Rest in Peace, Mr Bicskei

The footballing world mourns the demise of Bertalan Bicskei, Malaysian national coach from July 2004 to September 2005...

Hakim Amir alerted me to the reports on the internet saying the Hungarian had passed away under mysterious circumstances...read here

Also read some of the stories I had written on Bicskei here and here and here

Bicskei was a graduate of the renowned Cologne sportschule and authored this book (pic).

When he reached our shores in July 2004, he did not waste any time to take a closer look at the grassroots...within hours he was at the Padang C of the NSC in Bukit Jalil accompanied by his wife Anna.

As the only journalist there, I took the opportunity to introduce myself, which marked the start of a very cordial relationship between us. He was tasked to take over from Allan Harris to prepare for the AFF Cup in late 2004 and the 2005 SEA Games.

Unlike Harris who was fond of fielding players loyal to him, Bicskei selected his players based on current form. He gave Liew Kit Kong the chance to prosper, also Khalid Jamlus and Amri Yahyah by giving them an extended run in the senior team...all three were instrumental in Malaysia's first ever victory over Indonesia at the Gelora Bung Karno in December 2004 after 25 years...

But his stint ended in September 2005 when FAM decided to reassign him to take charge of development after Malaysia lost 7-0 to Thailand in the pre-SEA Games, with newly-appointed technical adviser Mohammad Bakar lurking behind his shadows. Read here

My daughter was born on Sept 16, on Malaysian Day, a day ahead of Bicskei's birthday...he sent me an SMS congratulating me...asking me to come back to work quickly to discuss football...He liked to sign off his text messages as BB...

When Julie from the New Straits Times wanted to visit Budapest, I took her to see Bicskei and wife Anna for dinner at PJ Hilton so that they could make arrangements.

When I discovered he was on Facebook, I immediately added him as friend...we kept in touch occasionally. Time did not permit of regular correspondence, much to my regret...

BB, you will be missed.

Kosong dari Kobe

Zaman aku buat reporting olahraga dulu, banyak kali story aku pergi muka belakang...

antaranya kepala tajuk muka belakang Berita Harian - Khalid lembutkan hati Shanti - tak silap 1994 apabila bekas Presiden Kesatuan Olahraga Amatur Malaysia (KOAM) Datuk Khalid Yunus memujuk ratu pecut G. Shanti supaya jangan bersara. Pada 1998, muka belakang the Malay Mail - Junket Junkies (maksudnya kaki jalan/makan angin percuma), aku menulis mengenai sikap sesetengah pemimpin KOAM sekadar suka makan angin temankan atlet ke misi luar negara, membentangkan nama-nama dan destinasi mereka. Juga beberapa bulan sebelum Sukan SEA Jakarta, atlet ancam boikot jika elaun mereka tidak dinaikkan...back page macam biasa...story scoop...

aku dengan Roslin Mat Tahir bersama Watson Nyambek di Indonesia 2000

Aku juga meliput empat Sukan SEA (1995, 1997, 2001 dan 2003), dua Kejohanan Olahraga Asia, atau lebih dikenali sebagai Asian Track and Field championship (ATF) walaupun nama rasminya Asian Athletics Championship pada 2000 di Jakarta dan 2003 di Manila, satu kejohanan remaja Asia di Bangkok pada 2002, Sukan Olimpik di Athens pada 2004 dan Sukan Asia di Doha pada 2006, memberi aku sedikit sebanyak gambaran siapa ikhlas, siapa culas dalam keluarga olahraga tempatan. Contacts aku tidak terhad kepada olahraga tempatan, bahkan kenal rapat dengan kebanyakan pegawai Asia...

Aku dengan Anat Ratanapol, juara 100m pecut Sukan Asia 1970 dan 1974...di pejabatnya di Bangkok

Kegagalan kontinjen negara untuk membawa pulang sebarang pingat daripada edisi terbaru Kejohanan Olahraga Asia cukup mengecewakan, lebih-lebih lagi apabila rekod menunjukkan sejak Ishtiaq Mobarak Sher Ahmad (110m lari berpagar), Nashatar Singh (rejam lembing) dan Gladys Chai (lompat tinggi) memenangi pingat perak manakala Ismail Yon gangsa dalam acara masing-masing di edisi sulung di Manila pada 1973, kita tidak pernah gagal menuai pingat. Bahkan, Khoo Cong Beng (20km jalan kaki - 1975), team 4x400m pada 1981, B. Rajkumar (800m - 1985), Nur Herman Majid (110m lari berpagar - 1991) dan Lee Hup Wei (lompat tinggi) serta Roslinda Samsu (lompat bergalah) (2007) tergolong dalam kelompok elit atlet negara yang mengutip emas sepanjang sejarah kejohanan.

Dari Kobe, isu terbaru, baca laporan Kosmo di sini

Malaysia 3 Liverpool 6

Aku rasa semua orang balik dengan rasa happy...maklumlah sembilan gol, termasuk tiga daripada Malaysia...rasa lelah dan rimas menunggu beratur panjang di stesen LRT Masjid Jamek, bersesak dalam LRT sebelum duduk di media tribune hilang sekelip mata melihat Akbar Sahari melompat-lompat meraikan gol Malaysia...

Selepas LRT Putra yang kosong dari Setiawangsa ke Masjid Jamek, siap jumpa sekumpulan penyokong dari Liverpool, ingatkan boleh terus ke Sri Petaling, rupa-rupanya kena beratur panjang...

Dalam 15 minit beratur, terserempak dengan old boy VI Khairul (kanan) dengan anak sedara dia, satu-satunya manusia yang pakai baju VIOBA dan topi Newcastle United...tak lama lepas tu, jumpa pulak rakan sekolah, Andre Reutens...beratur lepas tu aku dapat idea, apa kata kalau kita suruh Khairul beratur belikan tiket...tapi aku bayar la....hahahah masa yang sesuai buli budak VI, 2 lawan 1 mesti dia kalah...

akhirnya lepas satu jam lebih, baru bertolak ke Sri Petaling, jadi jumpa Azim yang ditugaskan jaga anak aku...

Khairul bukak topi takut fans Liverpool suruh bukak pulak...aku dan anak menyahut seruan Rajagobal agar penyokong Malaysia pakai biru...ingatkan nak pakai baju Perancis yang lama-lama hehehe

Ini pulak apa yang aku lihat dari tempat duduk aku...

Sebelah hos Kafe Sukan, penyokong tegar Liverpool tetapi tetap sokong pasukan baju biru

Kalau orang lain sibuk bergambar dengan pemain Liverpool, aku dengan pengadil dan penolong pengadil serta referee's assessor

Cantik gol Safee...gol pertama naluri dan positioning, gol kedua ketajaman kaki kanannya

Khairul Fahmi Che Mat didedahkan kepada corak serangan pantas hingga bocor lima gol, tapi ketika itu coach Raja dah buat banyak pertukaran 

Beraksi pada Kejohanan Asia Bawah 20 pada 2004, 2006, Sukan Asia 2006 dan 2010, Sukan SEA 2007 dan 2009, Piala AFF 2007, 2008 dan 2010, Safiq kini berada di puncak prestasi...sepakan percumanya bertaraf dunia

Malangnya David Ngog (pengacara di stadium sebut Ngok, heheh) sumbat dua gol, satu selepas clearance Fadhli terkena Muslim lalu disepak masuk Ngog

Dirk Kuyt harus jadi tenaga penting Liverpool 2011/12

Lagi dua musim nama Jamie Carragher akan dicalonkan jadi pengurus Liverpool

Datuk Raja kata corak pertahanan yang leka menghadiahkan Liverpool gol...tentu dia pun pening hakikat skuad Harimau Malaya memberi lima penalti dalam tiga perlawanan terakhir

Tiga personaliti tv yang kebetulan peminat setia Liverpool, dari kiri Zainal Abidin Rawop, Ismadi Abdul Manap dan Fadzrie Hazis

Aku terjumpa seorang anggota Ultras Malaya Jebat, dia kata UM boikot tiga game Jelajah Asia kerana tidak membawa faedah, sebaliknya hanya berteraskan keuntungan komersil semata-mata...

tapi dalam ruangan Gelecek aku dalam Rembat Kosmo! aku cakap

Jelajah Asia bukan pertunjukan sarkas


PENULIS tidak bersetuju dengan momokan sesetengah penyokong tempatan yang menyifatkan kehadiran Arsenal, Liverpool dan Chelsea sepanjang dua minggu ini sebagai pertunjukan sarkas.


Memang benar, dalam jelajah berunsur komersil, ia mengembungkan akaun simpanan kelab gergasi England serta penganjurnya. Pada masa yang sama, banyak keuntungan yang kita garap.


Pertama, sebagaimana manusia biasa yang sentiasa mahu mengukur kemampuan dengan individu lebih hebat dan pakar dalam bidang masing-masing, skuad bola sepak negara juga kepingin bertentang mata, mengejar bola, menggelecek dan menghadang bintang-bintang dari England yang sebelum ini ditontoni di kaca televisyen.


Jika seorang wartawan sukan atau penulis bola sepak tertanya-tanya bagaimana rakan sejawatan di World Soccer, L’Equipe atau Marca menjalankan tugas harian atau seorang jurutera mekanikal didedahkan kepada ilmu apabila dibawa melawat kilang di Jepun, seorang pemain bola sepak tidak mahu terlepas peluang bersaing dengan yang terbaik.


Harapan kita agar mereka dapat belajar sesuatu, khususnya dari sudut teknikal dan taktikal. Misalnya bagaimana benteng Arsenal bergerak seiringan menutup ruang atau tipu helah Jack Wilshere menembusi kubu Malaysia.


Kerana sebarang perlawanan antarabangsa memberi ruang kepada pemain kita mengutip pengalaman berharga walaupun “pertunjukan sarkas” ini tidak mempengaruhi kedudukan Malaysia dalam ranking FIFA.


Kedua, apabila Malaysia dijadikan tempat perhentian dalam siri jelajah ini, penyokong-penyokong ketiga-tiga kelab itu dari negara jiran seperti Singapura, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei dan Australia akan berkunjung ke Kuala Lumpur, sekali gus meningkatkan jumlah pelancong.


Mereka bukan sekadar menonton perlawanan, bahkan berbelanja besar. Bukankah ini menghidupkan kegiatan ekonomi tempatan?


Ketiga, Datuk K. Rajagobal mampu mengukur kemampuan anak buahnya. Sekalipun Arsenal dan Liverpool masih berada dalam mode pra-musim, pemainnya profesional dan bertaraf dunia serta sentiasa memberi komitmen tinggi. Dua perlawanan antarabangsa ini harus mempertajamkan fokus pemain negara menjelang saingan pusingan kedua kelayakan Piala Dunia zon Asia menentang Singapura minggu depan.


Yang penting pendekatan yang diamalkan, sama ada pemain diarah memberi 100 peratus tanpa mengira risiko kecederaan atau tenang dan bermain dengan menyimpan tenaga.


Kalah besar tidak mengapa kerana kalau kita imbas sejarah, skuad negara yang tewas 4-0 kepada Brazil pada Jun 2002 akhirnya menumpaskan Singapura 4-0 dan Thailand 3-1 pada Piala AFF beberapa bulan kemudian.


Juga skuad negara yang dibelasah 6-0 oleh Manchester United mengutip pingat perak di Sukan SEA dua bulan kemudian.


Harus diingat Malaysia yang tewas kepada Manchester United 3-2 dan 2-0 pada 2009 akhirnya dijadikan bekalan mengutip pingat emas di Sukan SEA di Laos.


Hari ini, Stadium Nasional di Bukit Jalil akan dibanjiri penonton. Sekalipun pertemuan dua raja, King Kenny dan King Raja tidak menjadi kerana kepulangan awal Kenny Dalglish, nikmatilah majlis ini yang bukan sekadar satu kenduri bola sepak.


Salam hormat,


Rizal

Kalau Barcelona atau Real Madrid datang, nak tengok tak? Bukan senang nak tengok bintang-bintang terbaik di tanah air kita, jadi tak salah bagi peluang pemain kita bahu membahu dengan bintang kelab Eropah!

Sports Business Conference, anyone?

The Asean Basketball League story...maximising the ROI from sports marketing...so the Sports Industry Year will be officially launched on July 28...

Reviu Malaysia lawan Arsenal

Dua jam menempuh kesesakan lalu-lintas untuk aku tiba ke Stadium Nasional, bertukar-tukar SMS dengan Haji Acis, peminat tegar Arsenal. Teringat aku jumpa bekas rakan sekelas itu masa game 1999 kat tempat duduk grandstand. Gembira dia bila bas yang bawa team Arsenal lalu menuju ke stadium...

Datuk K. Rajagobal tampilkan kesebelasan permulaan (depan dari kiri) Amar Rohidan, Asraruddin Putra Omar, S. Kunanlan, Aidil Zafuan Abdul Radzak dan Safiq Rahim, (belakang dari kiri) Ahmad Fakri Saarani, Mahalli Jasuli, Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, Fadhli Shas, Amirulhadi Zainal dan Nasril Nourdin...

Arsenal pula bermula dengan (depan dari kiri) Thomas Vermaelen, Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey, (belakang dari kiri) Alex Song, Laurent Koscielny, Marouane Chamakh, Ryo Miyaichi, Wojciech Szczesny...

Seawal minit kelima Wilshere paksa Aidil buat terjahan...kena ke tak kena? Dah penalti...

Paling ketara,

1. Astro tiada siaran langsung kerana ProEvent tak bagi
2. Ultras Malaya boikot lagi game...

Baca selanjutnya dalam Rembat Kosmo! Semua gambar ehsan Dunia Sukan Online...

1999 revisited

Read here for a sneak peek of my article - The day we blasted the Gunners, as I wrote for the Malay Mail on May 6, 1999, recalling those exact moments when Malaysia beat Bertie Mee's lads 2-0 in May 1975...it was written as a reminder to Abdul Rahman Ibrahim's team then that Malaysia did not have to play gracious hosts all the time! Watch Supermokh's goals again here

The last time the two sides met, Emmanuel Petit sent a left-footed grounder for the Gunners' second goal past Azmin Azram Aziz who had earlier saw Nicolas Anelka's effort find the net. Malaysia's most impressive performer on that night was Zami Mohd Noor...so if you look at the souvenir programme, it was as if the organisers knew Manu and Zami were to be the stars of the night!

Arsenal supremo Arsene Wenger made his way to Kuala Lumpur today, for the third time since 1999. I remember vividly as he walked out of the dressing room at the National Stadium, I tried to elicit a hearty response from the man from Alsace with this question: "Arsene, having worked with some of the best players in Europe like Klinsmann, Djorkaeff, Bergkamp, Overmars and Vieira, who do you think is the best among them?"

Typical of the Frenchman, he did not give a direct answer and simply said he has had the good fortune of working with great professionals. Then I tailed Anelka, asking him a few questions which he did not bother to answer, while Marc Overmars was sporting enough to tell me that his best 100m timing was 11.0sec flat.

12 years on...

While Wenger is still running Arsenal, five different coaches has warmed the hottest seat in Malaysian sports  since 1999...succeeding Abdul Rahman was Allan Harris, followed by Bertalan Bicskei, Norizan Bakar, B. Sathianathan and now Datuk K

This is Wenger's third visit to Kuala Lumpur

PRESS RELEASE

English Premier League giants Arsenal flew into Kuala Lumpur this morning to kick-start their AsianTour 2011 with a match against Malaysia at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Wednesday.

Hours after arrival, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was at a press conference and obviously the first question shot at the Frenchman was about his “wantaway” captain Cesc Fabregas.

“He is not here because he is injured. That is why he was left behind to recover,” said Wenger.
When pressed further on the Spaniard, who has been linked to European champions Barcelona, Wenger shot back: “There is always speculation...too many headlines. But we never speak about what is happening behind closed doors.”

Asked about Samir Nasri, who has been strongly linked to Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City but is with the team in Kuala Lumpur, Wenger said: “Samir is very happy and I hope yes...he will sign a new contract.”

Arsenal also left behind new signing, Ivorian striker Gervinho from French club Lille, as the signing was not completed before the travelling party left London, striker Nicklas Bendtner and defender Emmanuel Eboue.

“Some of the internationals have just come back. We want to be as fit as possible. We decided to come to Asia which is a bit more demanding physically. We left some of the new signings as there is no training here.

“We are coming back in Malaysia after 12 years and we are aware of our strong fan base in Asia. Our matches in Malaysia and China are to give fun, pleasure and enjoyment to our fans and to the people who come to watch us play.”

When asked about Arsenal’s dry run in the last six seasons, Wenger said: “It is frustrating to go without any silverware in the last six years but we came close several times only to lose in the final or semi-finals.

“But this team is getting matured and strong. Defensively we did well but we want to be better when on offensive. My plan is to continue to develop Arsenal into a force and we are reaching there, coming close on several occasions.

“This is seen in the quality of football...attacking and entertaining football.”

To another question the Frenchman said: “I am not an intellectual. I live to get results on the field. Unfortunately, sometimes my emotions get the better of me.”

“This is our first match together after the break. Some of the internationals have just come back from duty but this tour means a lot to us. To our fans we will give fun, pleasure and enjoyment to the people who come to watch us play.”

Meanwhile national football head coach Datuk K. Rajagobal said it will be a “learning experience” for Malaysia against the Gunners as they prepare for the second round World Cup qualifying matches against Singapore.

“We are not like Arsenal signing new players. But we...my players and me... are very excited playing Arsenal. This match and the one against Liverpool (July 16) will allow me to assess my players. Arsenal are an offensive and entertaining team. I hope my players will be able to dish out the same,” said Rajagobal.

“It will be a learning experience for us and where we can take advantage we will have to take them.”

First choice goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat has recovered from his shoulder injury while striker Safee Sali is still out.

Meanwhile, tickets priced at RM58, RM68, RM108 and RM108 and RM388 (limited) can be bought through www.ticketpro.com.my or call 03-78807999.

20 tahun sudah berlalu

Al-Fatihah buat Allahyarham Mokhtar Dahari, sudah 20 tahun pemergian mu ditangisi. Baca di sini dan di sini.