KM Naza juara, Kuala Lumpur tersungkur

About the same time the multi-millionaires of Manchester United were piercing through West Ham's porous defence as the Red Devils took a big step towards the English Premiership title last night, a title was decided in our own backyard.

Tahniah kepada Kuala Muda Naza yang menjuarai Liga Perdana selepas mengatasi pencabar terdekat KL Plus 3-2 malam tadi.

Jurulatih KM Naza, K. Devan, bertuah memiliki adunan tenaga muda dan orang lama, macam Farderin Kadir (gambar ihsan nazafc.com.my), yang dipilih Pemain Terbaik Perlawanan malam tadi, dan Liew Kit Kong serta B. Rajanikandh dan Anuar Jusoh.

KL Plus pula terpaksa berpuas hati dengan gelaran naib juara.

Nasib berbeza pula bagi Kuala Lumpur yang terjerumus ke Liga FAM musim depan. Apa sudah jadi?

Dibimbing oleh bekas bek kanan kebangsaan Razip Ismail, Kuala Lumpur nampaknya sudah hilang kekuatan. Pencapaiannya selaku gergasi bola sepak 1980-an ketika nama Fandi Ahmad, Subadron Aziz, Malek Awab mencanak naik sudah lama ditelan zaman.

Tahniah, Lokman and Martin

PETALING JAYA: Wartawan Harian Metro (HM), Lokman Zainal Abidin, memenangi kategori Kewartawanan Sukan (Bahasa Melayu) pada majlis Hadiah Kewartawanan Malaysia anjuran Institut Akhbar Malaysia (MPI)-Petronas 2007, di sebuah hotel di sini, malam tadi.

Beliau adalah antara empat wartawan dan dua jurugambar Kumpulan The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd (NSTP) yang memenangi pelbagai kategori pada majlis itu.

Antara yang memenangi anugerah itu ialah wartawan Berita Harian (BH), Azrul Affandi Sobry dan Zul Husni Abdul Hamid membolot hadiah wang tunai RM5,000 bagi kategori Kewartawanan Hiburan (Bahasa Melayu) menerusi artikel bertajuk `Dimensi baru genre irama alternatif’.

Manakala dua wartawan New Straits Times (NST), Sonia A Ramachandran dan Heidi Foo Wai Chien memenangi kategori Kewartawanan Berita (Bahasa Inggeris) dan membawa pulang hadiah wang tunai RM5,000 menerusi artikel bertajuk `The Hook, The Line, The Sinker. - HARIAN METRO

Kategori Kewartawanan Sukan Bahasa Inggeris dimenangi oleh bekas wartawan sukan New Straits Times, Martin Yee yang kini bertugas di Borneo Post.

Senarai pemenang

HADIAH KEWARTAWANAN MALAYSIA 2007 MPI-PETRONAS

KEPUTUSAN

KATEGORI 1 – HADIAH KAJAI
(Tunai: RM20,000, Medal Pingat Emas bernilai RM10,000 dan Sijil Penghargaan)

Tiada Pemenang

KATEGORI 2 – KEWARTAWANAN BERITA
(Tunai: RM5,000 setiap bahasa dan sijil penghargaan)

Bahasa Melayu:
Suhana Md. Yusof (Kosmo, Utusan Melayu)
Tajuk: Nikah RM10

Bahasa Inggeris:
Sonia Ramachandran & Heidi Foo Wai Chien (NST)
Tajuk: The Hook, The Line, The Sinker

Bahasa Cina:
Chia Chong Lang (Nanyang Siang Pau)
Tajuk: Series of stories: The disastrous flood in Southern Peninsular

Bahasa Tamil:
Vijiwaran a/l Dorasamy (Malaysia Nanban)
Tajuk: Sejarah bangsa India Malaysia 22 tahun

KATEGORI 3 – KEWARTAWANAN RENCANA
(Tunai: RM5,000 setiap bahasa dan sijil penghargaan)

Bahasa Melayu:
Noorzila binti Jamaludin, Nor Shamsi Nor binti Baharin dan Shahrul Nazmi bin Sannusi
(Majalah Al-Islam, Utusan Karya)
Tajuk: Islam dan sains forensik jalinan serasi dalam pembuktian

Bahasa Inggeris:
Chin Mui Yoon (STAR)
Tajuk: Food for thought

Bahasa Cina:
Chia Chong Lang (Nanyang Siang Pau)
Tajuk: Series of stories: Members of Public and police combat crimes hands in hands

Bahasa Tamil
Vijiwaran a/l Dorasamy (Malaysia Nanban)
Tajuk: Sekolah Tamil ke arah era baru

KATEGORI 4 – KEWARTAWANAN SUKAN
(Tunai: RM5,000 setiap bahasa dan sijil penghargaan)

Bahasa Melayu:
Lokman Zainal Abidin (Harian Metro)
Tajuk: Ancam tarik diri

Bahasa Inggeris:
Martin Yee Man Teng (The Borneo Post)
Tajuk: Wither Sarawak football after worst season?

Bahasa Cina:
Lim Chee Sen (Nanyang Siang Pau)
Tajuk: Kemerosotan mutu bolasepak kaum Cina

Bahasa Tamil:
Parthiban a/l Nagarajan (Malaysia Nanban) – Saguhati RM1,500
Tajuk: Sukan SEA: Inspirasi baru

KATEGORI 5 – FOTO MEDIA TERBAIK
(Hadiah Pertama: RM3,000; Hadiah Kedua: RM2,000; Hadiah Ketiga: RM1,000 dan Sijil Penghargaan)

Hadiah Pertama: Mohd. Zaki b. Amiruddin (Utusan Melayu)
Tajuk: Pulau Bah

Hadiah Kedua: Datu Ruslan Sulai (NST)
Tajuk: 50 rumah musnah dalam kebakaran

Hadiah Ketiga: Zulkarnain Ahmad Tajuddin (NST)
Tajuk: Road rage caught on camera

KATEGORI 6 – FOTO ESEI TERBAIK
(Hadiah Pertama: RM3,000; Hadiah Kedua: RM2,000; Hadiah Ketiga: RM1,000 dan Sijil Penghargaan)

Hadiah Pertama: Azhar Mahfof (STAR)
Tajuk: Amazing Haziq

Hadiah Kedua: Rapa’ee Kawi (STAR)
Tajuk: Food development

Hadiah Ketiga: Tan Ee Long (Nanyang Siang Pau)
Tajuk: A dying art: Malaysia Chinese Opera

KATEGORI 7 – PENULIS MAJALAH TERBAIK
(Tunai: RM5,000 setiap bahasa dan sijil penghargaan)

Bahasa Melayu:
Shahrul Nazmi bin Sannusi (Majalah Al-Islam, Utusan Karya)
Tajuk: Pengurusan tanah wakaf lemah punca Melayu tenggelam di Pulau Pinang.

Bahasa Inggeris:
Johannes Ridu (Berita Publishing)
Tajuk: AP woes in Malaysian Trade

Bahasa Cina
Ching Siau Huay dan Lim Siok Yean (Nanyang Siang Pau)
Tajuk: Orang yang tidak mengalah pada nasib

Bahasa Tamil:
Kogilavani a/p Ponniah (Vidiyal Enterprise)
Tajuk: Thotu vidathirgal athu unggalai tholaithu vidum

KATEGORI 8 – KEWARTAWANAN TV
(Tunai: RM7,000 dan sijil penghargaan)

Elphege P Godomon dan Mohammed Yazzer bin Mahmun (TV3)
Tajuk: Kanak-kanak sekolah berjalan kaki di Pitas, Sabah

KATEGORI 9 –RENCANA TV TERBAIK
(Tunai: RM7,000, sijil penghargaan, Plak kepada stesyen TV)

Rosli Mohd. Nordin dan Mohd. Najib Hassan (RTM)
Tajuk: ‘Dehlah Sinuien’, Zara gadis Senai

KATEGORI 10 – KEWARTAWANAN HIBURAN
(Tunai: RM5,000 setiap bahasa dan sijil penghargaan)

Bahasa Melayu:
Azrul Affandi Sobry (Berita Harian)
Tajuk: Dimensi baru genre irama alternatif

Bahasa Inggeris:
Rama Lohan a/l Narayanan (STAR)
Tajuk: Through the years

Bahasa Cina:
Tan Peng Cheak (Nanyang Siang Pau)
Tajuk: Resurrection of the world classic music

Bahasa Tamil:
Rengasamy a/l Sinnappan (Makkal Osai)
Tajuk: Setia bersamamu

KATEGORI 11 – LAPORAN EKONOMI/KEWANGAN
(Tunai: RM5,000 setiap bahasa dan sijil penghargaan)

Bahasa Melayu:
Amree bin Ahamad dan Suhana Md. Yusop (Kosmo)
Tajuk: Skim Francais bermasalah?

Bahasa Inggeris:
Boey Ee Mei Elaine (The Edge)
Tajuk: 8 ways to detect the enrons and transmiles

Bahasa Cina:
Leong Fung Yin (Sin Chew Daily)
Tajuk: A blooming Islamic finance

Bahasa Tamil:
Ramadoo a/l Guruveloo (Malaysia Nanban)
Tajuk: Keadaan ekonomi negara kita

KATEGORI 12 – KEWARTAWANAN ALAM SEKITAR – PETRONAS
(Tunai: RM7,000 untuk media cetak dari semua bahasa dan RM7,000 untuk media elektronik dan sijil penghargaan)

Media Cetak:
Melati binti Mohd. Ariff (BERNAMA)
Tajuk: Hutan

Media Elektronik:
Karam Singh a/l Partap Singh dan Mohd. Nadzri Mohd. Raus (TV3)
Tajuk: Babi cemar

KATEGORI 13 – HADIAH KHAS JURI
(Tunai: RM10,000 dan Sijil Penghargaan)

Tiada Pemenang

TOKOH WARTAWAN NEGARA 2007

Tiada Pemenang

Perginya seorang pencinta hoki

Al-Fatihah.

Bekas penyerang hoki kebangsaan, Razak Leman, 49, meninggal dunia petang tadi.

Difahamkan Allahyarham menghembuskan nafas terakhirnya di Pusat Perubatan Mahkota, Melaka.

Allahyarham yang berasal dari Bandar Kaba, Melaka, menghidap penyakit buah pinggang sejak 1998. Bandar Kaba juga tempat asal bekas kapten kebangsaan, Mirnawan Nawawi.

Antara kejohanan yang pernah disertai Allahyarham ialah Piala Quid El Azam di Pakistan (1976), Piala Remaja Dunia di Paris (1979), World Ascenda di Perth, Australia (1979) dan Piala Dunia di India (1980).

Mazlan is the SAP chairman

Datuk Wira Mazlan Ahmad, National Sports Council supremo for more than 12 years, is the new Sports Advisory Panel (SAP) chairman effective as of May 1, as announced by Sports Minister, Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob in the post-cab meeting hours ago.

Jasin-born Mazlan who retired in August 2005, said: "I am very grateful and honoured. I will offer my views and advice for the good of sports. After retiring almost three years ago without being involved at all either at the Ministry level or the NSC, I can see things more objectively.

"However my role is to advise, the rest is for the YB Minister to decide."

Mazlan's immediate predecessor Datuk Nik Mahmud Nik Yusof is now the Sports Commissioner, succeeding Tan Sri Elyas Omar whose tenure ended April 15.

A tale of two DGs

The New Straits Times carried this on May 1, 2008

THE National Sports Council (NSC), as far as director general Datuk
Zolkples Embong is concerned, initiated prudent spending immediately upon
the conclusion of the 2006 Doha Asian Games.
Zolkples, who took over from Datuk Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz as the NSC
director general in April, 2007, said cost-cutting measures began with
the move to pay athletes allowances based on performances.
In fact, he expects NSC's overall expenses to further reduce after the
Beijing Olympics.
NSC was ticked off by Deputy Auditor General Azizah Arshad as its
audited accounts showed an increase from RM6.3 million in 2003 to RM28
million in 2006 for expenditures on professional services, celebrations
and hospitality, coaching and officials, national sports awards and the
Malaysia Games.
"We have to understand that NSC's programmes are growing and expenses
increase as focus is given to development.
"The priority this year has been for athletes to qualify for the
Olympics and so far, we have spent close to RM8 million in all sports to
help athletes qualify for Beijing.
"Obviously, the expenses will be reduced after the Beijing Olympics but
a drastic drop cannot be expected as there are other existing programmes
and there is also the Sea Games next year.
"The Sea Games may not be as costly as other major Games but we will be
sending a big contingent, especially development athletes, and this will
still cost us."
Zolkples said the significant hike in the organisational cost of the
2004 Negri Sembilan Malaysia Games and the 2006 Kedah Malaysia Games was
because the allocation for the Negri Games was channeled directly to the
state government by the Sports Ministry and this didn't appear in NSC's
audited accounts.
NSC's 2004 Malaysia Games expenditure was RM282,987 while the Kedah
Games cost the organisation RM3.371 million.

AND this on April 30, 2008


NATIONAL Sports Institute (NSI) director general Datuk Dr Ramlan Abdul
Aziz has acknowledged that the National Sports Council's (NSC)
expenditures had ballooned since 2003, particularly in 2006.
The NSC was ticked off by deputy auditor general Azizah Arshad as its
audited accounts had shown a significant increase of expenditure from
RM6.3 million in 2003 to RM28 million in 2006 for professional services,
celebrations and hospitality, coaching and officials, national sports
awards and the Malaysia Games.
Ramlan, who was the NSC director-general during that period, said the
growth of the organisation, including the restructuring of the entire NSC
set-up, were the main reasons for increased expenditure.
However, Ramlan was disappointed that efforts to cast former Sports
Minister (Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said) and her management team
negatively has been blown out of proportion.
"The deputy auditor general has already looked into it and we have
acknowledged. The spending of public funds has been under the microscope
and if there was any wrongdoing, the authorities can investigate," said
Ramlan at his office in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
"However, what has now become serious is the concerted effort to cast a
negative image of the former sports minister and the officers who had
served under her.
"All I can say is that there was prior approval for all the projects.
Everything was on principle and above board, according to the process and
procedures of the government.
"As an organisation, the NSC has grown with new divisions being
introduced.
"The concentrated effort to do well in the Doha Asian Games (in 2006),
new facilities for the Kedah Malaysia Games, the increase of allowances
for national athletes all contributed to the expenditure. There were also
more coaches with higher salaries.
"I would be able to give a more detailed explanation on this but I need
to have an exact breakdown first."
Ramlan said 2006 was an extraordinary hectic sporting year with the
Melbourne Commonwealth Games, Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in Japan and the
Asian Games being held besides other regular international events, which
caused spending during that year to increase considerably.
The hike in expenses for the Malaysia Games from RM282,987 in Negri
Sembilan in 2004 to RM3.37 million in Kedah two years later was due to
the fact that venues had to either be built or renovated to help the
development of certain sports.

Another letter in circulation?

Apparently there's another letter containing serious allegations on how the national hockey team were prepared for the recent Olympic qualifiers and other hockey-related issues being circulated.

The Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) might want to look into the content.

At what Price, Jonathan?

Mr Jonathan Price,
Chairman of Gifted Group,
Promoter of the Champions Youth Cup.

Dear Sir,

Re: The AFC involvement in the CYC

The above refers, can your esteemed organisation shed some light on this issue?

Attached herewith is a story published by the New Straits Times on April 30, 2008.

THE Champions Youth Cup (CYC) saga took another twist yesterday when it emerged that the FA of Malaysia (FAM) will not be involved in any organisational aspect of the Under-19 tournament on Aug 5-16.

This is sure to invite further criticism for a tournament that costs the Sports Ministry RM17 million a year, especially as FAM cited its unwillingness to work with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) as its reason.

Given the latest development, it will be interesting to see the reaction from the Sports Ministry, considering the amount involved.

The AFC, said Jonathan Price - the chairman of tournament promoter Gifted Group, had offered to work together last year.

"We thought it was a good offer as they (AFC) agreed to help us in terms of football management, referees and the disciplinary committee," said Price.

"During our discussions with FAM officials, we clearly briefed them of the roles they would play. But none were happy or too pleased that AFC is involved."

Price said he had written to FAM on April 25, whose general secretary Lt Jen (Rtd) Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad confirmed having received it.

"The letter will be tabled at the FAM executive committee meeting on May 17," was all that Azzuddin was willing to say.

A copy of Price's letter to Azzuddin, which was made available to Timesport, stated that Gifted Group had an "agreement in place with the AFC to organise the event alongside Gifted.

"Whilst we would be pleased to also have FAM play a full role in this regard and welcome your positive attitude to the tournament, you will appreciate that we cannot renege upon commitments that we have already made to other parties.

"With regret, I must therefore decline your kind offer to assist us with the tournament organisation."

Gifted Group had met FAM officials on March 27 and discussed the possible involvement of the national body in the CYC. However, FAM had subsequently informed Philip Lay, general manager of the CYC that it had no wish to work alongside AFC in the organising of the tournament.

Price said Gifted Group's decision was not based on financial criteria.

"As a gesture of goodwill and in recognition of the very positive relationship that we have developed with the FAM since your (Azzuddin's) appointment (as general secretary), I can confirm that I still propose to pay to the FAM the US30,000 (about RM96,000) that we had agreed for its services."

Price also confirmed that Gifted Group remained committed to the development programmes that it had constructed with FAM together with the Sports Ministry, National Sports Council and the Education Ministry.

FAM's relationship with AFC has been strained since the Asian body blocked Manchester United's tour of Malaysia which clashed with last year's Asian Cup which Malaysia co-hosted.

Sports Ministry officials could not be contacted for comments.

Yesterday's draw (pic courtesy of championsyouthcup.com) was conducted by AFC assistant general secretary Carlo Nohra and Malaysia were drawn in Group B with Ajax Amsterdam, Chelsea and AC Milan. The group will be based in Penang.

Champions Machester United are in Group D with Porto, Juventus and China and will play their matches in Kuala Terengganu.

Group A, which will be based in Kuantan, has PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Flamengo and India, while Lyon, Bayern Munich, River Plate and Qatar make up Group C which will be based in Malacca.

The semi-finals and final will be in Kuala Lumpur.

The groupings -- Group A: PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Flamengo, India.

Group B: Ajax Amesterdam, Chelsea, AC Milan, Malaysia.

Group C: Olympic Lyon, Bayern Munich, River Plate, Qatar.

Group D: Porto, Manchester United, Juventus, China.