“Another bashing” (Sunday Star) and “ANOTHER HUMILIATION” (New Sunday Times) — screaming headlines for Malaysia’s 5-0 thrashing by Uzbekistan in the Asian Cup Group C match yesterday after the earlier 1-5 thrashing by China.
But is Brickendonbury the answer to end the slaughter of Malaysian football — with the national Under-15 football squad leaving for London tonight, according to the following Bernama report yesterday:
Under-15 Squad To Train In Brickendonbury
KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 (Bernama) — The development of the national youth squad will concentrate on efforts to build up the players’ personality, exposure to training abroad and academic knowledge, said the Director of the National Sports Institute, Datuk Dr Ramlan Abd Aziz.
“Besides the focus on the aspect of training in football, emphasis will also be given to the academic and personality aspects. We want our young players who will be future professionals to have strong personality,” he said.
He disclosed this at a press conference on the training session for the Under-15 squad at the High Performance Training Centre at Brickendonbury, London from July 16 to Aug 8.
Besides undergoing training there, the squad under the guidance of Aminuddin Hussin will also participate in the Arsenal International Challenge.
The national Under-15 football squad will be the second group from the National Sports Council’s (NSC) High Performance Sports Program for football to undergo training at the centre.
Earlier, the Under-16 football team had been sent to the same centre for training in May.
Dr Ramlan said that in view of their young age and that they were still schooling, the training session at Brickendonbury also emphasised on the aspect of education. As such, several teachers would also accompany them on their trip to London.
Meanwhile, the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) technical director Robert Albert noted that the boys would have the opportunity of a training session at the Arsenal Academy.
“Our intention of bringing the boys to London is to give them an international exposure since there are no major tournaments for them in the meantime here.
“At the Arsenal Academy, they will be exposed to the highest training level and the chance to use the facilities,” said Albert.
The squad comprising 22 players, four officials and three teachers will leave for London on Sunday.
So far, there has been thunderous silence from the Sports Minister and the Sports authorities on the shocking exposes by Sun journalist R. Nadeswaran early this month. A proper response will be expected from the Sports Minister in the the next Parliament.
Nadeswaran’s two reports are reproduced below:
Citizen Nades – By R. Nadeswaran
Come clean on public money spent
Updated: 03:30PM Wed, 04 Jul 2007Newspapers can criticise, but it must be made responsibly and aimed at correcting things. This will help the party criticised to accept them (criticisms) positively.
Leaders are only human and if there is nobody to criticise us, then we may be carried away by our positions. In a democratic system, our fate lies in the hands of the people, as such, it is best to be corrected early rather than be rejected by the people later.
– Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak when launching the Pahang edition of the Bahasa Malaysia tabloid, Kosmo!, November 2006
Until a year ago, many – this writer included – never knew of Brickendonbury or its significance to Malaysia. But just before last year’s World Cup finals in Germany, this small village about 65km from London was thrown into the spotlight.
theSun has written extensively on the proposal to create a High Performance Training Centre (HPTC) in an area which also houses the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre (TARRC).
And over the past five weeks, we have exposed the lies and half-truths that have been conjured up to justify spending £10 million (RM 70 million) to upgrade non-existent hostels and facilities.
Criticism of this wasteful expenditure is being made responsibly and aimed at correcting things and saving taxpayers’ money.
Last year, when I first wrote to Hertford councillors who would decide on the proposals, one of them – Nicholas Wilson – replied in an e-mail: “The Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre land is deemed for research and development, it would be very hard to change the use of the existing centre and land …”
In the weeks and months that followed, I had been in touch with councillors and even local journalists.
I was at the TARRC in Brickendonbury on May 25 and May 30 and discovered that ministry officials had not been entirely honest. Allow me to put things in perspective.
Firstly, they told us that renovations would be carried out on existing hostels and facilities but there are no hostels or facilities to upgrade. Even so, the council officers say that they would only consider an application for a playing field with a small changing room.
Then they told us that the Under-16 football team would use it as a base and train with the Arsenal Academy. But as I discovered, the team did not train at the Academy, and the players stayed in a four-star hotel.
Then they said that every sen spent would be accounted for and confirmed that RM800,000 had been paid to an English architect.
However, according to council records, no plans had been submitted. After paying such a hefty sum, a new firm of architects has been appointed.
So, why did we part with this kind of money for nothing?
Every right-thinking Malaysian shares the DPM’s views that leaders can be carried away by their positions and should be open to fair criticisms.
To summarise this whole issue, we now have spent RM800,000 without a single line being drawn; we have spent an additional RM750,000 to send players to England to stay in a hotel and train on an uneven pitch at TARRC.
Also, there are no “existing” hostels to “renovate” or “upgrade”.
So, it brings us back to the basic question: Why weren’t Malaysians told of these and other material facts which are likely to emerge in the near future?
Rumours had been circulating that a “Malaysian middleman company” had been appointed as “project consultants” but the then director-general of the National Sports Council, Datuk Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz, categorically told colleague Terence Fernendez and me in an interview that “no outsiders were
involved” and that he was in “the thick of things”.Maybe he is not in the thick of things anymore as Ramlan has moved to the National Sports Institute, but as late as June 2, he has issued statements on the HPTC.
But now, the said rumour has surfaced yet again, with some quarters claiming that the previous architects – David Lane Associates – were not paid that much as claimed, and that some middlemen have pocketed a percentage for their “services”.
The DPM has his hands full with many other issues of national interest. The responsibility of answering all questions on this so-called training centre should be left to the sports minister or Ramlan – both of whom had been vocal in pushing this project through.
I am sure he is aware that there have been attempts to pass the buck and he should make sure that those responsible for this mess own up and explain themselves.
They should come clean – once and for all – and tell everything the rakyat want to know about how their money is being spent. No hiding behind the Cabinet Committee on Sports, the Official Secrets Act or some such obscure regulations.
We have a right to know and I am sure they will be reminded by the DPM’s remarks that “it is best to be corrected early rather than be rejected by the people later.” Especially so, when some leaders have the tendency to challenge journalists to stand for election if they are not happy with their policies.
The second report by Nadeswaran:
Myth or fact? You decide
They talked about a High Performance Training Centre in Brickendonbury where the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre stands. They talked …
*about renovating “existing” hostels and facilities;
*about training with Arsenal;
*about “rave reviews” from squash players who used it before competing in Cologne and Amsterdam;
*about “total immersion” with our players getting involved with the local people and inculcate their work ethics and culture. Well done!They talked and still talk about needing to protect the environment. They talk about global warming. Yet after destroying local forests, they have no qualms of destroying another country’s heritage.
*about submitting four different sets of plans to the Hertford Council on June 14;
*and about “plans being on track”.Yes, even the Football Association of Malaysia, the much-maligned guardians of the country’s football fortunes boasted on its website: “The Malaysian national under-16 team is settling well at the High Performance Training centre in Brickendonbury.”
Settling well? Someone ought to give those guys at Wisma FAM a Pelanduk dictionary. Perhaps, then they will understand the meaning of “settling well”.
But then, when you are caught with your pants down, the ordinary guy would put his hands up, own up, say sorry and perhaps, in all humility, seek forgiveness.
Malaysian culture dictates that. But that’s not the political culture, let alone sports culture. The best is to be on “denial” mode – just insist the waters on our seas are red in colour. Then over time, people will start believing that their eyes are playing tricks with their brains. But many no longer fall for the old tricks.
So, drop gear and engage in “silent” mode. Let them shout till their throats are hoarse or their fingers numbed by cracking them on the keyboards. Over time, they will get fed up and give up.
No, my friends. Never. When you want to spend RM70 million to “upgrade” or “renovate” non-existent facilities, every right-minded citizen will stand up and demand that every sen is accounted for. After all, wasn’t that the platform our prime minister campaigned on, for which we all gave him a thunderous majority?
No, my friends. When half-truths and misinformation are fed to justify such colossal spending, they should be exposed.
Aren’t all members of the cabinet and the civil service guided by those very principles of good governance where transparency and accountability supersede everything else?
Have they forgotten the slogans they campaigned on and got elected to office? What about the civil servants and their akujanji and oath of office which require exemplary practices?
No, my friends, they are all are aware of their commitments, but sometimes they suffer from selective amnesia.
Yes, my friends, if they are not constantly reminded of what is expected of them, they sometimes tend to slip into permanent memory loss. And that’s why, time and again, they ought to be reminded of their social and moral responsibilities.
Elsewhere on this page, we put the facts on the table so that you, first as a citizen , and second as a reader of this newspaper, can differentiate between myth and fact.
You, dear citizen and reader, be the judge.
*****
Exposing the truth … Nadeswaran visited the TARRC for a first-hand look at the facilities of the “HPTC”.
But he was sorely disappointed by what he saw. The football pitch at the TARRC.
On a current note, the national junior squash team, who were the “pilot” team to use the facilities in Hertfordshire when they competed in Cologne and Amsterdam, have sent back initial raving reports of the facilities and competition that were available around the HPTC (in Brickendonbury), which proved very useful as run-up to the actual competitions. – Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz, the (then) director-general of the National Sports Council, at a “tell-all” press conference, July 14, 2006.
Pilot team using the facilities in Hertfordshire? Hertfordshire is a county and there are plenty of big towns with facilities. But where did the squash players stay? It’s like saying there are several training facilities in Johor. But if you stay in Masai and travel to Johor Baru to train, it makes little sense.
There’s no place to stay in Brickendonbury, let alone the HPTC. They must have stayed in a hotel either in Ware or Hertford or even St Albans. Where did they train? They trained at one of the many private-run courts many, many kilometres away from the HPTC and paid for these facilities in pounds sterling. Around HPTC, you have nothing but farms with horses and sheep. The nearest towns, Hertford and Ware, are more than 10km away.
So, if you are competing in Cologne, wouldn’t it be prudent to stay in that city, close by to where the competition is being staged? What purpose did the HPTC serve? The players might as well have stayed and trained in London instead of heading to Brickendonbury.
If cost is a factor, they could have used St Albans as a base. Unlike Brickendonbury, it has more facilities and better accessibility.
Players can also walk from their hotel to the sports complex.
A total of 22 players will be the first to leave for England tomorrow as the batch of Under-16-year-olds head to the High Performance Training Centre in Brickendonbury. Robert Alberts, the technical director for the FA of Malaysia (FAM) said that the first group will not only train in London but will also play several friendly matches for the stint slated for 6-31 May. – Football Association of Malaysia website, May 5, 2007
Head to HPTC? For what? Other than an under-sized football pitch and a few changing rooms, there’s nothing there. The truth is that the players and officials initially stayed at the Roebuck Hotel in Ware. They travelled to Brickendonbury once a day and trained for two hours in that small field. Other than that, they were holed up in their rooms and attended “theory” classes in the hotel. In between, there were “academic” sessions for the players. Now, coming to the bit of Arsenal. They left Roebuck Hotel on May 10 and checked into the Malaysian-owned Holiday Villa Hotel in London and then on to the Arsenal training ground. The following day, they played a match against Arsenal’s Under-16 team, which they lost 5-0. The “match” was of three “halves” of 30 minutes each. And that was the end of the Arsenal stint!
The HPTC had been initially billed as a place where Malaysian athletes can “immerse” with the locals. But this was never the case. If the players are spending only two hours daily at the HPTC, why send them there at all?
Wouldn’t they have been better off at their hostels in the Bukit Jalil Sports School?
Any claim that the HPTC is “close to” or “trained with” Arsenal is not true. From London, the boys flew to Slovakia for two games there, and then returned to their hotels in Ware. In total, the boys spent no more than 100 hours on the training grounds.
Now here comes the cruncher. During May, the British Meteorological Office reported that temperatures in the day dipped to as low as 13°C. Did our boys cope with that kind of cold? Probably – with layers of warm clothes.
This is not mere speculation, considering that these are teenagers who hardly ever got out of Bukit Jalil at night.
Malaysia’s proposed High Performance Training Centre to be located at the Tun Abdul Razak Rubber Research Centre (TARRC) in Brickendonbury, Hertfordshire, England, is expected to take off by early next year.
According to National Sports Institute director general Datuk Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz, a presentation of the proposed plan for the HPTC would be made to the East Hertford Council on June 14.
“We have had a number of meetings with the relevant authorities from East Hertford Council and the Malaysian Rubber Board on what can be done and what cannot be done, and we have finalised four options to be put forward.” – Bernama, June 2
No plans were submitted to the council. The council’s media officer, Nick White, in an e-mail on June 19 said: “Representatives of the Malaysian government and their planning team met with officers at East Herts Council last week. They set out their thoughts on how the facility could be used for training of their athletes in the run-up to the Olympics in 2012. No formal application has yet been submitted to the council, and the meeting represented an early discussion on the issues that this sort of proposal may raise.
As the proposals are still in the early stages and no planning application has been submitted, I’m afraid the information I can give you is limited.”
So, where are the “four different plans” Ramlan talked about.
The project from a forward training base in Europe moved to High Performance Training Centre. Now, the impression given to the council is that it will be Malaysia’s preparatory centre for the Olympics.
If that’s the case, we might as well save time, money and effort, and take up the University of Hertfordshire’s offer for our athletes to use its facilities.
The bulk of the money has been paid to St. Albans-based architect and town planner, David Lane Associates which has sent two invoices – one for RM350,000 and another for RM450,000 – for “work done” to apparently transform part of the TARRC into a mini-sports complex.
Asked to comment on this, Ramlan gave his assurance that the expenditure was within limits and had been accounted for. – theSun, Feb 27, 2007
On June 14, a Malaysian team met with the planning officers of the Hertford Council. It was then that a new team of architects entered the scene.
Nick White, in an e-mail to theSun said: “Just to update you both on the meeting that took place last week – there is now a new planning consultancy involved – White Young Green.”
So, now, we have to pay another firm of architects, but the issue is: Who hired David Lane Associates? Why another consultancy change, especially after Ramlan said that about RM800,000 has been paid in fees? How much will White Young Green cost?
The Govt is Sicko worse than Bush. What do you expect when its run and controlled by a bunch of morons and extremists.
Lucky Brickendonbury is in the UK and not the moon. I magine how many fighter jets we have to buy from Russia to sent them there.
When Malaysian football was at its height, people like MD, SS, SCA, MC etc did not have to go Brickendonbury. When there is no meritocracy, everything goes down the chute. FAM is run by a bunch of idiots for the last 20 years. They should simply handit over to those who knows best and just hang on and blame it on the coach. Being a MD’s football and classmate, I can assure that Malaysian football is beyond salvation. I wouldnt watch malaysian football even if its free and have to be fetched in limou. But the problem is that this bunch of UMNOputras is too stupid to recognise it. Always in a perpetual state of denial. Not quite dissimilar to Bush.
THey slaughter in August House and then get slaughtered in Bukit Jalil. What goes around comes around.
NO use la. Those helming the FAM are a bunch of parasites. They are there for glamour and travels. Even if we send the whole bunch of players and stay in MU for 5 years we will still get the same rubbish results. Our footballers cant even control a ball properly. Techniques also like small kids.
“Myth or fact? You decide.” Kit
Myth or fact, what does it matter.
Abdullah is determined to play football his way on his time. The problem is our PM has been warming up and not really playing the ball. Now he wants to build a sports complex!
But wait a minute! Didn’t he just get married? Isn’t there any sense in playing the ball anymore?
Forget about soccer..Malaysia LAGI BOLEH after 50 glorious years of merdeka! She went to the hospital with stomach pain and came out in a casket. Quote:”The nurse asked why we brought her there as there was no doctor around”
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/National/20070715073206/Article/index_html
Christina was rushed to a clinic after complaining of headache and pain, and the doctor advised them to take her to the hospital. Christina was taken to the hospital’s emergency ward about 10.30pm on July 6 and after putting her on intravenous drips, she was admitted to ward 4B.”When she was brought to the ward, the nurse asked why we brought her there as there was no doctor around. They then replaced her IV and gave her antibiotic pills.”She also claimed that from 11.30pm until about 5am the next day, nobody came to check on her daughter.She said a doctor came about 6am but was unable to do much and Christina died about 30 minutes later.
At the way things are going for Malaysian soccer, we may even lose in the inaugural Antarctica FA Cup against their All-Blacks soccer team (made up of penguins)
i guess that is another Melawat Sambil Belajar for Malaysia football…i think our footballer have “tak apa” attitude..win or lose also never mind as long as we play that is all matter. Malaysia lagi BOLEH…Last time, i know Singapore and Kemboja are not match for Malaysia football team. Now when the game vs Singapore or Kemboja..I can bet any team can beat Malaysia National Team….
China 5: Malaysia 1
Uzbet 5:Malaysia 0
Iran 5: Malaysia -1?
Our Football team is a reflection of the state this government is in. Every faces of the government is at an all time low.
If sports excellence can be ‘manufactured’ like that, England would have dominated every sports. Why are they always trashed by the ex-barefooted-street-kids from brazil in soccer?
I’ll be more comfortable if my favourite nasi kandar stall’s owner is in charge instead of that above-average stupid director!
Malaysian Sports Associations should be run and managed by professionals who have indepth knowledge of the sports, who had been involved and participated in the sports over the years, if we want to see some semblance of sanity in the development of excellence in our sports arena.
Otherwise, as what we have now, are politicians, civil servants or non sports personalities, helming the sports associations or other sports development programmes in the country, we will not see the light of the days in development of sporting excellence.
There are many aspects to sports excellence in the country, but what is fundamental to all is that we must have right personnel at the helm of sports associations. Meantime, get rid of the dead wood and suckers squating in the sports associations, bringing the sports, like football, to the dead end.
Look at professional and excellent football associations the world over, and you will understand and appreciate the needs for the correct leader at the helms.
ehhhhhh………………… howcome fotball no affirmative action one?
didn’t China and Uzbekistan know that there’s such a thing as an affirmative action for Malaysia? 30% and all that crap?
like if both China and Uzbekistan was to score 10 goals amongst them, they would have to let Malaysia score 3 goals all together, and if our playes can even score with chances given, they should kick in the other two goals for them, looks like Uzbeks didn’t quite fathom the Malaysian affirmative actions afterall.
and talk about5 our gomen, didn’t they bribe the other team enough?
enough of this crap, I just wonder what wee excuse our FAM will give now, perharps the sports minister should get the boot?
“The squad comprising 22 players, 4 officers……” Believe me they will be joined by sports ministry officers who will fly first class later!
If there are anybody who need character building, it is the BN politicians. They should be the first group to be sent there. Maybe they will learn something from their British counterparts. [deleted]
When the footballers stepped onto the pitch they played like handicaps and retards bcos they thot opponents gv 30% headstart.
Waste of money.
Waste of ESPN airtime.
But sorry la. When u compete in the wrold’s stage (or ASian) there is no such thing as 30% con job.
I am not a racist.
What Malaysian footbal team needs is a few good Chinese officers and players.
When all things are run by Malays. Disasters strike!
Look at Proton, Bank Rakyat, Bank Islam, and many others!
Despite so much money spent on this national football team, it brought us only shame.
There is totally no accountability in anything they do.
[deleted]
What a shameful and memalukan skuad bola sepak negara!!
Ada orang cakap because is 50 merdeka…so 5-0 is ok!! ha ha ha.
not a spirit and even the jersey is so clean compare to china and Ubez.
For supporters, don’t ever come to stadium suppport dan sack all the players and the coach. Don’t join any competition in soccer for 2 years …arrange friendly.Play againts local state team before arrange friendly with other country clubs. Maybe Local state team like: kedah…selangor…perak…ipoh…sabah can beat Malaysia 5-0.
FAM?? you doing what??? we have world class facility but 3rd class management!!!!!
lets support Badminton!!! national number 1 sports!!!
Badminton got malay and chinese players. where is the chinese and indians in malaysia football teams>???
not racist but is facts. Rasihd sidek..jalani…foo kok keong…yap kin hock…even now got malays and chinese badminton players.
football got mokhtar dahari,arumugam,soh cin aun…..
Sangat memalukan!!! main passing pon tak tahu. nak simpan rambut panjang pulak macam keeper malaysia yg teruk!!!
ya wor, i was watching the match against china, i thought they were level when it was 3-0.
30% mah, why don’t have? malaysia must be given 30% priority what! this is the law i know since birth.
[deleted]
That is the result from kids brought up with NEP.
The thought they always deserve preferential treatment.
They need their opponent’s goal mouth to be at 30% wider and higher so they can have a better result in match with their opponent..
But AFC can’t do that… maybe FAM can do that
NEP doesnt apply into international level..guess they have to deal with it…this is what they get for getting nice and pamper of NEP at home..now they are not compatible with international level..soon every sector will follow…lag behind..only stupid guy won’t realize foreigner are packing their bag out of our country..[deleted]
Now the blame can begin. Can blame becos Man United cannot come that why loss. Can blame becos not train in UK with Arenal. The list goes on…. This is Bolehland
The morbid state of Malaysian football is simply the detrimental consequence of the entrenched crutch mentality borne out of the 38 long years of that failed NEP policy.
During our football heydays, we used to have greats like Soh Chin Aun, James Wong, Chow Chee Keong etc. Look at the squad now, other than 2 or 3 Indians there isn’t a single Chinese.
The executive committee of FAM doesn’t have even a single Chinese of Indian.
The sad and story state of the whole FAM and team is the end result of the entrenched racism and racist policy of the gomen, plain and simple.
So what if the FAM No:2 resigns, it’s not going to change anything. The whole FAM , the football squad and the goddamn racists policy must go. There is simply no other way.
And forget Brickendonbury. That’s just a free holiday resort for these racist people.
Projects overseas is a way of getting money out of the country for certain individuals. Someone should dig more info on this dubious project…such as who are the promoters, owners and where is the monies going to…shreholders, consultants etc.
Malaysia has had the semi-pro league for decades yet we lose to emerging footballing nations like Vietnam, Laos, Uzbek etc…third world countries?!!! WE must be worst than third world, but who cares, as long as the leaders continue to reap the rewards by hoodwinking the public. IN every sector of the economy, various ways have been devised to siphon off money via dubious projects. That’s why we need to borrrow money from China for the second bridge.
If FAM is SERIOUS about bringing up the standard of MSia bola, then they shld drop the racist attitude when it comes to trials and selection at junior level. I hv seen ppl got selected eventhough they cant kick a stupid ball properly all bcos their father knew some officials. What a load of crap. Always harap “who u know” and not “what u know” syndrome. What a good upbringing. Surely they will do well in life later on especially in becoming a crony.
Yes, right on, we need a few more 5-0 games!
Malaysia is celebrating its 50th aniversary.
May be Iran should make it 10-0 when they meet Malaysia this week. It will be a double celebration!
You will never find the word “shame” in the dictionaries of all our FAM officers and players!
Why not build another High Performance Training Centre (HPTC), this time on the Moon? Then we can use that facility to train our athletes especially jumpers to leap under zero-gravity conditions. We will be able to sapu all the medals in world tournaments! No other country, not even the U.S., can do so. Malaysia only Boleh! The rest of the world tak boleh! [deleted]
mendela, you are not a racist but a supremacist!
There are Malays who can excel given the opportunity. But we are dealing with politics – in every field!
Come on la..stop making every issue race based!
I wonder if this is the Malaysian selection that was supposed to face MU if not because of the controversy involving FIFA last couple of months ?
Thank God then it’s a blessing in disguise indeed the match against MU didn’t materialise… or not it will be another disaster and heartache seeing our hopeless soccer team being bashed-up by MU as a “MERDEKA” gift to our nation.
Just imagine, our standard of soccer is so far below comparing against only to neighbouring Asian nations and yet we still dare to face one of the best clubs in the world without feeling embarrased or humble. Why behave as though we don’t have dignity and simply pretending to be proud in the name of patriotism ?
Though we know the plan was only a friendly game against MU, we should know where to draw the line in accordance with our competence. We don’t have to be “thick face” just simply because we’ve to uphold the ridiculous never-ending “Malaysia Boleh” slogan but yet knowing our limitations and ability is far beyond expectation.
It was lucky indeed our half past six soccer team was not being made a ‘sacrficial lamb’ on the eve of Merdeka just for some political or material reasons. It will only bring more sadness and make more citizens ‘mourn’ instead as the country celebrates its 50th year of independence.
I think the next match with Iran will be very interesting. Why? because of this – the Iranians will be under tremendous pressure to perform in that match. Can you imagine the repercussions of not trashing Malaysia by at least a 4 or 5 goal margin? Can you even imagine the ridicule the Iranians will get if they just beat Malaysia 3-0? It would be terrible terrible blow to Persian pride and prestige.
Hence, our Malaysian team should be able to perform well with the Iranians quaking in their boots. ‘Affirmative action’? The NEP decrees that all goals scored by Iran will be disallowed until Malaysia scores 2.
Kaki bangku.
Don’t worry. No serious damage. We’re still in warm-up stage.
Brickendonbury is necessary. We need money for the upcoming general election.
Period.
” Brickendonbury answer to end slaughter of Malaysian football??!!!”
More like another nail in the coffin of Malaysian football!!!
Especially when it is clear that Brickendonbury was conceived for all the wrong reasons. It was the end trying to justify the means. All those involved in the decision making process does not have one iota of interest in the furtherrance and progress of Malaysian sports. They support and push for the establishment of the HPSP for their own selfish reasons, nothing else. And this is where irreparable damage will be done because the HPSP is expected to groom the future sportsmen but instead they will be having substandard facilities and suffer for it.
It’s ok. Malaysia Boleh!
BN/UMNO will gvive more contracts to kenalan, so everyone will be happy. No need to fight hard and work for meritocracy. As long as the contacts gets rich in the process and keep voting BN into power, all is well.
Who cares about football or badminton and squash, and even sepak takraw? That calls for meritocaracy. And the government of teh day does not believe in that. It believes in spoon fed success, and even cheers on the mat rempits who are parachuted down the north pole.
Hidup Malaysia!
I managed to watch the match on TV, and was really disappointed that teh score was not higher against Malaysia. Truly!
Then awhile later I caught some parts of the Indon/SA match and was impressed with the Indon team.
Hey by the way, these are the same people who can get malay rights in malaysia right? How come they perform better in Indon than in Malaysia?
haha…then why not give them the PR and put them in the national team instead?
might as well make them earn the PR…
Well done Malaysia. You got the perfect 10 in two matches.
FAM, please consider the country strength and ability when we try to bring the competition to Malaysia. We may be a good host but not on the playing field.
The reports on the so called high performance center for sports excellance had been highlighted in The Sun since May had not been clarified by the Ministry concern.
Why the other papers didn’t pick up the news and there is no coverage at all?
Don’t the editors read the others papers??
alamak optimuz, I think they need people like you in FAM! Thats the way forward. Give them PR’s and keep importing talents. China (look for muslim players lah), Iraq and Afghanistan( now got war on so can get easily them by offering PR).
Give the Indons PR and let them play for Malaysia. Way to go! You got my vote for FAM council. Pity is my vote does not count.
Strange isn’t it? The same people from the same stock can perform in Indon and Singapore, but are unable in Boleh-land? Anyone wonder why huh?
And the pity is that come the next elections, the same party will win with the same policies and there is nothing anyone can do about it.
optimuz Says:
Come on la..stop making every issue race based!
Fully agree with you here !
Maybe the Malays are simply the better kickers and trainers? Who knows?
You never let a barber fix a toilet. Same case as FAM.
Look at Brazil, they don’t have proper facility yet they are one of the world most top/professional player. Even those street kids can beat our national team. As Ronaldo once said:”In Brazil, every kid starts playing street football very early. It’s in our blood”.
Malaysian have been sitting under the coconut tree, ignoring the hardship and hot sun for too long. As one should say “No Pain, No Glory”. We are forgetting the old days of hardwork done by our predecessors, sitting in mamak stall and always bitch around yet we always keep quiet when time requires action.
Everything from education to sport results in disappointed achievement. Start doing something!
We have gone down the tube havent we…..is there no one who can save Malaysia……screw the British for giving us independance….
We lost badly to teams that just flown in from countries with coolee climate. They need not train for years in Malaysia to bear us. All this training overseas ate just bullshit. Just say that the ministers need free holidays and it is more realistic. The millions spent on those 22 footballers could have been used to train more doctors which is mot beneficial to us.
Azalina and all those stupid miniters,
even you let our footballers train 365 days a year in London, I bet you to my last dollar, we would not be able to match Singapore!!!
A QUESTION TO EVERYONE:
Do you recall when Malaysia had a great football team, we used to have kids, teens, young adults, playing football in the neighborhood fields. School kids played football, and hockey, almost every evening. Go to the New Villages, the Kampunts, the Estates, and people were playing football, hockey, badminton, etc.
Is that happening now?
Please answer the above question truthfully. I remember, every time we go on vacation, we take our football with us and play. Badminton rackets, Table Tennis, etc and play.
Now we watch the English Premier League becoz the M’sian game just doesnt cut it anymore.
Pity.
There has been some allusion that this is due to a single race dominating the program. So if that’s happening, then develop an alternate team, and let our best players play for other countries in the region.
I know of some young Malaysian who were headhunted in M’sia and are now playing in EPL team academies.
At least the chap who resigned had the courtesy to say that he & his family are responsible for the poor showing of Malaysian football. Now as Malaysians lets come together and “save” our country, save our “destiny”.
Of course dont allow anyone to post any document on ur website/webpage that has government information on it please.
Simple question, does Uzbekistan and China need training facilities in UK to beat Malaysia 5-0, 5-1?
Malaysia leaders are all morons, promotion via connections rather than merit. The results is = You get a bunch of fools making a joke out of themselves on stage!
When is Azalina and the rest of the FAM managers going to follow that Pahang chap’s noble example and resign?
BTW, the reason why the heads of each sport in Malaysia refuses to step down due to poor performance is that these are very lucrative posts. In all sports associations, allocations are made by the Treasury for supposedly improving the sports in the country. This includes travel, facilities, equipment etc.
Now, we all know how equipment can be marked up by the suppliers to cover costs paid to these officials. It happens everywhere…not just in sports. Who is to say that our atheletes are given poor quality equipment but passed off as top quality ones! Huh, so the money disappears and our athletes get the crap. Its the same for travel. Our athletes are put in sub-standard hotels whilst the officials go for a holiday with their wives/girlfriends/family etc.
National athletes have told me before that everytime they land in Australia for instance, the officials are nowhere to be seen. They just leave the poor athletes to make their own arrangements. Often, hotels and transport are not even arranged for them! Our athletes end up in poor hotels with poor facilities whilst the officials have a gala time and come back with a huge expense claim.
Once our cycling team had to train in the basement of their hotel in Jakarta because they did not know where to go for training. No arrangements were made for them. All they had was their coach who also knew nothing. Where were the officials…off shopping in the city. If they raise a word of complain, they would be off the team. It was very much the same for tennis and other sports as well. And it is the very same players who get the chop/blame/curses if they fail to perform…Malaysia Boleh Indeed!!!
Bolehland forget to ask China and Uzbekistan that they must give 30% advantage due to our NEP program. They should play with 9 players. Maybe Bolehland can ask Iran for it. Bolehland should complain that we are not on the same playing field. Please submit our 10 goals as Malaysia Book of Records. In the end of the AFC competition, Bolehland let in the most goals. That is a record. Maybe a world record also from 3 games. Check it out. We may make Guiness World of Record also
am wondering, who else would be blame for the defeat!
spend millions! might as well use that millions to upgrade rumah rumah kanak kanak kurang upaya, anak anak yatim piatu, orang orang berumur dll, instead of them waiting for donations… which will take them a long time to get the amount require!
malaysia semua boleh!
aku punya falsampah!
Some answers to Bodohland’s foolsball dilema.
1. 1.5 goals before kick off, that’s assuming the end result is 5 goals for the other team.
2. The oppositing goal post must be 30% higher and wider.
3. The opposing team must only have 9 players.
4. The refree must close one eye 70% of the time.
5. The ball must be made by proton, so the power window always guarentees to fail.
6. The Malaysian Coah must always be asleep “zzzzzzzzz”
7. Use C4, use bribe.
8. And if all else fails, revert back to the classical answer “I don’t know, let God decide”
9. And another classical answer for the team “Acts of God” as to why bodohland scores her own goal.
Well done bodohland, you’re a joke, and If you play ball with FT GEM (the team that kena 18-0 from Bayan Munich) the local bookies might have to give you 1.5 goals handicapped, and the score will still probably end up like 1-0, that is FT GEM 1, Bodohland 0.
what a joke, this is how the country, the football progresses along with BN administration, plain silly, plain joke, just plain “FOOLSBALLS”
And the Prime Minister, only a few weeks ago, said we will have the best football team in Asia in 2057
Malaysia shows too much respect for China and Ubekistan. We need brains in the team, not just the physical size. Look at Vietnam and Thailand.
I see there are many here who put down our national team, some even went as far as playing the racial card. What happened to the theory of leaving out politics and race from sports!!??
Ok now back to football …. judging from the reponses here, I got a question actually. How many here have been to the stadium to support the national team recently???? Lets be honest, please.
I mean it is very easy to throw negative feedbacks from the comfort of your homes etc.
Now lets compare apple with apple. Singapore football aint so hot either. Their standards are pretty much like us despite having a few foreign players. Well, is the football association there just as screwed as ours here???
Look at England for example, their have the best league in the world and their players are paid big money. But tell me, what has England won in the last 30 years or so????
I have stopped going to football matches 15 years ago. Why should i pay good money to watch rubbish, when i can do it for free at home looking at my tong sampah? Just to be patriotic? Please, I am already doing that by driving protons with manual power windows.
Compare apple to apple?? Come on-lah, how can you compare with Singapore? It not even ‘really a country’ as Nazri said. And now you want to compare with a little dot that’s a what, mini-state?
And the greatest one of all – comparing ourselves with England?! Are you aware of the extreme abuse the English press heaps on the English FA, manager and players? I think our boys have it easy compared to those blokes.
I believe that the issue is not so much losing by large margins to countries like China and Uzbekistan. It is the pain of enduring the sight of our neighbours like Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam doing so wonderfully well and progressing so far ahead of us. It is indicative of the malaise we are in – unable to recognise and admit openly that we are in decline for the last 20 years in football and that we are not as great as we would like to believe, as in so many other things today.
Dear ethnicmalaysian,
If we as Malaysians dont bother to turn up to support our team, then tell me who else out there should support our national team then?? As for you driving a proton with manual power windows, well I am sure no one put a gun to your head and forced you to get a Proton. You can always buy a BMW or Mercedes. You want more comfort , you pay for it la.
So, we are not to compare with Singapore is it? Well, then in that case lets be consistent and not limit it to football only.
Yes, the English press give the English FA and players hell. But still what have they won since winning the world cup on home soil back in 1966 (with a highly ‘disputed goal’ too) . And do you actually know how much are the English players are paid on a weekly basis??? The English fans no matter how badly their team perform will still support England rain or shine. They will travel to away games and support their team while the likes of you ‘prefer to stay home and look at your tong sampah’ and put your team down when they fail to deliver. Thats the difference.
There are ups and downs in sports. In football, yes we are behind our neighbours Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam … (Singapore???) but what about badminton, squash, bowling?
Dear Realworld,
Firstly, let me ask you if you agree that Malaysian football is in such a terrible state of decline that the quality of the national team is not even close to south east asian standard. Now let’s be honest here as well. And if assuming you agree and remove the blinkers, do you think that despite such abysmal quality, despite such obvious regression in our football, we should still continue to turn up and support the national team? On the basis that we are all Malaysians and therefore must support the team no matter what? That sounds more like blind feudal loyalty to me, more akin to the sultanates of centuries ago. Patriotism, as they say, is the last refuge of the scoundrel.
Secondly, I don’t see those fans who turned up to watch actually supporting the team – they are there to vent their frustrations and anger as witnessed by the banners on display. Winning a major tournament is not the benchmark of a ‘good’ or reasonablely good national team. Has Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia (and Singapore) won any major tournaments say the Asian Cup? No, but their performances are winning plaudits even if they lose their matches. Let’s be clear that the malaise in Malaysian football is not the result of apathetic or unpatriotic fans like me. It is caused by so many other factors, just read the papers. But the malaise in Malaysian football has certainly RESULTED in apathetic and unpatriotic fans like me. Unfortunately, there has been no ups and downs in M’sian football for the last 20 years – it’s been one long down since then.
Well actually there’s a gun placed at my head when I bought my Proton – it’s called ‘protectionism’. It’s laughable if you think I had the choice of BMW or Merc when I bought the Proton and I choose Proton (together with millions of other M’sians) out of my very own free will, and even more so if you classify the height of comfort as a properly working power window.
What nonsense. Its because Malaysians dont go to the stadium then the national team doesnt do well? Is it because i drive a proton that Malaysia national team is rubbish? have you even been to the stadium? i have seen Malaysia vs Singapore ASEAN cup semis, kl vs perlis, selangor vs kl and perak vs terengganu games in the last 3 years and i can tell you it is just a comedy of errors. i paid RM10 each time and when i asked my friends or family to go with me, they tell me to “forget about it”
i dont see me going there has anything to do with improving the standards of football in Malaysia.
Before you go on talking of patrioticsm, please look at the colour skin of our jaguh kampung(s), i dont care if they were all malays so long they play with true sense of the word but all we have is a bunch of half past six footballers who some of them are in the team cause they can only do a banana kick.
Please go to sports planet in sunway and watch those people play futsal. see how good some of their ball control is compared to those who plays in the m-league. you may say the field is bumpy compared to a futsal pitch but how come china and uzbekistan or even iran can control it?
i tell you again, the govt is at fault for this malaise and last time when Dunhill poured so much money into the game, they used this money for their own purposes. why is YB and YAB’s leading the FAM when they dont even know what is football?
please dont compare the English. They have their faults but they can still beat us anytime. anyway they are top 20-30 in the world but where is malaysia? we are nearer to the bottom 20 the last time i checked.
dont go compare an orange with a used-by sell date apple like the malaysian football team
is it no wonder why my national team is Liverpool FC?
They should go to Holland to improve their skills. The best coaches are there. The top teams in England are coached by foreign coaches. Yet the Malaysians are sending them here to improve their skills. Could the FAM explain their thinking behind this. As for the Brickendonbury Sports Centre here is a google map link have a look
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=l&hl=en&geocode=&q=rubber+research&near=Brickendonbury&ie=UTF8&ll=51.776716,-0.073074&spn=0.001371,0.00214&t=h&z=19&om=1
what is there? What is the cost of running such a centre. The cost of upkeep etc. It will be left under used and neglected in due course. How many Malaysians will benefit from such a centre built in the countryside.
The playing field is still uneven. We are still lagging behind. We still need protection (this is the phrase we heard from UMNO assembly years after years).
We really should have demanded that our Malay(sia) team be given 30% bonus goals as stipulated in the NEP.
If our demand is not met, we can always draw out the “kris” and shout that you will see blood on the street if you don’t give us what we want. (also copied from UMNO assembly. It’s a great source of reference for racist and illogical thinkings.)
Brickendonbury is not the answer to Bodohland’s woes. FAM, have you looked at the training facilities in Los Angeles? The weather there is more like Bodohland and the players and officials will enjoy their “training” (wink wink) more. After 18 hours of hard “training” each day they will need to relax with their families and friends. There are such places as Disneyland, Universal Studio, Sea World, Knotts Berry Farm, Six Flags, etc in close proximity. We can help and put a package together for you if you like.