Archive for the ‘Selangor FA’ Category
Kelantan’s Md Amri Fazal (behind) and Selangor’s Md Nazrulerwan fight for the ball in their Malaysia Cup Group A match in Kota Baru on Monday. Kelantan won 5-2.
SELANGOR suffered an embarrassing defeat away to Kelantan in a Malaysia Cup Group A match at the Sultan Mohd IV Stadium in Kota Baru on Monday.
The losing FA Cup finalists lost 5-2 which follows their 3-0 drubbing by Negri Sembilan last week.
It has now learnt that several players are not happy with the new management and some are playing under protest.
“Too many people are giving instructions on the field,” said one senior player who asked not to be identified.
“We are only supposed to listen to the coach but there are also other officials giving instructions, and at times we are confused as to whom we are supposed to listen to.”
Selangor, who started the campaign as one of the favourites, are now fourth with four points at the end of the first round.
Last week, Selangor coach Dollah Salleh blamed the tight fixtures for his team’s defeat to Negri Sembilan, saying his players were tired after a hard-fought FA Cup final against Kedah and in less than three days were playing in the Malaysia Cup.
Selangor FA secretary Mohd Hamidin Amin said: “We are very concerned about these defeats and are looking into it.
“As far as I know there is no problem between the players and the management.”
New Straits Times
Kelantan’s Md Amri Fazal (behind) and Selangor’s Md Nazrulerwan fight for the ball in their Malaysia Cup Group A match in Kota Baru on Monday. Kelantan won 5-2.
SELANGOR suffered an embarrassing defeat away to Kelantan in a Malaysia Cup Group A match at the Sultan Mohd IV Stadium in Kota Baru on Monday.
The losing FA Cup finalists lost 5-2 which follows their 3-0 drubbing by Negri Sembilan last week.
It has now learnt that several players are not happy with the new management and some are playing under protest.
“Too many people are giving instructions on the field,” said one senior player who asked not to be identified.
“We are only supposed to listen to the coach but there are also other officials giving instructions, and at times we are confused as to whom we are supposed to listen to.”
Selangor, who started the campaign as one of the favourites, are now fourth with four points at the end of the first round.
Last week, Selangor coach Dollah Salleh blamed the tight fixtures for his team’s defeat to Negri Sembilan, saying his players were tired after a hard-fought FA Cup final against Kedah and in less than three days were playing in the Malaysia Cup.
Selangor FA secretary Mohd Hamidin Amin said: “We are very concerned about these defeats and are looking into it.
“As far as I know there is no problem between the players and the management.”
New Straits Times
Football: Kedah Lift FA Cup
Posted on: June 22, 2008
Kedah’s (from left) Victor Andrag, Mohd Fazliata Taib, Helmi Eliza Elias and V. Thirumurugan lift the FA Cup at the Shah Alam Stadium last night. Pic: HAIRUL ANUAR ABDUL RAHIM.
KEDAH’S bid for a second consecutive treble remains firmly on track after they beat Selangor 3-2 in the FA Cup final at the Shah Alam Stadium yesterday.
The victory was even more impressive as Kedah showed no signs of jitters despite playing at Selangor’s home ground.
However, the players would have been disappointed with the poor turnout as less than 20,000 fans greeted them when they made their way to the pitch.
But it was fantastic start for Kedah as they scored in the second minute through Khyril Muhymeen who played a perfect ball to Baddrol Bakhtiar who crossed the ball for Fadly Baharom to score.
Selangor started to counter attack and in the fourth minute had a golden opportunity to equalise but Amri Yahyah’s poor shot from the box was saved by Kedah keeper Hilmi Eliza.
In the 13th minute Kedah’s defence was punished as Selangor’s Eli Aiboy’s cross was cleared by Fazliata Taib. But his clearance fell at Amirulhadi Zainal’s feet who equalised.
The Selangor fans went wild and the home crowd cheered on their team who last won the FA Cup in 2005.
But Kedah were unfazed and national striker Khyril was a constant thorn for Selangor, whose defence was marshalled by Razman Roslan.
In the 33rd minute Khyril played a one-two with Nelson and scored Kedah’s second goal to give them a 2-1 lead at half-time.
The combination of Shafiq Jamal, Khyril and Baddrol was too strong for Selangor to handle and in the 50th minute Khyril once again played a through ball for Shafiq who beat Selangor keeper Mohd Suffian Raman for the third time.
Frustrated, Selangor coach Dollah Salleh brought in Indra Putra for Amirulhadi in the 52nd minute to strengthen the attack.
Kedah’s tight defence, marshalled by skipper Victor Andrag, shut out Selangor hitman Safee Sali.
Kedah coach Azraai Khor brought in Sabri Abu for Safiq Jamal in the 54th minute to keep the midfield tight .
Just as Kedah were busy attacking, Indra Putra played a long ball for Frank Seator who managed to beat the off-side trap but Hilmi brought him down and a penalty was awarded.
Seator made no mistake from the spot for Selangor’s second goal in the 72nd minute.
The match became more intense as Keadh’s Sabri Abu was red-carded in the 77th minute for a challenge on Selangor skipper Shukor Adan.
Down to 10 men, Azraai decided to go on an all out attack and brought in Saramsak Kram for Fadly Baharom in the 79th minute.
Kedah managed to hold out a determined Selangor in the last 10 minutes.
New Straits Times
Selangor’s hitman Safee Sali will play a vital role against Kedah.
KEDAH may be the favourites but Selangor coach Dollah Salleh believes his men are more than capable of denying the northern side a second successive FA Cup title at Shah Alam Stadium tomorrow.
A win for Kedah will mean having defended the second of last season’s treble but Dollah, who guided Selangor to the Premier League, FA Cup and Malaysia Cup titles in 2005, said his players are raring to go.
His players, said Dollah, are coming into form at just the right time and with Selangor fans sure to outnumber the Kedah support, the title is within reach.
“I believe we came through a tougher semi-final as it is no easy task playing Terengganu away.
“Yet, we won (3-2 on aggregate) and this has boosted the confidence of my players,” said Dollah.
National strikers Amri Yahyah and Safee Sali played pivotal roles in the two-leg semi-finals while R. Surendran has also regained the touch which saw him earning a national call-up before.
And Selangor also have Liberian Frank Seator and Indonesian Eli Aiboy to count on for goals against a Kedah side that will be missing foreigners Marlon Alex James and Bernard Huggins.
Selangor have almost an embarrassing number of strikers as Akmal Rizal Rakhli and Indra Putra Mahayuddin are also in their ranks.
Obviously, not all can start but Dollah said he will only make his final decision today.
“We have one more training session to go and we will sit down and work the plan out.
“Kedah have their strong points and so do we. I must make sure ours work.
“However, I hope the fans turn out in huge numbers as Kedah are a strong team and we need support in the stands.
“It will be a good final but the fans can help swing it in our favour.”
New Straits Times
Hamidin Amin says the fight against graft involves not only FAM but also the states
KUALA LUMPUR: State football associations are split over the suggestion to suspend the Malaysia Cup and the Intercontinental Cup.
While agreeing that stern measures must be taken to curb match-fixing, they could not reach a consensus if suspending both tournaments was the answer to this menace.
“We have to consider the legal implications of such a move as the players still have to be paid their salaries,” said Johor FA secretary Wan Nizam Wan Omar.
“We must study the seriousness of the situation before deciding to suspend the Malaysia Cup.”
Selangor FA secretary Hamidin Amin said at this stage, suspending both tournaments was simply a proposal.
“The fight against bribery is not FAM’s alone but also the states. Suspending tournaments may not be the answer to the problem though.”
Penang FA secretary Datuk Mohd Junid Mohd Noor was all for the suspension.
“Why not? If it is for the good of the sport, it has to be done. If there is proof, then there is no point carrying on. We shouldn’t waste time, money and effort.”
He also felt that everyone involved in Malaysian football must join forces to fight match-fixing.
“It is like a cancer which has to be eradicated quickly,” Mohd Junid added.
Terengganu FA secretary Abdullah Salleh said: “Let’s not cheat the fans. Allowing the tournament to go on might kill football in the country.
“Drastic measures must be taken to wipe out match-fixing once and for all.”
Meanwhile, six regular Sarawak players picked up for questioning were not fielded in their Malaysian Super League match in Kuching yesterday against Terengganu.
Terengganu won the match 4-2.
Powered by New Straits Times
STATE FAs, concerned of the possibility that match-fixing could be back in Malaysian football, have requested that the FA of Malaysia set up a special committee to deal with the matter sooner rather than later.
Recent ‘questionable’ results have led officials to believe that bookies are back in business in the Malaysian Super League. Now the grapevine has it that Kedah might lose their FA Cup and Malaysia Cup challenges.
“Everyone is talking about it but how do we get the hard evidence? It is not good enough to just keep our eyes and ears open,” said Datuk Mohd Junid Mohd Noor, executive secretary of the Penang FA.
“We will be having our first council meeting soon and I am going to highlight this issue. We must nip it in the bud before it gets worse. I too get calls from individuals claiming that certain matches have been fixed, but when I request them to meet me, they refuse.”
Junid, who is also a member of the FAM competitions committee, said that it is very important for the State FAs to pay the players’ salaries on time or they may be tempted to go the wrong way.
“Players must be paid on time, or else they might choose to ‘fix’ matches as they too need to provide food for their families and pay bills.” added Junid
Selangor FA general secretary Hamidin Amin, for his part, believes it is vital that the management place its trust in the players and also pay salaries on time.
“We have been reading about bookies making a return to the MSL but it is very hard to pin them down as today’s technology allows transactions to be done in many ways.
Talk of bookies resurfacing in Malaysian football comes after a Singapore court jailed and fined six players from S-League side Liaoning Guangyuan on Tuesday for match-fixing.
Powered by New Straits Times
(From left) Akmal Rizal Mohd Rakhli, FAS treasurer S. Sivasundram, FAS general secretary Hamidin Amin, Mohd Safee Sali, Amirul Hadi Zainal and Indra Putra Mahayudin at yesterday’s hearing at Wisma FAM in Petaling Jaya. – Pic: HASAN ISMAIL
THE FA of Malaysia’s disciplinary board (DB) not only came down hard on Selangor yesterday, with hefty fines and the docking of points but also left itself open to criticism.
The punishment was for the roles the FA of Selangor (FAS), its coach Dollah Salleh and four players played in the Ian Rush coaching clinic but the problem is, the offence was committed for an FA Cup match.
Three points were docked from Selangor’s Malaysian Super League haul, which means champions Kedah are just two points away from retaining the title and FAM officials couldn’t really explain the issue.
“It is not provided in the regulations. We can only work with what is given within the law,” was FAM general secretary Lt Jen (Rtd) Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad’s response when asked why were Selangor not punished with an end to their FA Cup campaign instead.
The four players — Amirul Hadi Zainal, Akmal Rizal Rakhli, Safee Sali and Indra Putra Mahayuddin — had left the Rush clinic early to attend FA Cup training on the orders of Dollah, who said he needed them to prepare for a cruncher against Perak on March 27.
For their roles, the players were each fined RM1,000, Dollah RM10,000 and FAS RM20,000.
While punishment was expected, the DB was also expected to handle the issue without getting itself into trouble.
Chairman Tan Sri Aseh Che Mat said the DB used a clause in the disciplinary guidelines which states a maximum fine of RM50,000 and a three-point deduction can be imposed on players or teams who leave the national team or any training stint deemed as national preparation.
“We found FAS, the coach and the players guilty and therefore we sentenced them accordingly.
“There must be respect for national training or any training that is linked towards the national team.” said Aseh after the hearing at Wisma FAM in Petaling Jaya.
“The parties can appeal but we did what we needed to within the rules and regulations.”
Sabah FA and striker Bobby Gonzalez, who did not attend the stint at all, failed to turn up and will be asked to show up for the next hearing.
FAS officials were flabbergasted.
“We are very shocked with the decision. I expected, despite the explanation given and our open apology, we could be punished but not as heavy as this.
“After discussing with the president and Selangor FA Exco, we will appeal,” said general secretary Hamidin Amin.
Powered by New Straits Times
Dollah, Runaways In Trouble
Posted on: March 28, 2008
National coach B. Sathianathan (left) and Chelsea chief executive officer Peter Kenyon in a discussion while FAM deputy president Khairy Jamaluddin looks on at a press conference announcing the Chelsea Tour in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. -Pic: HASAN ISMAIL
THE FA of Selangor (FAS) and coach Dollah Salleh should brace themselves for punishment along with the four players who abandoned the three-day Ian Rush strikers clinic on Wednesday.
An irate FAM deputy president Khairy Jamaluddin said it only made sense for FAS and Dollah to also face action as the players – Safee Sali, Akmal Rizal, Amirul Hadi Zainal and Indra Putra Mahyuddin -were not solely to blame.
“Selangor FA and Dollah will be taken to task once the findings are finalised. Why only punish the players, especially as the state FAswere informed of the clinic a month ago,” said Khairy at a press conference announcing the Chelsea Asia tour in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
“Many teams requested for their players to be released but we did not approve their request so why should we tolerate Selangor? “I have requested the FAM general secretary (Lt Jen (R) Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad) to get the reports from both parties (Selangor and national coach B. Sathianathan) to be tabled at the FAM Exco.” The four players left -despite not obtaining Sathianathan ‘s approval – after lunch on Wednesday as Dollah had ordered them to report for training prior to last night’s FA Cup match against Perak.
Meanwhile, Khairy said hewas glad Chelsea have chosen Malaysia as the venue for their pre-season preparation.
The Blues, who have promised their first team players, will arrive on July 26 and play a Malaysian Selection on July 29.
“Wewelcome Chelsea to Malaysia and this is a great opportunity for Malaysian fans to watch a top flight team in action live, and at the same time for Malaysian players to gain experience.” Chelsea have also agreed to a five-week attachment for Sathianathan at Stamford Bridge.
“We are glad to have the Malaysian coach Sathianathan in Chelsea for five weeks. He will be attached to the first team and will be guided by (Chelsea manager) Avram Grant and his technical people,” said Chelsea CEO Peter Kenyon.
“The Malaysian coach will observe the training system of the first team, match preparation, recovery, youth development set-up and he will also understudy the first team coaches.” The stintwas requested by Khairy as an earlier stint with Manchester United has been postponed.
Details of the Chelsea tour will be announced once several details, including the venue, are sorted out.
Powered by New Straits Times
Election Tsunami Worries State FAs
Posted on: March 15, 2008
UNCERTAINTY reigns in several State FAs following the results of last week’s General Election, especially those with clauses in their constitution stipulating the Menteri Besar has to be the president.
The FAs of Kedah, Selangor and Penang are among them and as the public come to terms with the political changes, the office bearers of the three associations are waiting to see what their new state governments have planned for them.
Kedah, treble winners last year, operate on a RM6 million annual budget and they are not sure whether there will be adequate support from the state government.
“We are not certain if we will get such an amount from the new government next season and if we don’t, this might disrupt football development in the state,” said a Kedah FA official who declined to be identified.
“We are now seeking an appointment with the new Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak to discuss the matter.”
Technically, Azizan is now Kedah FA president in place of former Menteri Besar Datuk Mahdzir Khalid.
Kedah coach Azraai Abdullah said he did not want his squad to be distracted by the uncertainty.
“What matters is the team, the players’ welfare and above all our performance on the pitch. The policies are determined by the FA, while the team concentrate on delivering on the pitch,” said Azraai.
With football being a tremendous political toy in Kedah, chances are the new state government will continue to extend support but the same may not be the case with Selangor FA.
With an annual budget of RM5 million, there are some glum faces in the corridors of the Selangor FA.
While most of the budget was obtained from the corporate sector, Selangor FA is unsure what new Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has planned for the association.
Unless Khalid decides otherwise, he will replace former Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo as Selangor FA president.
“We will write to the Menteri Besar seeking a meeting to see what he has planned,” said Selangor FA secretary Hamidin Mohd Amin.
Penang FA is perhaps the one in the most precarious of positions.
New Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has said his administration will not fund big projects and it will be interesting to see what he has to say about the football team, who despite a RM3 million budget, are at the bottom of the MSL standings.
Powered by New Straits Times
PETALING JAYA April 24 – MK Land Holdings Berhad will spend a total of RM332,800 per year to finance the expenditure for the entire Selangor Football Association (FAS) League.
The sponsorship which includes the coveted cash prize for the winners will run until 2005.
With the sponsorship in place, the league will now be known as the Selangor MK Land League.
According to FAS president Tengku Datuk Seri Ahmad Shah, this is the first time the association secured a sponsor for the whole league and it was another milestone in the history of FAS.
“The sponsorship will not only ease our burden but will enhance our aims of promoting football at club level as well as at the grassroots level,” said Tengku Ahmad after the sponsorship handover ceremony, here Thursday.
Present to hand-over the mock cheque of RM332,800 to Tengku Ahmad was MK Land executive chairman Tan Sri Mustapha Kamal Abu Bakar.
There were three divisions in the league – Premier League, Division One and Two.
It will consist of 111 teams competing in the three divisions as well as the Selangor FA Cup competition.
Utusan Malaysia
My Soccer World 