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World Cup: Brazil nervous, Uruguay without Suarez as knockout stage begins BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sports - New 2 Borneo

World Cup: Brazil nervous, Uruguay without Suarez as knockout stage begins

Posted: 27 Jun 2014 06:36 PM PDT

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil are nervously heading into their World Cup last 16 clash with Chile on Saturday, while Uruguay must learn to live without Luis Suarez as they tackle the knockout stage.

The 16 remaining World Cup teams have still not recovered from their group battles, but the second round quickly gets underway with the Brazil-Chile game in Belo Horizonte at 1600 GMT and Colombia-Uruguay in Rio de Janeiro at 2000 GMT.

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari acknowledged the mounting pressure to perform on home territory.

"It is understandable that one should feel uncomfortable and anxious, especially when you get to the knockout stage. We can't afford to make a mistake," Scolari said.

"There is a bit more anxiety, more nerves. But that is normal in any competition, not just because we are in Brazil. When I am on my own and I start to think, I do get a bit nervous."

Brazil captain Thiago Silva, 29, said the pressure started in their opening 3-1 victory against Croatia in particular.

"We have to control our anxiety as much as possible. In the first game, I wasn't myself. I wondered if I had forgotten how to play," said Silva.

Brazil have beaten Chile in all three of their World Cup meetings, including 3-0 in the last 16 of the 2010 tournament. They have probably never played such a strong Chilean team though.

Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal have given the Andes nation added class as they showed in their win over Spain in Group B. And coach Jorge Sampaoli is continually pressing his team to attack.

Sanchez says he believes his side will win "We came here to make history," he insisted.

Brazil have a doubt about centre-back David Luiz and Bayern Munich's Dante could be drafted in.

Juventus midfielder Vidal, who is not 100 per cent fit, should return for Chile after being rested for the 2-0 defeat to Netherlands. Sampaoli is worried about defender Gary Medel, who picked up an ankle knock in training.

The winners will play Colombia or Uruguay in the quarter-final.

– Uruguay without Suarez –

And the world will find out in Rio just how badly the four-month ban imposed on Suarez for biting an Italian opponent this week has affected Uruguay.

"We know the ability that Uruguay have and in each match they give every last drop of sweat. It will be a highly emotional match, where Uruguay will want to do things correctly," said Colombia's goalkeeper David Ospina, who is based in France.

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez made light of Suarez's absence.

"We've already played lots of matches without Suarez," he said.

"We've won some, and we've lost some, and he wasn't there against Costa Rica either."

With Colombia also missing the injured Radamel Falcao, the Rio match could turn into a duel between stand-ins Edinson Cavani for Uruguay and James Rodriguez for Colombia who was rested for his side's 4-1 demolition of Japan on Tuesday.

Saturday's game will be the first time that Uruguay have played a World Cup match at the Maracana since stunning Brazil 2-1 in the deciding fixture of the 1950 tournament.

It is also a chance for Colombia to make history as they have never reached the World Cup quarter finals.

Gyepes says he is fit to play in Malaysia Cup

Posted: 27 Jun 2014 12:44 PM PDT

KUCHING: Sarawak imported defender Gabor Gyepes who missed the last five matches in the just concluded Super League said he would be fit to play in the Malaysia Cup in September.

Gabor, who is Sarawak's pillar in defence, picked up a harmstring injury together with the other two Sarawak imports – Bosnian striker Muamir Salibasic and Lebanese Hassan El Mohamad.

Sarawak's coach Robert Alberts said all the three players should recover from their injuries soon and be able to play in the Malaysia Cup campaign. "It's frustrating to just watch my teammates play from the spectators' bench and I definitely look forward to the Malaysia Cup.

"I am confident that I will recover from my injury soon," Gabor, a Hungarian, told Bernama after watching Super league champions Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) edged Sarawak 1-0 in their last match at the State Stadium on Wednesday night. — Bernama

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When can we have a hockey pitch?

Posted: 27 Jun 2014 12:43 PM PDT

by Jacqueline Raphael, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on June 28, 2014, Saturday

MIRI: Although Miri have helped produced players for the state and national squads, it has yet to have a proper hockey field where the players can train on and tournaments can be hosted.

Miri hockey coach Rudi Naziri, in pointing out the lack of such facility in the Oil Town, said this is very saddening as all hockey tournaments in Miri are played on concrete floor which is dangerous to the players.

"Our players have done well even though they only train on cement floor. Some of them have made it to the national squad.

"I believe it is high time that a proper hockey field be built for our players," he said, adding that despite of calls for such facility, the city has yet to get one.

Rudi said Miri's Shelley Bayang had been absorbed into the national senior squad while four others have been selected to represent Sarawak in the recently concluded Sukma XVII in Perlis.

"The latest is our player Linda Liwek who had been 'borrowed' to play for the Malaysian senior squad in a friendly game against India in Bukit Jalil.

"There are also others like as Janeter Kadir and Lora King who will be called up to undergo a selection round for the Malaysia junior team after Hari Raya," he said.

With these achievements, Rudi said Miri deserved to have a proper hockey field, not only for the players to have their training but also to organise hockey tournaments.

"Talent alone is not enough for our players to move further up but there should also be proper facilities to boost their skills," he said.

Meanwhile, the annual tournament jointly organised by Warrior Hockey Club and SMK St Columba last Sunday saw SMK Chung Hua 1 and Kolej Tun Datu Tuanku Haji Bujang A winning the boys and girls titles respectively.

The second place in the boys category went to Warrior 2 while the only team from outside Miri, SMK Sebauh from Bintulu came in third.

In the girls competition, the runners-up were SMK Baru while SMK St Columba finished third.

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Same old faces at Sarawak Closed Snooker Championship final stages

Posted: 27 Jun 2014 12:42 PM PDT

by Philip Wong, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on June 28, 2014, Saturday

SIBU: A record number of 60 participants took part in the Sarawak Closed Central Region Snooker championship recently but there is really nothing much to shout about when it comes to the discovery of new talented players.

Organised by Sarawak Billiards Snooker & Sports Federation (SBSSF), the championship was aimed at tapping talented players, besides promoting the popularity of the sport.

However, after the week-long competition, all the players who advanced to the last eight were still the same old faces.

The keen challenge posed by the players from Kapit, Sarikei, Saratok, Mukah and host Sibu simply fizzled out even before they reached the last 16.

In the final, defending champion Mark Yeo etched out a superb performance as he came back from the brink of defeat to edge out strong challenger the evergreen veteran Danny Wong 4-3 (31-53,50- 60, 35-67, 48-38, 69-43, 63-53, 65-35) to lift the title.

Joint third placing were Jee Chau Hui and Sim Hong Hui while the quarterfinalists included Pau Chiong Kiong, Joe Ting, Yong Kung Cai and Ng Hong Man.

Event organising chairman Danny Wong was dismayed with the overall results, saying it stopped short of producing new talented players though the championship was enthusiastically participated.

"Even though the top players played to their true ability and with a few upsets along the way, the missing link is still the shortage of new-comers whom we hope to unearth," he said when contacted.

Nevertheless, Wong saluted SBSSF for taking the initiative to stage the championship which was divided into southern, central and northern zone.

"Hopefully, through such championship, it will eventually help generate and revitalise an interest in the sport among the snooker players in the state," he added

With the exception of Kung Cai, who is from Sarikei, the rest of the players who qualified for the last eight were the same old faces representing either Sibu Executive 3 Snooker Centre or Sibu Cueball Centre.

Wong had high hopes for Kung Cai, the rising star from Sarikei to excel but his tremendous run was halted by Yeo in the last eight.

He also singled out Chiong Kiong as a tough nut to crack but Chiong Kiong, surprisingly, was knocked out by Hong Hui in the quarter-finals.

"Mark my word, Chiong Kiong has all the qualities to be a star player and provided that his passion and love for the sport remains intact, he should be able to hit the limelight in time to come."

Touching on the snooker development in the state, Wong reiterated his call to the Local Government Ministry, the Social Development Ministry and the Education Ministry to work together to help promote the sport.

He was confident that the standard of the snooker here would be upgraded if these three ministries were willing to cooperate.

Wong, who had been instrumental in promoting the development of snooker in the state in the past decades, also offered his services to help the state to produce players of national or even international calibre.

"However, for that to materialise, we must first have the inter-school snooker competition for the students. If we can organise the inter-school snooker competition, then it will be easy to scout for talented history and that will eventually set a precedence for the future development of the sport in the state."

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Hunger for World Cup success rivals Ramadan

Posted: 27 Jun 2014 12:18 PM PDT

Germany's Mesut Ozil will not observe Ramadan when it starts on Saturday but many World Cup players who do follow the Muslim fasting month will be under strict medical surveillance.

While Islamic Iran and Bosnia, which has a sizeable Muslim population, have dropped out of the tournament, Algeria has qualified for the last 16 for the first time and they will face a quick Ramadan test on Monday against Ozil's Germany.

Religious authorities in several countries take a pragmatic attitude to football and Ramadan when eating is not allowed during the daylight hours.

In 2008, the Dar al-Ifta, Egypt's main Islamic body, allowed professional footballers to eat during Ramadan if they were bound by contracts to play during the holy month and they felt that fasting will impact their performance.

Other workers involved in "hard labour" are also given a dispensation.

Ozil said he falls into this category.

"I can't take part," said Arsenal's attacking midfielder who added that the World Cup is "working". "It will be impossible for me to take part this year."

The Algerian team will nearly all be fasting when they battle Germany in Porto Alegre however.

The Algerians are using Hakim Chalabi, a sports medicine specialist at the Aspetar clinic in Doha and one of FIFA's leading experts on fasting footballers.

"It is a period when the risk of injury increases, especially in the lower back, the joints and the muscles" said Chalabi. "This is mainly because of dehydration and not the lack of eating." Players can lose up to six litres (11 pints) of fluids during a match.

The expert, a former medical chief at French football giants Paris St Germain, said the level and quality of nutrition had to be changed to cope with exercise during Ramadan.

"The players must hydrate themselves better. We also advise them to take a longer siesta during the afternoon to make up for some of the lost sleep." Muslims sleep less at night because of the meal rules.

Taking part in sport in Ramadan is a "major physiological performance penalty", Mark de Marees, director of exercise physiology at the German Sport University in Cologne, told the SID sports news agency, an AFP subsidiary.

"If players take no water or food during the day, they can only take part in low levels of physical stress and in significantly different climates without a serious health and performance penalty."

Claude Leroy, who has been a coach for the national teams of Ghana, Cameroon and Oman, said that players who fast would have real troubles in Brazil where a majority of the games start at 1:00pm or 5:00pm. "It is very complicated to strictly follow Ramadan," he said.

Algeria's captain Madjid Bougherra confirmed that drinking enough is the most difficult part of Ramadan. "But we are OK. The climate is good. Some players can delay the fasting. In my case I am going to do it in line with my physical state. But I think I am going to do it."

Religious sensibilities raised by Ramadan also worry some coaches, especially in teams from a mixture of ethnic backgrounds.

France's coach Didier Deschamps said he would be giving no orders to Muslim players in his team, who include midfielder Paul Pogba.

"This is a sensitive and delicate topic," said Deschamps. "I have no order to give. We respect everyone's religion. The players are used to it, we are not discovering the situation today. I have no worries."

Muslims will at least have an easier time in Brazil, where it gets dark at about 5:30pm, than at the London Olympics where the Iftar meal at the end of Ramadan could not be served before 8:30pm or 9:00pm.

Chalabi said there could also be a psychological boost during the fasting month.

"Curiously there are some athletes who have better results during Ramadan because they really want to do the fast," said the doctor. -AFP

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Kiu Teck shines in Sibu wushu championship

Posted: 27 Jun 2014 09:10 AM PDT

SIBU: Promising youngster Kiing Kiu Teck swept five gold medals to win the best exponent title in the 15th Inter-school Wushu and 5th Inter-school Lion Dance Championship which ended here recently.

Kiing, the 18-year-old student from SMK Deshon, won gold in the standard changquan, standard daoshu, standard gunshu, group nanquan and group gunshu.

"I am grateful to my coach for her guidance and I pledge to do better and cement a name for myself to aim higher in the wushu fraternity," he said.

Angela Lim, who scored impressive results in the 3rd edition of the Beijing Wushu Culture cum Kung Fun Exchange Conference, collected four gold medals and two bronze medals to win the best girl title.

She bagged gold in the optional taijiquan, optional taijijian, chenshi taijiquan and group gunshu, and bronze in group weapon, standard qiangshu.

Rising star Jayden Yang Jia Xun garnered four gold medals to win the best boy title in the primary schools category.

The 10-year-old from SJK © Dung San bagged gold in basic nanquan, basic jianshu, basic qiangshu and group changquan.

The best girl title in the primary schools category went to Jennifer Teo of SJK © Su Lai when she collected one gold medal in basic jianshu, two silver medals in basic qiangshu and basic changquan and two bronze medals in group basic changquan and group basic qiangshu.

Theopilus from SJK© Dung San earned the title as the best boy in the non-Chinese category after collecting two gold medals in basic chanquan and group basic changquan.

Retga from SJK © Kian Hin was the best girl in the non-Chinese category. She collected a silver medal in basic changquan and one bronze in group basic changquan.

The elite awards for upper secondary school boy's and girl's went to SMK Deshon's Kiing Kiu Hoe and Tey Yi Wen respectively while the lower secondary schools boy's award went to Hii Wei Bai from SM Wong Nai Siong.

Meanwhile, SMK Sacred Heart amassed 19 gold, 14 silver and 11 bronze medals to take home the champion title in the secondary schools category.

SMK Deshon were second with 18 gold and three bronze medals, followed by SM Wong Nai Siong with five gold, 13 silver and eight bronze medals and SM Catholic with four gold and five silver medals.

SJK © Su Lai garnered 13 gold, 11 silver and nine bronze medals to top the primary schools category. Second placing went to SJK © Dung San with nine gold, five silver and three bronze medals, followed by SJK Thian Chen with five gold, four silver and two bronze medals, SJK (C) Chung Hua with five gold, three silver and five bronze medals.

For the best lion dance team awards, SM Guong Ming were the champion, followed by SM Wong Nai Siong and SMK Sacred Heart.

Twenty-two schools comprising 254 athletes took part in the two-day championship.

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