Raja Bola is no more

When the rest of us were playing football barefooted, there was this one lad who came well-equipped. He had a pair of boots on! He stood out for being very different from the rest.

Ah, what a show-off, some would say. That's the Malaysian psyche those days. Especially among 11-year olds.

But Nik Abdul Halim Abdul Ghani is and was in the province of the privileged. He had footballing pedigree in his blood.

One day I saw his father picking him up.

"Eh that's looks like Ghani Minhat." Yes, having made the newspapers and sports magazines as my regular reading diet, I could instantly recognise him although he was no longer hitting the headlines in the 80s.
No wonder his son came attired in full-gear. It was meant to instill a sense of professionalism at such a young age.

The moment Fariq Rahman called me to inform of Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Minhat's passing this morning, the first number I dialled was that of Nik Abdul Halim. He did not respond, understandably so as he is the eldest son tasked to make the necessary arrangements for his father's final journey. To Nik and family, please accept my deepest condolences.

Never did I imagine being able to be face to face with Raja Bola whom I've had the pleasure of interviewing numerous times. One of them resulted in this piece below, which appeared in the Malay Mail in 2005:

HE remains Raja Bola to many.

To most of his South Korean contemporaries, he was known as Khani. Mailsport's RIZAL HASHIM catches up with legendary Datuk Abdul Ghani Minhat, a Negri Sembilan-born football wizard who weaved his magic with Selangor.

Mailsport: How are you Datuk?

Ghani Minhat: I'm fine. A little bit busy because my electrical company has a deadline to meet.

MS: Do you still keep abreast with football?

GM: Of course, but mostly on the telly. However, as I'm in the Negri Sembilan team management committee, I have been to a few matches including the Premier League final against Selangor.

MS: I believe 1959 was a very significant year for you. First you were bestowed the title Raja Bola by Selangor, and later you were voted by the Sunday Mail readers as the Sportsman of the Year in the biggest ever national sports poll by any Malayan newspaper then (second was sprinter Datuk Shahruddin Ali, followed by footballer Robert Choe).

GM: Yes, but that year also there was a smear campaign against me. I was dropped by the FA of Selangor because I was made the scapegoat due to the team's dip in form. Despite all the honours and adulation, one man does not make a team.

MS: Tell us about your early days.

GM: I did not come from a family of footballers. I played very little organised football until I was invited to play for the Police Depot team in 1951. My father was a staff at the Police Depot at Gurney Road (now Jalan Semarak) and I guess my talent was spotted while kicking a ball around with other youngsters. But I think I had managed to stamp my mark at school level. I can recall back in 1949 when I was representing the Selangor Combined Schools against the boys from Malay College of Kuala Kangsar (MCKK). MCKK players were equipped with boots while we were barefooted. We won 1-0. The MCKK headmaster wanted a rematch the following day, this time without the boots but still we won 6-0. Those days our mode of transport was a lorry belonging to the State Education Department.

MS: Your stint in Germany and England alongside Robert Choe in 1962 was described by the national media as the Big Freeze.

GM: Frozen pitches wreaked havoc to our plans. Our first stop was Frankfurt, with Eintracht, coached by Paul Oswald. It was during winter and I saw snow for the first time in my life. Then Robert and I were attached to West Ham, then coached by Ron Greenwood (later to become England coach 1977-82).

MS: Any regrets?

GM: The class of 1956 was good enough to play in the Melbourne Olympic Games but the FAM did not have the means to finance the entry fee.

MS: What do you think is lacking among today's generation of footballers?

GM: The willingness to go the extra mile to improve themselves. If you talk about the late Mokhtar Dahari, Awang Bakar, Shahruddin Abdullah and Soetjipto Suntoro, they shared the common desire to polish their technique and skills. While others were packing their bags to go home, they were either doing shooting drills or practising free-kicks. I used to start my day as early as 5am by jogging and running around Kampung Baru because I wanted to be superfit.

 Profile: Datuk Abdul Ghani Minhat
 Born: Dec 23, 1935 at Kg Solok (Kg Masjid), Rantau, Negri Sembilan
Family: Wife Datin Tengku Aishah Tengku Ibrahim, sons Nik Abdul Halim and Nik Mohd Hanif, daughters Nik Salwani and Nik Sarina
Achievements: Helping Malaya to the Merdeka Tournament titles in 1958, 1959, 1960, helping Selangor to the Malaya and Malaysia Cup titles on seven occasions (1959, 60, 61, 62, 63, 66, 68), Sunday Mail's Sportsman of the Year 1959.
Current position: Executive chairman of SLM Letronik Maju Sdn Bhd 
Coaching stints: Coach of Malaysia with a few breaks from 1969 to 1977, Selangor for two spells 1970-72, 1983-85 and currently member of Negri Sembilan Premier League management committee.

Later, I did another piece with Raja Bola below, this time for the weekly pullout EPLx Kosmo:

Read here

May Allah grant his soul the gardens of paradise. Al-Fatihah

Real lucky for LIMBC lucky draw

Proton Satria Neo top prize in LIMBC lucky draw

www.mtbmalaysia.com

http://www.facebook.com/LIMBCMALAYSIA

https://twitter.com/LIMBCMALAYSIA

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 17): Register for the Langkawi International Mountain Bike Challenge (LIMBC) 2012 Tradewinds jamboree on Oct 14 and you could be the one lucky person to drive home a Proton Satria Neo!

The car is the biggest drawcard among the lucky draw prizes worth almost RM100,000 to be given away after the Tradewinds jamboree race at Kuah, Langkawi.

“We are proud to say LIMBC 2012 offers prizes galore for the Tradewinds jamboree lucky draw. It is unprecedented in any jamboree organised in Malaysia to offer a car as the biggest prize,” said Human Voyage CEO, Datuk Malik Mydin.

Who will be the lucky one to drive home with a Satria Neo on Oct 14?

Malik added for just RM60, participants also have a shot at winning items such as iPads, tablet personal computers, Blackberry smartphones, Tissot watches, jerseys and other mountain bike-related equipments.

Some of the gadgets to be won

“Tradewinds jamboree participants will enjoy a great 40km off-road course, get a bag of real goodies and take home the much sought after LIMBC finisher’s medal. Every participant will then stand a chance of driving home with the Satria Neo.”

Malik Mydin entertains question from the media

The off-road jamboree ride is limited to 1,000 riders and serves as the precursor to the 3rd edition of LIMBC on Oct 15-20. For details visit www.mtbmalaysia.com, email info@mtbmalaysia.com, or call +603-9222 0786 or fax +603-9222 1786.

Upon registration participants will receive a goodie bag comprising two exclusive LIMBC T-shirts, a sling bag, a note book, a water bottle, car dashboard accessory, fridge magnet and a mug.

This year’s edition, co-sponsored by Tradewinds Corporation and Yayasan Sime Darby, offers a total prize money of US$125,000 (RM400,000) and is open to four categories of rider – Male Open (ages 19-39 years), Female Open (ages 19 years and above), Masters Men (ages 40-49 years) and Senior Masters Men (50 years and above).

LIMBC 2012 will flag off on Monday 15 October with the prologue - an individual time trial of 2.4km at the Eagle Square, followed by Stage 1, a 65km round the island race.Stage 2 is a 45km race from East to West Langkawi, followed by a gruelling Stage 3, the 87km Langkawi Marathon.

Stage 4 is an Olympic distance Cross Country race around Langkawi GeoPark followed by Stage 5, a stunning beachfront finale around a short circuit at Pantai Kok.

This year’s race has attracted the men’s elite defending champion Karl Platt, UCI MTB Marathon series world No 1, Steffen Thum and Burry Stander who finished fifth in the recent London Olympic Games.

Platt will defend his men's elite title

Top German sprinter Simon Gegenheimer is coming

Men's elite runners-up last year Burry Stander who finished fifth in the Olympics, will have wife Cherise for company

Steffen Thum comes to Langkawi with the tag as the No 1 UCI MTB Marathon series rider 

Tradewinds Corporation Berhad and Yayasan Sime Darby are co-sponsors as Platinum Partners for LIMBC 2012. Silver sponsors are Telekom Malaysia, Proton Holdings Berhad, Berjaya Corporation Berhad and Maju Group. Bronze partners are AmBank Group and ALM Group Sdn Bhd. The event is supported by the Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) and Ministry of Tourism Malaysia.

Doubles delight for ATP Malaysian Open

The Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur 2012, release the main draw doubles entry list today and that its inaugural doubles Champions from Poland, Marcin Matkowski and Mariusz Fyrstenberg will headline the field.

They are seventh in the race for the London World Tour Finals, with the top eight teams qualifying. The pairing won the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur in 2009 as part of their current title haul of 13 tournaments. In 2010 they were also finalists in Malaysia, and clearly feel very comfortable with the court and playing conditions at Bukit Jalil.

In 2011 they were finalists at the US Open and this year they won the ATP Masters 1000 title in Madrid and were finalists in Dubai.

Tournament Director Nick Freyer of organisers IMG said:

“We welcome back Marcin and Mariusz back to KL for their third appearance in four years and enjoy watching them as much as they seem to enjoy Malaysia. But with so many successful tournament winning doubles players in the draw this year, a third finals appearance will be no stroll in the park.”

To prove the point that singles players are still playing doubles, we will see two players who have been ranked in the world’s top-ten for singles teaming up, Juan Monaco, currently ranked #11 and Jurgen Melzer who is also returning to KL after his first visit last year.

Monaco, who is making his eagerly awaited debut in Malaysia, is not a regular doubles player, but still has two titles and two finals to his credit, while Melzer has significant success on the doubles court - he owns 12 doubles titles including trophies from the Championships at Wimbledon and the US Open.

Asia is nicely represented by Treat Conrad Huey of The Philippines – the first time that the Philippines have been represented in the tournament.

He and British player Dominic Inglot have had a great season in 2012. Together they won the ATP 500 in Washington, reached the final in Houston, were semi-finalists at Newport and quarter-finalists at Estoril and Bucharest. They also made it to the last 16 at the French Open.

Heuy and Inglot are sitting in www.MalaysianOpenTennis.com 17th spot in the race but a few big wins like in Kuala Lumpur, could catapult them into contention for London.

Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares are teaming up again. This year they were finalists at Bastad in Sweden. They also made the quarters of the US Open. Peya also won in Auckland this year while Soares won in Sao Paulo. Julian Knowle and Filip Polasek could very well be turning into quite a formidable doubles tandem. They were quarter-finalists at the US Open and in Winston-Salem this year, but with his other partner Knowle, he has fourteen titles and Polasek has nine.

This year Knowle who has been a career finalist at Wimbledon, the US Open and the season-ending championships, this year won in Kitzbuhel and was a finalist in Estoril, while Polasek won in Munich and Doha.

Another team that could be close to breaking into the London finals are Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins. They are 13th in the Race and in 2012 won in Eastbourne and Delray Beach, the final at Newport semis in Atlanta, Memphis and Sydney and quarters at Queen’s. They also made the last 16 at the US Open. Last year in KL, both players made a memorable helicopter flight above the famous Petronas Towers, as part of the tournaments international marketing efforts.

Fleming (left) and Hutchins hovering around KL last year

The doubles enhances the singles draw which will be led by world No.5 David Ferrer who became only the second Spaniard after Rafa Nadal to reach the quarters or better at all four Grand Slam events in a single year. Joining Ferrer will be Juan Monaco, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Kei Nishikori, Sam Querry, Feliciano Lopez and a host of other ATP World Tour stars.

Ferrer, who made the semis of the US Open last week, will be heading to Kuala Lumpur following Davis Cup duties this week in Spain (against the United States), and tournament organisers IMG have confirmed that David will play his first match on Thursday evening, September 27th.

The Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur is supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia, and Tourism Malaysia and commercial sponsors including Rado, the DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur, CNN International, Astro, Wilson, 100 Plus, Corona, The ATP World Tour’s Premier Partner, and is sanctioned by the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia. Tickets are available at www.MalaysianOpenTennis.com.

Speedy recovery for Joe Marcose

FA of Malaysia (FAM) media officer and former Utusan Malaysia sports editor, Joe Marcose, underwent a successful surgery on his left brain, or in medical terms, cerebral angiogram at the University Malaya Medical Centre a while ago. The doctors discovered a benign tumour on the left side of his temple recently. We pray for his quick recovery.

A cup for netball and football

A CUP OF JOY AND HOPE
Come to cheer and pledge your support for a children’s cause

Kuala Lumpur, 7 September 2012: Faisal Cup, the first and only football and netball tournament of its kind in Malaysia, is back for the seventh year in a row.

Round 1 of the event started on 24 August 2012, continued with Round 2 on 1 September, Round 3 on 15 September (tomorrow) and the Finals on 29 September at SMK Raja Ali, Jalan Ipoh.

The event features around 90 teams, 63 football teams and 27 netball teams, vying for their respective trophies. A total of 441 boys and 243 girls between the ages of 10 to 16 are participating in this joyous tournament and around 2,000 people are expected to attend to cheer the children on.

This also marks the first year the Asian Football Development Program (AFDP) has come on board as sponsors. The AFDP alongside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Mamee-Double Decker are providing their support for the tournament.

"We at the Asian Football Development Project are very proud to be part of Dignity for Children Foundation’s noble efforts to restore hope and empower underprivileged children through education as well as sports,” said HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, Chairman of the Asian Football Development Project and FIFA Vice President representing Asia.

“The Faisal Cup is an avenue for the children, where their dreams can become a reality and through which they can dream and hope. This event is also in line with AFDP’s commitment to engage the youth in Asia in a game for life that promotes social responsibility and development,” added Prince Ali.

The AFDP, a non-profit youth commission founded by Prince Ali and headquartered in Amman, Jordan, focuses its needs-based support on strengthening football development as well as promoting social development through football across Asia.

 Back row from left: John Sian Pi, Thawk Hnin Thang, Fais, Sulaiman, Mr. Windsor John, Executive Director of the Asian Football Confederation, Mr. Urs Zanitti, CEO of the Asian Football Development Project, Mrs. Petrina Satvinder, Co-Founder of Dignity for Children Foundation, Thang Sang, Junite, Van San Saw, and Ahmad. 2nd row from left: Shen Ting, Mary, Dai Ling Zing, Pam Mana, Kee Young, Bosco and Han Lay. Front row from left: Nay Ling, David, Lal Duh Thang, Van Hnei Thang, Thawng Lian, Aung Zaw Oo, Jessy, Khin San and Ling Hung Young. 

With the encouragement from AFDP, Faisal Cup will also be introducing the Girls’ Football team for the very first time. The delighted sponsors are eager to dispel the misconception that football is only a men’s game.

The debut of the girls’ team will aid in broadening the perspective of the communities. Training for the girls’ teams will begin as soon as this year’s tournament is completed. “We are excited and grateful that the Asian Football Development Project has agreed to journey with us in our humble effort to bring meaning, inspiration and hope to the many underprivileged children out there, who just like Faisal has not had the opportunity and resources to fulfil their dreams,” said Rev. Elisha Satvinder, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dignity for Children Foundation.

Initiated by Harvest Centre Bhd in 2006, Faisal Cup acts as a voice of freedom and opportunity for underprivileged children. Though birthed through tragedy, the story of Faisal losing his life trying to retrieve a ball he saw floating in the Gombak River has inspired a tournament that emphasizes the value of organised sports and the skills and positive attitudes it cultivates in children.

Rev. Elisha went on to say, “Every year we see not just our project grow but the people who are involved in this journey with us grow as well. The joy and laughter the sports bring to the kids, the children’s firm believe that they are one; they are united no matter what colour or religion, the little things most of the privileged take for granted, all these and more, make it all worthwhile”.

The children have been putting in a lot of effort for the tournament and more than 12 coaches were engaged to provide training for over a period of nine weeks. This year, the organisers have also introduced a Peace Camp, a camp that teaches the children how to achieve personal peace and how to be at peace with others. The camp also focuses on the importance of sportsmanship and anti-bullying.

The Foundation is also hosting a Pledge-A-Ball campaign that will run year round to help create awareness and raise funds for the Faisal Cup. The public is encouraged to take action and pledge RM40 for just one ball. These balls will be used for training purposes as well as for future Faisal Cup tournaments.

This campaign is in keeping with Dignity for Children Foundation’s efforts to ensure that no child will ever have to give up their life just for a chance to play with a ball. Further information on this campaign can be found on the Dignity for Children Foundation’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/dignityforchildren.

For the many underprivileged children just like Faisal, organized sport is a place of freedom, equality, hope, dignity and a place where they can truly strive for more. The proud organisers, Dignity for Children Foundation and the esteemed sponsors, the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP) are working together to ensure that children from underprivileged backgrounds have an equal opportunity to play in a safe environment. If you are interested in sponsoring Faisal Cup or volunteering for the tournament, please visit http://dignityforchildren.org/programs/faisal-cup.

For more information please contact Dignity for Children Foundation at +603 4044 1397 or visit http://dignityforchildren.org/. Event Details Dates : 24 August, 1 September, 15 September, 29 September, 2012

Venue : SMK Raja Ali, Batu 5, Jalan Ipoh Time : 7.30am Contact Person(s) : Hassan and Beant Kaur Contact number : +603 4044 1397 Website : http://dignityforchildren.org/

Jawatan kosong di FAM

Ada jawatan kosong di Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia (FAM).

Jawatan Ketua Jabatan Pengadil di FAM akan dikosongkan oleh Kol Kamaruddin Sakhari mulai 20 Oktober ini. Kontraknya tamat 18 Oktober ini.

FAM mempelawa sesiapa yang berminat untuk memohon jawatan itu tertakluk kepada syarat-syarat kelayakan minimum seperti berikut:

1. Pengalaman sebagai Pengadil Kebangsaan sekurang-kurangnya 7 tahun.
2. Mempunyai pengalaman bertugas sebagai Penilai Pengadil atau Koordinator Perlawanan atau Kommissioner Perlawanan di peringkat kebangsaan sekurang-kurangnya 5 tahun.
3. Mempunyai rekod disiplin yang bersih iaitu tidak pemah dikenakan sebarang tindakan tatatertib.
4. Mempunyai rekod perkhidmatan yang baik sama ada di sektor kerajaan atau swasta atau mana-mana badan badan sukan di peringkat negeri, kebangsaan atau antarabangsa.
5. Mempunyai kemahiran dalam bidang pentadbiran dan pengurusan kepengadilan sama ada di peringkat negeri atau kebangsaan dan mempunyai prestasi kerja yang baik.
6. Mempunyai sifat amanah, jujur dan ikhlas dalam menjalankan tugas dan berkebolehan bekerja lebih masa atau di luar waktu bekerja bagi memastikan kerja-kerja dapat disiapkan pada masa yang ditetapkan.
7. Berkebolehan bertutur dan menulis di dalam Bahasa Melayu dan Bahasa Inggeris dengan baik.
8. Mempunyai kebolehan dan kemahiran yang tinggi menggunakan perisian komputer sekurang-kurangnya Microsoft Word, Excel dan Powerpoint.
9. Calon mestilah bukan: 1. individu yang dalam pendakwaan atas tuduhan rasuah, pecah amanah, penyalahgunaan dadah, pemalsuan atau fraud; 
atau -  individu yang disabitkan dalam kesalahan yang dinyatakan di dalam perenggan (i) di atas dalam tempoh 5 tahun yang lalu;
atau - individu yang dikenakan tindakan bankrap belum dilepaskan.

Calon-calon yang berminat hendaklah memohon kepada FAM dengan menghantar biodata yang mengandungi perkara-perkara di atas dan salinan-salinan sijil yang diperakui sah serta sampul surat beralamat sendiri berukuran 11.5 srn x 24 srn kepada FAM sebelum atau pada jam 12.00 tengahari, 12 Oktober 2012.

Calon-calon yang layak akan dipanggil untuk menghadiri temuduga pada tarikh dan masa yang akan dimaklumkan kelak.

Tahu alamat FAM kan? Jangan hantar memorandum pulak!

Amacam Cikgu Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh? Apa tunggu lagi?

Harap siapa saja ambil alih bersikap terbuka, telus dan cepat merencanakan pembangunan pengadil kerana satu ketika dulu FAM berbangga dengan penonjolan T. Nadarajan, Tan Sri Zain Mahmud Hashim, Datuk George Joseph, Steven Ovinis, Othman Omar, Mohd Nazri Abdullah, Nik Ahmad Yaakub dan Subkhiddin.

Baca Subkhiddin for Africa, Coaching referees, Kasihan Pengadil dan Topik hangat di Kafe Sukan.

Ada beberapa calon yang layak - Nik Ahmad yang pernah bertugas di Indonesia, Amir Sharifuddin Wong yang kini di Maldives dan Subkhiddin.

Revving things up

A mammoth task awaits newly-appointed national hockey coach Paul Revington and his assistant, Arul Selvaraj.

The previous partnership of Tai Beng Hai and Nor Saiful Zaini Nasiruddin worked doubly hard to weed out the bad hats from the team. It resulted in an improved performance and greater team spirit leading to the silver medal in the Guangzhou Asian Games in 2010. Gold medal would have assured Beng Hai and his charges an automatic ticket to the London Olympics and possibly an extension to their contract, but alas, God had other plans.

Failure to qualify was followed by the damning media comments on Beng Hai's report. Subsequently I came up with Nothing wrong with Beng Hai's report. By then three names had already cropped up to replace Beng Hai - Ric Charlesworth, Revington and Paul Gaudoin. Read here. Revington, a South African who pitched his tent in Ireland before quitting in May, was unveiled by the MHC recently.

Speaking on Astro Arena's Kafe Sukan recently, Revington - the fourth foreigner to be handling the team after Terry Walsh (1990-94), Volker Knapp (1995-98) and Paul Lissek (1998, 2001-2004), said:

"From the history point of view, I've played against Malaysia a lot of times, I believe there is talent and ability here."

Having spent 21 days in London covering the Olympics, Akbar Sahari conducted the interview with Revington in English, not bad...

Revington and Arul come as a package, with the latter eager to share his knowledge with his fellow Malaysians after six years on the road with South Africa and Ireland.

"Having garnered the experience of coaching hockey in three continents, it has always been my dream to return and give something back to the national team. My wife (K. Soloseeni, former national 800m runner) influenced my decision that it was time to come back."

Revington remains fully aware of the media glare.

"Having been at a couple of tourneys, I know the Press ask a lot of questions. When the comments centre on the failure to qualify for the Olympics, it increases the pressure on the group.

"A lot of people say to me there is a big media influence et cetera but I don't think there is that much difference with other places, there have always been expectations. The bottomline is, I know what I am supposed to do."

He admitted the national squad were well organised but emphasised on the need to embrace a slightly different style that requires defending and attacking in numbers.

"My immediate target is to qualify for major events. Absolutely critical is the road to Rio 2016. But there is the danger of forgetting the minor details that need tweaking today. We need to inculcate the winning culture, we have to keep on winning as consistently as possible and not take every game for granted. In harping on the failure to qualify for the World Cup or the Olympics, it is also essential to focus on development."

Revington is also ready to cope with the media's intense scrutiny.

"When I wake up in the morning, I would not be thinking of what the Press has been writing. My job is to turn quality players Malaysia has into truly world-class players. I love coaching and I get excited with the vision of transforming the players's fortunes and they are not far from it. The media and the pressure come with the job.

"My job is to make sure I produce the goods so that the media can write positive things about the team, as long as I do my job correctly.

Having observed the quality dished out in the ongoing MHL, Revington said:

"Credit to the coaches for producing the players but they are not playing enough top level matches on a long period."

On his selection policy, Revington said:

"The national side team will field the strongest players, at the end of the day we are here to win, so in my simple selection policy, there is no favouritism. I will pick players regardless of age. Although the juniors won the Asia Cup, we should not forget some of the older players who can pass on their experience to the younger set of players. We need to have the balance right, the juniors playing with the older guys, as a  natural progression."

Read also the NST here and the Star here

Had the pleasure of covering Walsh from the sidelines. A good coach who managed to blend together the talent of Mohamed Abdul Hadi with the discipline of Nor Saiful Zaini. MHF set a target of finishing sixth in Barcelona'92 but Malaysia ended up ninth. 

Although his critics claim his team-first approach stifled the natural ability of our players, Paul Lissek's biggest legacy is the silver medal in KL'98...he was first offered the job in 1994 following Walsh's departure but having taken up the role of director of coaching with Germany, he proposed his protege

Volker Knapp... once slapped with the Turkey of the Year title by the Malay Mail. Knapp's days in KL came to an end after Malaysia finished 11th out of 12 teams in the 1998 World Cup in Utrecht 

If Revington and Arul failed to rev the team up, waiting in the wings are the duo Dharma Abdullah and Mirnawan Nawawi who guided the juniors to the Asia Cup title in Malacca