USAHA mendapatkan khidmat jurulatih kelahiran Belanda, Roelant Oltmans mengundang keraguan sama ada ia kesilapan Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) atau salah maklumat Persekutuan Hoki Malaysia (PHM).

Selepas laman web Larensche Mixed Hockey Club, kelab bimbingan Oltmans di Belanda, mengeluarkan kenyataan jurulatih itu dikekalkan untuk tempoh dua musim lagi, Ketua Pengarah MSN, Datuk Zolkples Embong, berkata pelantikan itu bergantung kepada rundingan di India, minggu depan.

Zolkples berkata, berdasarkan Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Kerja MSN-PHM di Bukit Jalil, Jumaat lalu, peluang mendapatkan pengendali itu nampak positif.


“Roelant jurulatih yang bagus, jadi sudah tentu kita perlu bersaing untuk mendapatkan khidmatnya. Setakat ini, peluang itu nampak positif tapi ia bergantung kepada rundingan pegawai PHM yang akan berlepas ke India.


“Jika gagal, kita akan kekal menggunakan khidmat Stephen (van Huizen) dan (Tai) Beng Hai,” katanya.


Jumaat lalu, Zolkples berkata Oltmans dijangka tiba ke Malaysia sekitar 1 Mei depan iaitu sebelum skuad kebangsaan menghadapi Piala Sultan Azlan Shah di Ipoh, Perak.


Malah, tugas utamanya ialah memilih barisan pemain untuk menghadapi tugasan utama bagi tahun ini iaitu Sukan Asia di Guangzhou, November depan.


Bagi PHM, Timbalan Presidennya, Nur Azmi Ahmad menafikan pihaknya pernah mendedahkan identiti siapakah yang bakal menggalas jawatan ketua jurulatih kebangsaan. “PHM tidak pernah membuat pengumuman mengenai perkara ini. Perkara utama dibincangkan Jumaat lalu lebih terarah kepada pembayaran gaji ketua jurulatih kerana identitinya akan diketahui menerusi rundingan di India.


“Tidak dinafikan Roelant akan turut berada di sana, namun beliau bukan satu-satunya calon PHM,” katanya.


Pakar taktikal yang pernah membimbing Belanda dan Pakistan itu dilaporkan bakal menikmati gaji sekitar AS$10,000 (RM34,000) dengan sasaran utama perlantikan ialah menghadiahkan pingat emas Sukan Asia untuk Malaysia layak secara automatik ke Sukan Olimpik 2012 di London.

NEW DELHI: India outplayed arch-rivals Pakistan 4-1 in the men’s field hockey World Cup yesterday as England stunned hot favourites Aus­tralia 3-2 on a dramatic opening day.

Sandeep Singh banged in two penalty corners to help India record their first win in the last four matches against Pakistan before some 19,000 delirious home fans at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

Shivendra Singh and Prabjot Singh chipped in with a goal each as India wiped off memories of a 1-7 humiliation at Pakistan’s hands in the Asian Games final at the same venue in New Delhi in 1982.

India led 4-0 before Sohail Abbas, the world’s only player to score more than 300 international goals, narrowed the margin for Pakistan by converting just one of his six penalty corners.

England’s win in another group B match, highlighted by two goals from James Tindall, was their first over Australia in a World Cup match since the 3-1 scoreline in the 1975 edition in Malaysia.

Australian captain Jamie Dwyer scored twice, including a penalty stroke, but Jason Lee’s European champions played outstanding hockey to rattle their fancied opponents.

Dwyer’s stroke in the 23rd minute put Australia ahead, but England drew level two minutes later through a penalty corner by Ashley Jackson.

Tindall then scored on either side of the break as England led 3-1 till four minutes before the final whistle when Dwyer narrowed the margin with a field goal.

Australia’s Glenn Turner wasted two good chances near the end, while England’s protest against a penalty corner being awarded to the Kookaburras in the last minute was upheld by the video umpire.

Australia paid dearly for converting just one of their 13 penalty corners in the match.

“Records are meant to be broken, so doing it after 35 years was pleasing, but not any different because we are also one of the top sides in the game,” said England captain Barry Middleton.

“We are looking to reach the semi-finals, and this win will definitely help. But we gave Australia a lot of chances today and must avoid that in future.”

Australian coach Ric Charlesworth said he was disappointed to lose the first match in the tournament.

“We had enough chances, I think we had at least 28 shots at the goal and if we did not take them, the blame is on us,” he said.

In the day’s first match, Olympic silver-medallists Spain came back from a 0-1 deficit to defeat a fighting South Africa 4-2.

All six teams that featured on the opening day are drawn in group B from where the top two advance to the semi-finals.

Group A comprises defending champions Germany, Holland, Argentina, Canada, South Korea and New Zealand.

The 12-nation tournament began amid heavy security in the Indian capital, with some 19,000 security personnel and 200 commandos on guard inside and outside the venue. — AFP

KUALA LUMPUR: Two more players from Perak – defender Jagdev Singh, 18, and midfielder Harmit Singh, 17 – have been called up to join the Project 2013 hockey training squad.

Coach K. Dharmaraj said he was impressed with their performances in the age-group tournaments last year.

“Jagdev did well for Anderson School in the Malaysian Junior Hockey League (MJHL) last year and has the ability to play for the Project 2013 squad,” he said.

He added that although Harmit did not feature in the MJHL last year, the student from Anglo Chinese School (ACS) of Ipoh performed well in the National Under-18 tournament.

“He is an up-and-coming player with a lot of talent and I believe he has a chance to lead the midfield,” said Dharmaraj, who is assisted by K. Gobinathan and Nor Azlan Bakar.

“Both of them have joined our training this week and will play in the three friendly matches against Seongju City Hall of South Korea this week.”

Dharmaraj said although he has 35 players in the training squad, he would still need many more as he prepares the team for the Junior World Cup qualifying tournament in 2012.

“We will send players for attachment with foreign clubs every year in a bid to prepare a strong team for the qualifiers,” he said.

“Mohd Noor (Faeez Ibrahim) will be the first player from the Project squad to play for Hatem Club in Division Two of the Dutch League next week.”

The Project squad will also compete in a quadrangular at the Tun Razak Stadium from March 4-7. The other teams in the quadrangular are the national team, Mannheim Hockey Club of Germany and Seongju City Hall.

Dharmaraj said the Project squad would not feature in the Razak Cup in Kuantan on March 24-April 3 “as we do not have any assignments this year”.

The players, he added, would be allowed to play for their respective states in the Razak Cup.

PENGURUS skuad Projek 2013, Mirnawan Nawawi mempertikaikan tindakan pihak pengurusan Sekolah Sukan Bukit Jalil (SSBJ) yang mahukan penuntut Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) lebih menumpukan pelajaran berbanding sukan.

Tujuh pelajar SSBJ memohon menarik diri daripada skuad Projek 2013, minggu lalu hingga menjejaskan tiga lagi pelajar Sekolah Sukan Bandar Penawar (SSBP), yang terpaksa menolak tawaran menuntut di SSBJ berikutan masalah jadual latihan.

Mirnawan berkata kesemua 10 pelajar itu memaklumkan jadual harian penuntut SPM di SSBJ boleh dianggap fokus hampir 100 peratus terhadap pelajaran.


“Mereka memaklumkan kelas tambahan bermula jam 8 hingga 9.30 pagi dan meneruskan sesi persekolahan hingga 2.30 petang. Mereka kemudian mengikuti kelas tambahan hingga jam 6 petang.


“Pada sebelah malam, kelas tambahan akan bermula jam 8.30 hingga 10 malam. Jadi, bagaimana pelajar ini dapat berlatih? “Sepatutnya, pihak pengurusan SSBJ perlu bijak mengimbangi jadual pelajar kerana objektif penubuhannya ialah melahirkan penuntut cemerlang dalam sukan dan pelajaran.


“Saya lihat tindakan ini sudah berat sebelah. Jika hanya mahu fokus kepada pelajaran, apa keistimewaan SSBJ? Lebih baik hantar saja pelajar ke sekolah harian biasa,” katanya.

Kenyataan bekas kapten kebangsaan era 1990-an itu nyata bercanggah dengan slogan SSBJ selaku sekolah sukan pertama negara iaitu ‘SSBJ Penjana Atlit Bertaraf Dunia’.


Kata Mirnawan, pengurusan SSBJ seperti guru besar atau jurulatih hoki sekolah, sepatutnya mengingatkan pelajarnya mengenai objektif sebenar SSBJ andai ada yang memohon untuk fokus terhadap SPM saja.


“Saya tidak salahkan pelajar jika mereka mahu fokus terhadap SPM kerana ia juga penting untuk masa depan. “Namun, apa bezanya SSBJ dengan sekolah harian lain kerana berdasarkan pengalaman, ada pelajar sekolah harian yang aktif bersukan sekalipun bakal menduduki SPM,” katanya.


Sabtu lalu, Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yang juga Menteri Pelajaran, mahu kegemilangan sukan dikembalikan ke sekolah seluruh negara dan akan membincangkan langkah patut diambil dalam mesyuarat Kabinet.

Pasukan hoki kebangsaan menjalani latihan di bawah kendalian Tan Beng Hai di Stadium Hoki Bukit Jalil, semalam. - UTUSAN/Asmaruddin Jamaluddin

KUALA LUMPUR - Peluang menyertai latihan bersama skuad kebangsaan masih belum tertutup tetapi dengan syarat mereka yang berminat mampu menyerlah dalam Kejohanan Hoki Piala Tun Razak yang akan berlangsung Mac ini.Jurulatih skuad kebangsaan, Tan Beng Hai berkata, beliau akan menjadikan kejohanan itu sebagai medan terakhirnya memilih beberapa pemain lagi untuk dua kejohanan terdekat, Trofi Juara-Juara Asia dan Piala Sultan Azlan Shah.

''Saya bersama Stephen Van Huizen akan membuat penilaian semasa kejohanan itu dalam mengenal pasti pemain yang boleh diketengahkan bersama skuad kebangsaan.

''Mereka yang kecewa tidak dipanggil, mesti mempamerkan prestasi yang cemerlang jika masih berhasrat menyertai skuad kebangsaan.

''Malah senarai 25 pemain yang dipanggil ini masih belum muktamad, sama ada dikekalkan atau digugurkan, semuanya bergantung kepada latihan, tahap disiplin serta kesungguhan mereka,''katanya kepada pemberita di Bukit Jalil, semalam.

Beberapa nama besar seperti Chua Boon Huat, S. Selvaraju, Mohd. Sallehin Abd Ghani, Ismail Abu dan Baljit Singh Sarjab tidak dipanggil dalam latihan bersama skuad kebangsaan kali ini.

Sebaliknya, beberapa muka baru Mohd. Sybrie Shamsudin, Azreen Rizal Nasir dan Izwan Firdaus Ahmad Tajuddin yang merupakan bekas pemain remaja negara terpilih dalam senarai Beng Hai dan Van Huizen.

Beng Hai menegaskan, antara alasan utama beliau tidak memanggil beberapa bekas pemain kebangsaan yang lain ialah kerana dasar polisinya yang mahu memberikan ruang kepada pemain muda.

''Bukan saya sifatkan mereka tidak bagus, namun saya dan Stephen mempunyai perancangan jangka panjang sebelum menghadapi Sukan Asia (November) dan kejohanan lain selepas ini dengan memberikan pendedahan kepada pemain muda untuk menyerlahkan potensi mereka.

''Apa yang mungkin kurang pada sebahagian pemain muda ini ialah pengalaman, itu yang kami cuba tekankan kerana daripada segi potensi, mereka tidak banyak berbeza dengan pemain senior.

''Selain itu, Selvaraju yang cedera tidak beraksi di Liga Hoki Kebangsaan (MHL) dan kami membuat keputusan tidak memanggilnya kerana kurang pasti akan tahap kecergasannya walaupun dia kini sudah boleh bermain,'' katanya.

Sesi latihan petang tadi tidak disertai oleh Jivan Mohan yang mengalami sedikit kecederaan di leher sementara abangnya, Jiwa sedang bertugas di Australia.

Skuad negara akan menjalani beberapa perlawanan persahabatan mulai 26 Februari ini dengan Projek 2013, serta kelab dari Korea, Seong-Ju dan Jerman, Mannheim di Stadium Hoki Tun Razak.

Ditanya mengenai peluang di Trofi Juara-Juara Asia, Beng Hai memberitahu beliau masih belum mahu meletakkan apa-apa sasaran kerana tumpuannya adalah ingin mencari kombinasi terbaik di kalangan kepada pemain.

''Fokus kita paling utama ialah di Sukan Asia Guangzhou yang mana kami mahu muncul juara dan seterusnya layak ke Sukan Olimpik London 2012.

''Oleh itu, dalam kejohanan itu termasuk Piala Sultan Azlan Shah, kami melihat ia sebagai medan pendedahan kepada pemain terutamanya kepada pemain muda,'' jelasnya.

KUALA LUMPUR: Midfielder Mohd Noor Faeez Ibrahim is set to become the first player from the Project 2013 hockey squad to play in a foreign league.

The 20-year-old Project squad skipper will leave for Holland on Friday to play for Hatem Club in the Dutch League.

Project 2013 squad coach K. Dharmaraj said that Faeez would play for 10 weeks for the Division Two club.

“Each team in the Dutch League are only allowed to hire two foreign players and Faeez was lucky enough to be selected to play for Hatem Club,” said Dharmaraj.

“The chance to play in the Dutch League will definitely boost his confidence. He will also get to learn the European style of play.”

Dharmaraj said Faeez was selected by the Dutch club after emerging as top scorer for Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) in the Malaysian Junior Hockey League (MJHL) last year.

Faeez was also voted as the best player in the Razak Cup in Kuala Lumpur last year and named the best player in the South East Asia (SEA) Cup in Bangkok last year.

Dharmaraj said that he was still discussing with other European clubs to take in other Project squad players.

Faeez, who played for UniKL-IBIL in the recently-concluded Malaysia Hockey League (MHL), is delighted to be featuring in the Dutch League.

“I am looking forward to playing in the league to improve my game and to learn the European style of play,” he said.

BENG Hai (kanan) dapat mandat mengendali skuad senior pada tahun kedua berturut-turut. Gambar kecil Stephen van Huizen.
ENGGAN dirinya terus dijadikan ‘kambing hitam’ Tai Beng Hai bangkit mempertahankan tindakan pemilihan 25 pemain dalam skuad senior negara yang mencetus rasa tidak puas hati di kalangan beberapa bekas pemain kebangsaan.

Penolong jurulatih itu membayangkan ‘tangannya seperti terikat’ ketika memilih pemain menyertai kuota terhad berdasarkan syarat Persekutuan Hoki Malaysia (PHM) yang menjadikan Liga Hoki Malaysia (LHM) sebagai medan pemilihan.

“Ketika ini bajet kita hanya terhad kepada 25 pemain dan perbincangan menambah jumlah pemain masih dibuat.

“Ada beberapa pemain kebangsaan yang tidak beraksi dalam LHM, termasuk kerana cedera tidak terpilih,” katanya pada hari pertama bersama pemangku ketua jurulatih skuad kebangsaan yang baru dilantik, Stephen van Huizen, semalam.

Bagi Beng Hai yang mendapat mandat mengendali skuad senior pada tahun kedua berturut-turut, dua keutamaan yang diberi perhatian dalam pemilihan ialah pemain muda dan kecergasan fizikal.

Namun, ia tidak bermakna hak pemain kian meningkat usia - yang punya kelebihan pengalaman - dalam skuad dinafikan, sebaliknya menegaskan pemilihan belum berakhir.
Dia berkata mereka yang tidak terpilih masih berpeluang menyarung jersi negara andai beraksi cemerlang pada kejohanan Piala Tun Razak yang bakal menyusul.

“Corak permainan hoki di peringkat antarabangsa kini mengutamakan kepantasan dan kecergasan fizikal yang turut kami tekankan dalam latihan,” katanya sambil mengakui ada beberapa pemain berpengalaman gagal menyertai skuad kebangsaan kerana komitmen peribadi selain kecergasan yang tidak mampu menyaingi latihan.

BENG Hai (kanan) dapat mandat mengendali skuad senior pada tahun kedua berturut-turut. Gambar kecil Stephen van Huizen.
ENGGAN dirinya terus dijadikan ‘kambing hitam’ Tai Beng Hai bangkit mempertahankan tindakan pemilihan 25 pemain dalam skuad senior negara yang mencetus rasa tidak puas hati di kalangan beberapa bekas pemain kebangsaan.

Penolong jurulatih itu membayangkan ‘tangannya seperti terikat’ ketika memilih pemain menyertai kuota terhad berdasarkan syarat Persekutuan Hoki Malaysia (PHM) yang menjadikan Liga Hoki Malaysia (LHM) sebagai medan pemilihan.

“Ketika ini bajet kita hanya terhad kepada 25 pemain dan perbincangan menambah jumlah pemain masih dibuat.

“Ada beberapa pemain kebangsaan yang tidak beraksi dalam LHM, termasuk kerana cedera tidak terpilih,” katanya pada hari pertama bersama pemangku ketua jurulatih skuad kebangsaan yang baru dilantik, Stephen van Huizen, semalam.

Bagi Beng Hai yang mendapat mandat mengendali skuad senior pada tahun kedua berturut-turut, dua keutamaan yang diberi perhatian dalam pemilihan ialah pemain muda dan kecergasan fizikal.

Namun, ia tidak bermakna hak pemain kian meningkat usia - yang punya kelebihan pengalaman - dalam skuad dinafikan, sebaliknya menegaskan pemilihan belum berakhir.
Dia berkata mereka yang tidak terpilih masih berpeluang menyarung jersi negara andai beraksi cemerlang pada kejohanan Piala Tun Razak yang bakal menyusul.

“Corak permainan hoki di peringkat antarabangsa kini mengutamakan kepantasan dan kecergasan fizikal yang turut kami tekankan dalam latihan,” katanya sambil mengakui ada beberapa pemain berpengalaman gagal menyertai skuad kebangsaan kerana komitmen peribadi selain kecergasan yang tidak mampu menyaingi latihan.

KUALA LUMPUR: The national hockey team have been told to focus on their main target for the year – the Asian Games – and not compete in too many outings.
The National Sports Council (NSC) said that the team, who started their training programme yesterday, should remember that the main target is to win a gold medal at the Asiad in Guangzhou, China, in November.
The team’s other major assignment is the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October.
NSC director for elite programme Ariffin Ghani said yesterday that the team should learn from their 2006 campaign and not spread themselves thin by having two targets within a short time.
Hard at work: Nat ional coach Stephen van Huizen watching his players go through the paces during the first day of training yesterday.
The NSC and the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) will meet on Wednesday to discuss the team’s programme for the year.
The 25 players, who began training yesterday, will come under the NSC’s 2010 Asiad-Commonwealth Games Challenge programme, which offers full-time training.
“We must get our priorities right. In 2006, we won the bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games and then failed in the World Cup qualifiers a month later and the Asian Games as well,” said Ariffin.
“The same players were used for the tournaments and they failed to raise their game. So, learn from it. There is no reason why we cannot keep the core players for the Asian Games and use the younger players for the Commonwealth Games as this will provide useful exposure for the juniors.”
The winners of the Asian Games will also gain automatic berth to the 2012 London Olympics.
Ariffin also said that there was no reason why they could not have more than 25 players in the training squad.
“It is up to the MHF to make the request. By having more players, the MHF can prepare two sides for the two challenges. We’ll leave it to the MHF to decide,” he said.
“It is important for us to focus on the right targets.”
Ariffin also said that since the players were in full-time training, they would stay at Casa One in the Bukit Jalil Complex.
The 25 players, who are training under coaches Tai Beng Hai and Stephen van Huizen, underwent a medical check-up at the National Sports Institute (NSI) yesterday.

KUALA LUMPUR: The national hockey team and the Project 2013 squad will be involved in a quadrangular with the visiting club sides from Germany and South Korea at the Tun Razak Stadium from March 4-7.
National coach Tai Beng Hai clarified that the German team coming for the friendly matches are Mannheim Hockey Club and that from South Korea are the Seongju City Hall.
Earlier, the MHF had informed that Dutch club Bloemendaal HC, who had visited Malaysia before, were playing in the quadrangular.
The South Korean side will play eight matches starting tomorrow – five against the national hockey team and three against the Project 2013 squad.
Mannheim HC will play two matches against the seniors and one each against the Project 2013 team and the South Korean side.
The opening matches of the quadrangular will see the national team taking on Seongju City Hall and the Project squad facing the German side.

THE FIXTURES

QUADRANGULAR

March 4: Malaysia XI vs Seongju CH (5pm), Project 2013 vs Mannheim HC (6.45pm – both matches at National Hockey Stadium, Pitch II).
March 6: Project 2013 vs Seongju CH (7.30am), Malaysia XI vs Mannheim HC (7pm – both matches at Tun Razak Stadium).
March 7: Project 2013 vs Malaysia XI (8.30am), Seongju CH vs Mannheim HC (8.30pm – both matches at Tun Razak Stadium).

FRIENDLIES

(All matches at National Hockey Stadium, Pitch II)

SEONGJU CITY HALL

Wednesday: vs Project 2013 (7pm).
Thursday: vs Project 2013 (7pm).
Friday: vs Malaysia XI (6pm).
Sunday: vs 2013 (6pm).
March 1: vs Malaysia XI (7pm).
March 2: vs Malaysia XI (7pm).

MANNHEIM HC

March 8: vs Malaysia XI (5pm).