19 Jan

ISMAIL Matter has earned the nickname `Asian Maradona' for his ball control, pace, resourcefulness and thunder bolt shots and the United Arab Emirates player will be out terrorise the unfit Malaysian team in the first leg of the 2011 Asian Cup Qualifiers at the KLFA Stadium tonight. Ismail, who wears the No 10 jersey, will be out for blood against Malaysia as he will want to prove his worth as one of the best players in Asia. And Malaysia's hopes of getting a good result dimmed after national coach B. Sathianathan revealed that only three out of his 18 charges...

04:01 / Local / Sports
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19 Jan

SPORTS Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob will launch the London 2012 Olympics Action Plan next month with the hope that the programme, prepared by the National Sports Council (NSC), will see Malaysia win its first gold medal. "We are focusing only on archery, badminton and cycling for the London Olympics and preparations did not start just today but five years ago. The plan and programme prepared by the NSC comprises the support system and also financial support." said Ismail Sabri at the Sports Ministry in Putrajaya. While the NSC failed to meet its target of one gold medal in...

03:49 / Local / Sports
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17 Jan

NATIONAL striker Safee Sali isn't setting a high target for the Asian Cup qualifier against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) tomorrow - all he wants is a fighting performance from Malaysia. UAE, who arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, are licking their wounds after being eliminated from the Gulf Cup and Safee expects a backlash, especially as they were the defending champions. "It is not going to be an easy match as we will be up against one of the best teams in the Middle East," said the Selangor striker. Safee said the short training stint would also make it...

03:17 / Local / Sports
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17 Jan

FORMER Perak players Carlos Caceres, Jorge Nunoz and Mario Bario (left), who featured for Perak in the 2007 and 2008 seasons, have written to Fifa seeking the world body's assistance to help claim a combined total of US$54,000 (RM186,000) owing to them in salaries by the Perak FA. The Chilean trio have waited for about four months since writing to the FA of Malaysia and have not received a reply. The FA of Malaysia said that it's is not its fault since it is the Perak Football Association (PFA) who owe the money. But where Fifa is concerned it only...

03:15 / Local / Sports
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16 Jan

KEDAH coach Azraai Khor is refusing to panic despite the situation his team are in. The treble champions only have one point to show after four matches, are second from bottom in the standings and staring at potential relegation. The forced departure of their foreign legion has hit them badly but Azraai is confident Kedah will rediscover the sting that saw them win back-to-back trebles. The first team to do a double treble are struggling simply because the strikers are raw and Azraai can only hope that his strikers Khyril Muhymeen and Badrol Bakhtiar will find the net soon. "One...

03:13 / Local / Sports
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16 Jan

KL Plus FC moved to the top of the Malaysian Super League (MSL) with a 3-1 win over Penang at the KLFA Stadium last night. Mat Zan Mat Aris' boys pressured the visitors from the start, with Bobby Gonzales' long range effort testing Penang goalkeeper Mohd Faizal Mohd Yusof in the 17th minute. KL Plus drew first blood through Nuradli Pauzee in the 38th minute but their joy was short-lived as Penang equalised in stoppage time through Mohd Idzuan Halim's header from a S.Jeganathan freekick. Two minutes into the second half Gonzales, who was a thorn in the side of...

03:10 / Local / Sports
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15 Jan

ENGLISH Premier League and European champions Manchester United will be in Kuala Lumpur for their pre-season tour in July. The dates have yet to be finalised. Fans of the Red Devils, who were deprived of seeing their team in action two years ago because their visit clashed with the Asian Cup, will be able to catch their stars in action this time around. In 2007 the United tour was called off because the Asian Football Confederation was adamant that no foreign team should be playing when the Asian Cup was being held in Asia. Despite United's visit being supported by the...

02:56 / International / Local / Sports
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14 Jan

REMINDERS have been sent to state FA and clubs who have not insured their players for the ongoing season to do so and that is about all the FA of Malaysia can do. There is nothing in the FAM statutes making it compulsory for teams to insure their players as it is only mentioned in the national body's competition regulations. Only five of the 28 teams competing in the Malaysian Super League and Premier League have undertaken insurance coverage, leaving almost 400 players wondering what their fate would be if they are injured during a match. FAM general secretary Lt Jen (R) Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad, when contacted, confirmed that only...

02:52 / Local / Sports
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14 Jan

MALAYSIAN Super League newcomers KL Plus FC are gradually gaining momentum and that they are second in the standings is truly remarkable. After being gifted full points for the cancelled match against Kelantan in Kota Baru on Jan 3, KL Plus beat Pahang (1-0) at the Darulmakmur Stadium in Kuantan on Jan 6 and Terengganu (2-1) at the KLFA Stadium four days later. If they were lucky in the first match, the next two proved their quality and coach Mat Zan Mat Aris is looking forward to another three points against Penang today. "We have a dedicated team that work hard, and the management support is also strong," said Mat...

02:47 / Local / Sports
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13 Jan

IF their apathy was limited to non-payment of wages, EPF and income tax payments before, some teams are now flouting their moral obligations as well. Only five teams have insured their players for the 2009 season and what makes it sad is this is being done without any regard to what the consequences could be. Previously, this was never an issue as the FA of Malaysia deducted the RM75,000 premium from each team's annual grant of RM350,000. However, this policy was changed at the start of this season as teams were given the full amount and, obviously, some have decided the...

02:45 / Local / Sports
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