11th Sultan of Selangor Cup after beating Singapore Selection 3-1 at Shah Alam Stadium Saturday night. The last time Selangor Selection won the cup was in 2005 after beating Singapore Slection 3-1 at the same venue. Singapore first opened scoring when Aleksandar Duric beat Selangor goalkeeper Norazlan Razali in the 23rd minute. Stung by the goal, Selangor reshuffled the frontline and were rewarded when skipper Safiq Rahim equalised in the 32nd minute. Selangor got the second goal when import player Bosko Balaban scored in the 54th minute. Mohd Rozaimi Abdul Rahman added to Singapore's misery when he scored Selangor's third goal in the 88th minute.

SHAH ALAM, Sept 29 (Bernama) -- Singapore Veterans beat Selangor Veterans 2-1 in the 11th Sultan of Selangor Cup at Shah Alam Stadium Saturday night. The visitors drew first blood when Steven Tan Teng Chuan scored with a crisp shot in the 7th minute. Selangor legend Zainal Abidin Hassan kept the home crowd happy when he scored the equalising goal in the 13th minute. Zainal was denied a second goal when his powerful shot in the 16th minute was saved by Singapore goalkeeper Mohd Shahri Abdul Rahim. After the break, Singapore Veterans reshuffled the side and were rewarded when former golden boy Fandi Ahmad scored the second goal in the 82nd minute. Selangor Veterans beat Singapore Veterans 3-1 at the same venue last year.

PETALING JAYA, Sept 28 (Bernama) -- Former internationals Datuk Soh Chin Aun, Datuk Santokh Singh and Reduan Abdullah were among those who paid their last respects to Tan Sri Ghani Minhat who passed away today. Abdul Ghani who passed away at the National Heart Institute (IJN) due to complications following a heart by-pass operation at 10.34am today was buried at the USJ 21 Muslim cemetery in Subang Jaya at about 5.20pm. The eldest son of the man known as 'Raja Bola' Nik Abdul Halim said the death of his father was due to complications after undergoing a by-pass surgery. "Due to his age, his organs could not function well after the operation," he said. Chin Aun who was under Abdul Ghani's tutelage and regarded him as a mentor said the latter's demise was a big loss to sports in the country, particularly football. "He was a big influence and impact in my football career. As my coach and senior he offered valuable advise to me and charted my career in f...

SHAH ALAM - Legenda bola sepak negara, Tan Sri Ghani Minhat meninggal dunia akibat komplikasi selepas menjalani pembedahan pintasan jantung di Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) hari ini. Allahyarham menghembuskan nafas terakhir kira-kira jam 10.34 pagi tadi. Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Minhat (The King of Football) Born in 1935, Ghani Minhatwas put on the path of professional football by a pair of boots hereceived from Police Officers sometime in 1951. In those days, only professionals wore football bootsand Ghani saw thisas a calling for him to upgrade his skills. By1952 he had earned a place in thePoliceDepotteam. Thisbecame hisstepping stoneto earning a place on the Selangor squad in theMalaysia (then Malaya)Cup series. The left-winger helped to bring in eight Malaya Cup wins and three Merdeka Football Tournament (“Pestabola Merdeka”) wins. He was also partof thevictorious team in the 1961 SEAP Games (now SEA Games) in Rangoon. One of the finest forwards ofthe 60s, Ghani’ssuperb sk...

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- Pahang pulled of a pleasant upset by beating high riding Lions XII from Singapore 2-1 in their first leg Malaysia Cup quarterfinal match at the Darul Makmur Stadium in Kuantan Tuesday. The slim one goal margin may not hold out when Pahang enter the Lion's den in Singapore for the second leg but with vast experience on their side, Pahang will be looking tame the Lions at their own den. Despite playing in the Premier League competition, Pahang had shown tremendous form against Super League teams Selangor, T-Team and Sarawak in the Malaysia Cup group matches. Their thumping 6-1 victory over Sarawak was the highlight of the East Coast team that is coached by former international Dollah Salleh and tonight's win against the Super League runner-up further underlines their capability. Hafiz Kamal was the toast of the Pahang side when he struck the winner in the 76th minute after both teams were tied 1-1 when import Maycon Calvalho's 9th minute...

KOTA BAHARU, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- Kelantan's fairy tale run in the AFC Cup competition came an end after a 1-1 draw against Iraq club, Arbil SC in their second leg quarterfinal match at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium here Tuesday night. The Super League champion who were the only remaining Malaysian team in the competition, lost out 2-6 on aggregate after losing the first leg 1-5 at the Francouse Al Hareeri Stadium in Erbil, Iraq on Sept 18. Kelantan who were eager to overturn the deficit on home soil, were however, stunned by a 37th minute strike by the visitors through Sula Matovu. After numerous failed attempts and wasted chances, Kelantan finally managed to equalise when Mohammed Ghaddar Mahmoud converted a penalty kick that was awarded in the closing minutes of the game. With the win, the Iraq club will face either Chonburi FC from Thailand or Al-Shorta from Syria in the semifinals scheduled on Oct 2 and 23 respectively.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- Ex-International Datuk M. Chandran, skipper of the National team that played in the 1972 Munich Olympics, expressed confidence that Malaysia would be able to retain the AFF Suzuki Cup. The former National defender, aged 70, based his confidence on the results and achievement by team currently under Datuk K. Rajagobal. "The national squad has shown vast improvement compared with a few years ago and we as supporters, fans and critics must join hands to continue supporting the team as well as give Rajagobal an opportunity to rectify the weaknesses instead of crucifying the players and coach," he told reporters after receiving RM30,000 from MIC President Datuk Seri G. Palanivel at his house here Tuesday. Chandran who was a pillar of strong during his playing days suffered a stroke in July and has been confined to the wheelchair. "We must also be aware that all the countries taking part in the AFF Suzuki Cup will be eager to beat Malaysi...

Aziz Azizan (kanan) dan Jelani Wilastra. Dua bekas pemain negara mahu kerjasama bendung gejala rasuah yang hantui semula KESAL dengan kesilapan sendiri dua bekas pemain kebangsaan - Aziz Azizan dan Jelani Wilastra - menyuarakan niat membantu Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia (FAM) mencegah skandal rasuah yang kini kembali menghantui kancah bola sepak negara. “Kami sedia bekerjasama dengan FAM mencegah gejala terkutuk ini daripada berulang. Kami ingin kembali menjalani hidup seperti sebelumnya dan memberi sumbangan kepada bola sepak negara menerusi pengalaman dan pengetahuan yang ada,” kata Aziz dan Jelani. Bekas pemain Pulau Pinang itu adalah antara dua bekas pemain yang berani tampil berkongsi pengalaman dalam satu rancangan bicara sukan terbitan RTM, Stadium Angkasa, kelmarin. “Kami sudah serik dan insaf,” kata mereka yang pernah didakwa atas tuduhan menerima rasuah untuk mengatur keputusan perlawanan Liga Malaysia pada era 90-an. Pengakuan Aziz d...