Ayuh Malaysia!

Selepas kejayaan yang mencipta ghairah seluruh negara hasil kejayaan menjulang Piala Persekutuan Bola Sepak Asean (AFF), Disember lalu, Datuk K Rajagobal (gambar) dan anak buahnya yang membentuk skuad bola sepak 'Harimau Malaya' akan kembali ke medan kompetitif, malam nanti.

Pentasnya - pusingan pertama kelayakan Piala Dunia 2014. Lawannya - Taiwan. Aksi kedua di gelanggang lawan akan berlangsung, Ahad nanti.

Apa yang penting, dan sudah pasti diharapkan juga oleh jutaan peminat-peminat bola sepak negara, ialah kesinambungan prestasi memuaskan daripada kesebelasan pilihan yang bakal memikul cabaran.

Rajagobal kali ini, seperti sebelumnya juga, tidak bebas daripada dibelenggu masalah kecederaan. Bimbang dicipta tonggak seperti Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, Khairul Fahmi dan Hadi Yahya adalah sebahagian daripada cabarannya.

Tetapi jangan lupa, ketika Malaysia mencipta laluan memenangi pingat emas Sukan SEA Laos 2009 dan kemudiannya mencipta lakaran baru layak ke pusingan ketiga Sukan Asia, sebelum disusuli kejayaan menjulang Piala AFF, Rajagobal juga dipaksa berdepan situasi sama.

Lantas, malam ini, harapan pastinya Rajagobal dan anak buahnya mampu mencipta bekalan selesa untuk dibawa bertandang ke Taiwan.

Kerana di atas kertas, ini peluang terbaik untuk Malaysia layak ke peringkat kumpulan kelayakan akhir setanding gergasi-gergasi bola sepak Asia lainnya. Ini langkah ke hadapan yang amat perlu.

Rajagobal mengetahuinya. Lantas, harapan jutaan peminat negara, pasti akan cuba ditunaikan barisan pemain-pemain pilihannya.

Ayuh Malaysia!

Sports as unifying force!

I am baffled, saddened and shocked with the latest happening in our beloved country.

People condemning each other, defaming and 'kutuking' each other just because we dont share the same opinion and ideology. It is indeed very sad.

With the possibility of KL being engulfed by possible clashes of protesters the weekend of 9th July, I would like to appeal to fellow Malaysians to remember the many factors that make us special in the eyes of the world.

We are multi racial country, with Ahmad, Lim and Mutusamy living in harmony. We should not incite hatred just because we are different. We should celebrate the differences that make Malaysia so beautiful.

There are many factors that could unite us. One of the best example is, of course, sports.

I remember reading how supporters from different political divide put their differences aside,while campaigning for one by-election, to together watch Lee Chong Wei play against Lin Dan in the final of the 2008 Olympics.

Or how Malaysians from all walk of life - be it CEOs, officers, clerks taxi drivers, tea ladies etc - were overjoyed when our national football team emerged as the champions of Southeast Asia!

Lets show the solidarity as Malaysians by supporting our National Olympics Team when they take on Lebanon this Thursday. Lets watch and support our badminton players who are now playing in the Indonesian Open.

Lets be rational, matured adults. Lets show our love to Malaysia. Malaysia have been kind to us. No one could dispute that. Please remember that.

'MALAYSIA TANAH TUMPAHNYA DARAHKU'

Nasib Ong Kim Swee & K Rajagobal

Dalam tempoh dua hari, dua jurulatih negara, Ong Kim Swee dan Datuk K Rajagobal, diuji dan dinilai menerusi persembahan skuad bimbingan masing-masing di pentas aksi antarabangsa.

Ketika Rajagobal kian memperkukuh reputasi menerusi persembahan bersemangat anak buahnya ketika membenam Myanmar 2-0 di Kota Bharu, Kim Swee sebaliknya jadi objek penilaian lebih kritis selepas barisan Olimpik negara kendaliannya sekadar seri 0-0 dengan Lubnan di Beirut.

Ada yang mempersoalkan pendekatan terlalu bertahan skuad Kim Swee di babak pertama. Kerana apabila mereka mengubah pendekatan di separuh masa kedua, ternyata pemain-pemain mampu menandingi dan kerap kali mengancam kubu lawan.

Memang boleh difahami betapa Kim Swee mungkin lebih mahu mengejar seri di gelanggang lawan dan mengharapkan prestasi hebat untuk membenam Lubnan di Stadium Nasional, Khamis nanti.

Namun pada masa sama, bila ada peluang, persoalannya ialah mengapa ia tidak dimanfaatkan? Ada juga yang lebih kritis dan mula menganggap 'skuad Olimpik memiliki barisan pemain bagus tetapi ditunjangi jurulatih yang salah.'

Aku belum mahu membuat penilaian terburu-buru. Aku masih mahu memberi peluang kepada Kim Swee.

Kerana Rajagobal juga kini menyerlah bersama anak-anak buahnya setelah diberikan masa untuk 'meningkat.' Jika Rajagobal mampu melakukannya, tidak mustahil Kim Swee juga berupaya menuruti jejak sebegitu.

Cuma, Kim Swee perlu akur betapa dia tidak mampu lari daripada jadi tumpuan. Kerana itu, aksi di gelanggang sendiri nanti, amat penting untuk dia mengukuhkan lagi reputasi. Jangan sekadar nanti, kita tenggelam kerana hanya syok sendiri.

Aku percaya, ramai yang kini menanti untuk melihat apa yang bakal ditukar jadi realiti.

Happy Father's Day, Ayah!

Tomorrow is Father's day.

Today, two years ago, my beloved father passed away.

I would like to always remember all the good memories I shared with him.

He was, directly or indirectly, responsible in shaping me to become who I am today.

For that, I am forever indebted and grateful to him.

Thank you Ayah!.

Al-fatihah..,

Conflicting stands - Shabery vs Rais Yatim

Youth & Sports Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek is passionately advocating for the 'Sports Industry'. He believes that it can become one of the major revenue sources for the country and offer job opportunities for many Malaysians.

However, Information, Communication and Culture Minister, Dato' Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim, seems to have different ideas.

Whilst Shabery embraces the idea of 'open competition' to bring the best out of all stakeholders in the sports industry - be it athletes, officials, sponsors, companies, media etc - Rais apparently is clinging to different ideology.

This assumptions were based on Rais latest statement to 'curb the monopoly of broadcaster to popular sports (coverage).'

I am puzzled with Rais latest announcement. Everyone knows that broadcasters have to pay rights fees in order to broadcast sports events in their respective channels. RTM also does that. They spent huge amount of money to buy last year's World Cup fees and many other events.

Is Rais serious with this latest statements? That all broadcast should be shared between all tv stations? Are there 'hidden hands' behind all this? People who will benefits without paying a single sen?

If coverage of the Sukan Malaysia (SUKMA) is the main point, I do hope people in RTM briefed their big boss properly. Tell Rais the real reason why there's no live coverage of events. It was quoted as the reasons why Rais wants to end this so-called 'monopolization by certain parties'.

Tell Rais that for SUKMA, there's no rights fees involved. That any TV stations are free to show live coverage of events, free of charge. Its up to the 'powers-that be' in various stations to decide whether to air the events live or just cover it in the news or highlights programs. Tell Rais that the decision was made by RTM, not other people, to only cover SUKMA in the news and highlights programs.

I would not want to comment on why RTM, this time around, decided not to show any SUKMA events 'live'. They did a good job with the coverage of SUKMA in Melaka, last year.

But to shift the blame to others - who give wider coverage of the events - and try to use that to 'justify' policy changes? I do believe its not a very solid arguments, right Dear Sir?

I understand that there's a need to balance the need of the public. But at the same time, it should not come at the expense of 'open competition', or denying the rights of others who have the means to compete.

Seriously, I do hope this latest hiccups does not come out from the mindset of 'since I didn't have it, no one can have it, too!'.

The full story on Rais' announcements:

No more monopoly For TV broadcast for popular sports, said Rais.

Kota Kinabalu, June 11 (Bernama) - The Ministry of Information, Communication and Culture will implement a new policy to ensure that popular television programmes, especially popular sports, are no longer monopolised by a particular broadcasting or media corporation.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, said the matter had been conveyed to the parties concerned, including Astro.

"We want Astro, for example, to create a productive and fair cooperation network with Media Prima and especially the RTM.

"Those without Astro facilities don't get (TV sports programmes) whereas the RTM is a government broadcasting body, and in this matter, I apologise on behalf of the ministry," he told reporters after the simultaneous launching of the 1Malaysia Community at the Sabah state level and Mobile Post as well as appreciating the election workers for the Batu Sapi (Sandakan) parliamentary by-election, here.

Rais said this to reporters when asked to comment on the complaints, especially from those who don't subscribe to Astro, who could not watch the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) held in Kuala Lumpur this year.

"We want to implement the new policy and under the licence issued by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), we will change this situation." - BERNAMA.

Final FA penuh debar, Terengganu berhak muncul juara

Penantian Terengganu untuk muncul juara Piala FA buat kali kedua dalam tempoh 11 tahun, akhirnya dinoktahkan di Stadium Nasional Bukit Jalil, malam Sabtu lalu.

Wajah penuh riak kepuasan yang terpancar itu jelas satu bukti rasa gembira ibarat di puncak dunia. Apa tidaknya, ia dilakukan menerusi cara kebangkitan terhebat, menerusi gol penyamaan di minit-minit terakhir masa permainan, disusul gol kemenangan cantik di masa tambahan, ke atas Kelantan yang diperakui kini sebagai kuasa utama bola sepak negara.

Skuad kendalian Irfan Bakti jelas berhak merasai gembira, berhak diulit bangga, kerana mereka memang wajar dinobat selaku juara.

Gol Ahmad Nordin Alias pada minit ke-110 memastikan piala kembali ke Kuala Terengganu, dengan kemungkinan piala itu mampu terus kekal dalam koleksi Sang Penyu ketika ada ura-ura piala baru akan diperagakan untuk kancah saingan sama, musim depan.

Namun pada masa sama, tahniah juga kepada Kelantan yang telah memberikan tentangan hebat. Juga, tahniah buat penyokong-penyokong The Red Warriors yang membuktikan betapa ghairah mereka terhadap pasukan sanjungan, tiada tolok bandingnya ketika ini.

Cuma, masih ada segelintir yang mencipta onar. Balingan mercun yang jelas bertujuan menjejas kelancaran perlawanan, adalah tindakan yang bukan 'anak jantan,' bukan sesuatu yang boleh dijadikan teladan. Perlakuan itu bagaimanapun tidak harus diibarat 'akibat nila setitik, rosak susu sebelanga,' kerana majoriti peminat Kelantan jelas bukan daripada 'acuan sama.'

Tahniah Terengganu. Jangan kecewa keterlaluan barisan Kelantan.

Apa yang penting, ia final menarik. Ia wajah cerminan terbaik bola sepak Malaysia!