» »Unlabelled » Minister prefers spending big on local football devt BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sports - New 2 Borneo

15:12:00

Minister prefers spending big on local football devt BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sports - New 2 Borneo

Minister prefers spending big on local football devt

Posted: 11 Jan 2014 09:17 AM PST

SEPANG: Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin believes that an investment to develop local football is more profitable than spending big money to hire a worldclass coach for the national team.

He made this comment, following a media report that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) was understood to be shortlisting several big names for the post of national team chief coach. They were former Japan coach for the 2002 World Cup Philippe Troussier, former AS Roma manager Zdenak Zeman and former Chelsea and France international Marcel Desailly.

Khairy, however, said FAM was free to pick anyone to coach the Harimau squad to boost the quality of Malaysian football.

"I personally think FAM is free to choose anyone. If we have reached a stage where we (the national team) qualify for the Olympics or World Cup, to me the need for a world-class coach will be pressing.

"However, if our talent pool is limited, I feel it is better that we spend the money to develop football, rather than hire a world-class coach. That is my personal view," he said.

The minister was speaking to reporters after riding a motorcycle with 30 participants of the 2014 Endurance KBS-MAM-SIC Championship at the Sepang Circuit here yesterday.

Khairy also flagged off 271 racers from 110 teams taking part in the third edition of the race.

In another development, he said the ministry agreed to channel RM2 million to the Harimau Muda A team to play in the league in Queensland, Australia.

"(Harimau Muda A coach) Datuk Ong Kim Swee and I have discussed sending the Harimau Muda A squad to play at the Queensland League. We agreed to bear half of the entire cost of RM4 million." — Bernama

Print Friendly

To enable your comment to be published, please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. This includes vulgar user names.

World champ Vettel goes for five

Posted: 11 Jan 2014 09:16 AM PST

LONDON: Quadruple Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel went for five on Friday with the German choosing to have that numeral on his car when he is eventually deposed as number one.

Under new regulations for 2014, Formula One drivers will have permanent racing numbers to be used throughout their careers from now on and can choose any between two and 99.

The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) published the official list with some surprises among the selections. Vettel, who will have the number one on his Red Bull this season, opted for the number that many fans associate with Britain's 1992 champion Nigel Mansell who was often referred to as 'Red Five'.

Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado opted to have 13, a number considered unlucky in many countries but lucky in others, on his Lotus. Traditionally the number 13 has not been used.

McLaren's Jenson Button chose to roll back the years and race with the number 22 that he used in his 2009 title-winning campaign.

"Two little ducks," the 33-year-old Briton, who won his Formula One championship with the Brawn GP team that is now Mercedes, had told his 1.6 million Twitter followers earlier. "Quack quack".

"üJenson22 Great memories, looking forward to making a few more," he added.

In British bingo halls numbers are called out using nicknames, with 22 sometimes referred to as two little ducks or quack quack.

The question of what number drivers will choose has intrigued Formula One fans aware of the evocative past behind some of them.

The late Canadian Gilles Villeneuve, one of Ferrari's greatest heroes, remains closely identified with number 27 which was also used at times by the late Brazilian triple champion Ayrton Senna.

Germany's Nico Hulkenberg will have that one.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso requested 14, which he explained last month has been his lucky number since 1996 when at the age of 14 he won a karting title with 14 on his car on July 14.

"Let's see if it's lucky for me again," he told reporters in Madrid.

The Spaniard is also a fan of the Real Madrid football club, whose Spain international midfielder Xabi Alonso plays with the number 14 shirt.

Alonso's new Finnish team mate, and 2007 world champion, Kimi Raikkonen has opted for seven while 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton took 44.

Germany's Adrian Sutil, who has joined Sauber from Force India, chose 99. Daniel Ricciardo, who has joined Vettel at Red Bull, will race as number three.

Previously, the smiling Australian would have had to have the number two on his car as the champion's team mate – a status very few racing drivers willingly accept and none chose. — Reuters

Print Friendly

To enable your comment to be published, please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. This includes vulgar user names.

The 2013 Season: Looking Back

Posted: 11 Jan 2014 09:14 AM PST

by Matthew Umpang reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on January 12, 2014, Sunday

The background

SARAWAK had a brilliant season in the 2013 Premier League by performing well above expectations. The key target from the start was clear -  to qualify for the Super League by the end of the season. The Crocs achieved that and more. It emerged as champions. It also remained unbeaten throughout the entire Premier League season, home and away! In fact, with two games left to play, Robert Alberts and the Crocs had already clinched the title and earned promotion to the Super League for 2014.

Judging by the sterling results produced, one cannot blame some fans who felt that Sarawak looked more like a Super League outfit than a Premier League team in 2013. After all, the team went 22 matches undefeated.

But we should not get too far ahead of ourselves. Lest it be forgotten – Sarawak had indeed been playing in the Super League in the previous year (2012) but were relegated at the end of it.

 So what happened?

Sarawak had finished that 2012 season in 12th place among teams in the nation's top flight. It was left to fight for survival in the play-offs to stay in the Super League. But the team also failed in those play-off matches.

Football Association of Sarawak (FAS) president Datu Sudarsono Osman probably got it right then when he viewed relegation to the Premier League at the end of 2012 as some kind of a blessing.

"Ascend to the Super League may have come too fast and too soon for the team as they flirted with success. Descend to the Premier League, on the other hand, offered an opportunity to rebuild and further strengthened the team," he had said.

 The championship season

The rest of the 2013 Premier League season, as they say, is history.

The Crocs went on the rampage from Jan 7 to July 5 – a total of 22 matches (home and away). 18 wins, 4 draws and no loss for a total of 58 points. The team kept a clean sheet for 13 of the 22 matches. They scored a total of 49 goals for the season including the 5-0 and 7-0 hammering of UiTM FC and NS Betaria respectively.

There were two defining matches during the season, according to Robert Alberts.

The first was the away match against Kedah on April 12 when a 10-men Sarawak team came from behind to snatch a 1-1 draw.

"Although the match was not a turning point for Sarawak, the team really showed that they are serious in achieving our target during that time which was not only to qualify to the Super League but in style as well," the coach recalled.

The other was the 1-0 victory over Sime Darby FC at home on May 5.

Up to that point, both team were fighting neck-to-neck for the top spot in the table standings.

Before that match, arch rival Sime Darby FC were on top leading with two points above second-placed Sarawak.  After that win by a solitary goal at Stadium Negeri Sarawak never looked back and stayed on top of the league for the rest of the season.

 The 2013 Malaysia Cup campaign

Sarawak, however, failed to impress in the 2013 FA Cup competition. It bowed out to Kelantan in the quarter-finals.

In contrast, the team's Malaysia Cup campaign left their fans breathless.

They went all the way to the semi-finals, only to be beaten 2-4 (on aggregate) by eventual champions Pahang. The team kept their unbeaten record at Stadium Negeri.

Fans felt Sarawak missed another good shot at the Malaysia Cup. But Robert Alberts remained positive after his team held Pahang to a 1-1 draw in the second leg at home.

"Although it would be nice to qualify to the final and have a showdown with Kelantan, I think we performed better than our initial expectations for this competition," said Alberts during the post-match conference.

After all, it had been 14 long years since Sarawak last reached the final four of the nation's premier football tournament.

Farewell

The football season ended and the build-up for the team began in earnest for the next season.

FAS and Robert Alberts started preparation for the Super League challenge in 2014.

Among the players from the 2013 team dropped was Cameroonian Guy Bwele, who will best be remembered by fans as the team's mid-field general.

Another left out was Sabah-born Bobby Gonzales who had top scored for the Crocs in the 2013 season.

Looking forward

Fans can look forward to an exciting season in 2014 just as much as the Crocs can look forward to the support of their legion of fans.

Again FAS president Sudarsono might have hit the right note in saying that Sarawak has arguably the most passionate fans in the league.

Speaking to thesundaypost recently, he hoped that they would continue to support the Crocs with the same fervor as they have done in recent years.

"Where else in the country can we find such passionate set of fans like these? We hope the fans will continue their strong support and we will also do our best in delivering our part in bringing more success to Sarawak," he said.

"This is the time, a dawn of a new era for the team. I believe that Sarawak football scene has never been this exciting since the heydays of the team in the late 1980."

Now Sarawak are back playing with the big boys in 2014.

Last season's Premier League win was indeed memorable but fans should remember that the Crocs were playing in Division Two, not in the top tier.

The omission of Guy Bwele and Bobby Gonzales surprised many observers and fans. But dropping the team's 'mid-field general' and top scorer must, first and foremost, be seen in the context of the need for changes and re-alighment for the team to survive or succeed in the Super League.

We can only begin to assess the impact of these changes when the new season starts on Jan 18.

Print Friendly

To enable your comment to be published, please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. This includes vulgar user names.

New man Suarez vows to stay out of trouble

Posted: 11 Jan 2014 09:11 AM PST

LONDON: Liverpool striker Luis Suarez insists he has finally learnt how to keep his explosive temper and cynical instincts under control.

Suarez has played a key role in Liverpool's emergence as surprise contenders for the Premier League title this season after surviving one of the darkest periods of his controversial career.

The Uruguay international has played only 15 league matches this term as he had to serve the remaining half of a 10-match ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in April.

The season before that the 26-year-old was banned for eight matches after being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra.

He has also been accused of diving at times and earned widespread criticism for cynically conceding a penalty with a handball during the 2010 World Cup quarter-final against Ghana.

Suarez was sent off for the offence, but Ghana missed the penalty and Uruguay went on to win the tie.

But he has worked hard to keep his volatile emotions in check of late, telling ESPN: "My temperament, attitude, desire and hunger when I am on the pitch has always been like this and will continue to be this way, but I now know I have to control it more.

"An example of this was about two weeks ago when I had an open shot at goal and hit the post and it rebounded close to my hand and I was about to go for it and then I stopped.

"If the same thing had happened two months ago I would have gone for it. These things stay with me but I tell you I am changing.

"I am improving my attitude on the pitch because I know I was wrong in the past and I was creating an image of myself I know wasn't me."

Securing a place in next season's Champions League is widely seen as vital to ensuring Suarez doesn't once again agitate for a move away from Anfield in the close-season.

He tried unsuccessfully to engineer a move to Arsenal before the start of the current campaign, angering Reds boss Brendan Rodgers in the process, but he has put that row behind him by scoring 20 Premier League goals already this term. — AFP

Print Friendly

To enable your comment to be published, please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. This includes vulgar user names.

Nishikori follows Chang example with Kooyong title

Posted: 11 Jan 2014 09:10 AM PST

MELBOURNE: Japan's Kei Nishikori emulated the feat of his new American coach Michael Chang by winning the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne yesterday, beating Czech player Tomas Berdych 6-4, 7-5.

Chang, who won the Australian Open warm-up event three times in the 1990s, was in the stands to watch his protege's success.

"They have a big history at this tournament. A lot of legends have won it," said Nishikori, who follows in the footsteps of Roger Federer, Lleyton Hewitt, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.

"I really enjoyed this week, I'm very happy to put my name on this trophy along with Michael," added the 24-year-old, who plays Australian Marinko Matosevic in the opening round of the Australian Open, which starts on Monday.

World number seven Berdych got off to a slow start, losing his opening service game and his Japanese opponent, ranked 10 places lower, went on to establish a 4-1 lead.

The Czech pulled back to 3-5 with an ace and broke back in the ninth game but dropped his serve again immediately as Nishikori sealed the opener after 32 minutes.

Berdych battled hard in the second set but was not able to stamp his authority on the match. He levelled at 5-5 with his sixth ace, but Nishikori edged ahead 6-5 and sealed victory in the following game.

Berdych, 28, came into the final of the eight-man exhibition event with an undefeated record after beating Nishikori in a group match on Thursday.

But due to the late withdrawal of France's Richard Gasquet from the final due to fatigue, Nishikori had the chance to vie for the title and take advantage of vital match practice before the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne.

"It was a strange situation to lose to him and then play him in the final," said Nishikori, who said he had learned lessons from his earlier defeat. "But I'm happy to win today."

"Tomas was attacking my second serve in the first match. I knew I had to do something about it and I was able to today," he added. "That was one of my tactics and it worked for me."

Berdych accepted defeat with good grace.

"I was third in 2013 and second this year, I hope to return and make it number one. I like this event, played at this historical club (former home of the Australian Open). This is the best kind of start for next week," he said. — AFP

Print Friendly

To enable your comment to be published, please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. This includes vulgar user names.

Alberts seeks pre-season tonic

Posted: 10 Jan 2014 08:52 AM PST

by Matthew Umpang, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on January 11, 2014, Saturday

Sarawak head coach to field best 11 in final friendly against SPA Putrajaya today

KUCHING: Sarawak will field their best eleven in what is their last pre-season friendly match against SPA Putrajaya FC today.

It also appears that the match will not be like any other friendly match as the Crocs are seeking to produce an impressive and convincing result before the season kicks off.

Speaking to The Borneo Post yesterday, Crocs' head coach Robert Alberts revealed that he has reminded his players to improve their performances and does not want to see a repeat of the team's performances against Sabah last week.

Sarawak have been unimpressive during their last two matches against arch-rivals Sabah and Alberts wants the players to go out and make amends tonight.

During the first friendly match against Sabah in Kuching last Dec 23, Sarawak had to come from behind to snatch a 1-1 draw.

It was however anybody's guess if the Crocs could win the match as the match had to be stopped due to torrential rain.

They played another friendly match against Sabah in Kota Kinabalu on Jan 4 and lost 0-1.

Commenting on the loss to Sabah last week, Alberts too opined that the team deserved to lose as they were playing badly.

He however took his part of the responsibility and admitted that he have applied the wrong method of preparation before the match.

"As it has been raining here in Kuching for the past few weeks, we resorted to train at some futsal court in Matang area. Our players failed to apply all our training on the actual field during the match," he added.

Alberts subsequently revealed that will be the last time that the Crocs will be training on a futsal court.

Meanwhile, Football Association of Sarawak (FAS) has hoped that fans will also come to watch the Crocs play tonight as their presence is much needed in giving the team morale support.

"We are hoping that the fans will treat the friendly match tonight as an actual match. We want a lively atmosphere in the stadium tonight," commented FAS deputy president Datu Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki.

The Sarawak versus SPA Putrajaya match kicks off 8.15 tonight at the Stadium Negeri.

Junior Eldstal and Ashri Chuchu are also both expected make a return to first team action.

Print Friendly

To enable your comment to be published, please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. This includes vulgar user names.