Several stadiums have failed to meet the specification on flood lighting for the new M-League season. And the teams concerned may either have to play in the afternoon or look for alternative venues.
With the season just a few weeks away, only five stadiums have passed the minimum requirement, set by the FA of Malaysia (FAM), to host matches at night.
The approved stadiums are the National Stadium (Bukit Jalil), Utama Stadium (Kangar), Darulaman Stadium (Alor Star), USM Stadium (Penang) and Temerloh Stadium, which all have a minimum illumination reading of 800 lux.
The State FAs of the "unapproved" stadiums have been given the ultimatum by FAM to make the required adjustments to their venues before the upcoming inspection.
The Negri Sembilan and Terengganu FAs, are, however, unhappy with FAM's inspectors, who they felt were unprofessional with their conduct.
Negri FA president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan told Bernama yesterday that FAM failed to notify his association in writing on the status of the Paroi Stadium.
"FAM did not inform us officially. We only learnt about it through the media," said Mohamad.
"According to reports that I received, inspection was carried out two or three times at the stadium and everyone said it was okay.
"If the stadium did not meet the specification, they (FAM) should have informed us earlier and not now when the season is about to start."
Terengganu and T-Team may also have to play their home matches in the afternoon now that the state government has refused to foot the bill for improved lighting at Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said it was not the state government's fault that the FAM technical committee found the stadium not bright enough for night matches when they came for inspection earlier this month.
Ahmad, when speaking in Gong Badak on Saturday, said just because Terengganu are playing in the AFC Cup this year, it does not mean that the state government will have to spend more money to improve the lighting system to meet international standards.
"The new lighting system was installed last year and the football people should have informed us the international lighting standard for night matches back then.
"If they told us last year that we needed to have a reading of 3,000 lux, then we would have followed their advice but now, a year later, they say that our stadium is not bright enough for international matches," he said.
The new lighting system was installed last year at a cost of almost RM1 million when the stadium was found unfit for Super League night matches.
For the league night matches, a minimum illumination of 800 lux is sufficient but for international games, a minimum of 1,200 lux is required.
In the earlier inspection by the FAM technical committee, three out of nine locations on the pitch registered below 800 lux readings and a passing mark of 800 lux or better will have to be recorded at all nine locations when the inspection team come back on Wednesday.
The cost for a new, improved lighting system is estimated to be RM2.8 million.
Ahmad said in order to meet the international lighting standard, new towers will need to be erected and new cables will have to be installed.
"The stadium's lighting system is just one year old and we will look stupid if we were to replace it with a new one.
"If it means that night matches cannot be held at our stadium then so be it and we will play our matches in the afternoon," he said.
Thursday, 22 December 2011
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Olympic squad coach delighted over good form of strikers
Malaysian Olympic coach Ong Kim Swee reckons he will have too many strikers to choose from for next year’s assignments.
And the former international says that is just how he wants it.
In fact, the newcomers have put the pressure on the regulars after the successes over the past year.
There are several on form strikers in contention and Kim Swee admits it will be hard selecting the best for tournaments.
The Malacca-born said: “I’ve got a lot of players. It will be tough for me to choose the best but it is better to have this problem than no players,” he said.
Among his options are Ahmad Hazwan Bakri, Ahmad Fakri Saraani, A. Thamil Arasu, Syahrul Azwari and the injured Izzaq Faris Ramlan.
Ahmad Hazwan and Ahmad Fakri made headlines in the team’s recent tour in Australia, where both were impressive against top A-League sides.
An injury-prone Ahmad Hazwan, who missed last month’s Indonesia Sea Games, scored four goals for Kim Swee’s side from three friendly matches in Australia.
As for Ahmad Fakri, the 22-year-old made an impact in the team’s 4-1 win over A-League side Central Coast Mariners.
“They can improve because they are young and can get more experience by playing more important games.
“We have a good team and I believe we will have a good season ahead. But experience is really important on the pitch. You need experience. There is a good spirit with the young players and we’ve had good victories.
“We have something new and it is very interesting,” said Kim Swee, who helped the national Under-23 team retained their Sea Games title in Jakarta last month.
On the form of his strikers, Kim Swee said Ahmad Hazwan was the most impressive in Australia.
“He has the qualities to become a good striker as well as Ahmad Fakri and Thamil Arasu. However, they need to play regular high quality football to improve,” he added.
And the former international says that is just how he wants it.
In fact, the newcomers have put the pressure on the regulars after the successes over the past year.
There are several on form strikers in contention and Kim Swee admits it will be hard selecting the best for tournaments.
The Malacca-born said: “I’ve got a lot of players. It will be tough for me to choose the best but it is better to have this problem than no players,” he said.
Among his options are Ahmad Hazwan Bakri, Ahmad Fakri Saraani, A. Thamil Arasu, Syahrul Azwari and the injured Izzaq Faris Ramlan.
Ahmad Hazwan and Ahmad Fakri made headlines in the team’s recent tour in Australia, where both were impressive against top A-League sides.
An injury-prone Ahmad Hazwan, who missed last month’s Indonesia Sea Games, scored four goals for Kim Swee’s side from three friendly matches in Australia.
As for Ahmad Fakri, the 22-year-old made an impact in the team’s 4-1 win over A-League side Central Coast Mariners.
“They can improve because they are young and can get more experience by playing more important games.
“We have a good team and I believe we will have a good season ahead. But experience is really important on the pitch. You need experience. There is a good spirit with the young players and we’ve had good victories.
“We have something new and it is very interesting,” said Kim Swee, who helped the national Under-23 team retained their Sea Games title in Jakarta last month.
On the form of his strikers, Kim Swee said Ahmad Hazwan was the most impressive in Australia.
“He has the qualities to become a good striker as well as Ahmad Fakri and Thamil Arasu. However, they need to play regular high quality football to improve,” he added.
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Sabah and Sarawak set for explosive friendly match
The Sabah football team is set to troop into Stadium Negeri tonight with all guns blazing as the squad face their toughest test yet in their preparation for the Super League 2012 campaign when they face host neighbours Sarawak.
The coach Justin Ganai said his team are not taking the match lightly even though it was just a friendly, as he expected tonight’s ‘Borneo Derby’ as having all the ingredients of a fiery encounter.
“We lack competitive matches. The match against Sarawak is our first real test as we only played against local club sides in Sabah prior to coming here. Although we have won big in those matches, I rather face strong teams like Sarawak to really measure the strength of my boys,” he said yesterday.
The Sabah Super League team scored an incredible 30-goal during a string of friendly matches in Sabah prior to their arrival in Kuching.
It is been several years since Sarawak and Sabah were last in the same division and the most important thing in Justin’s mind tonight must be the tough opposition his team faces tonight, and the hot reception from the voracious home fans.
The Sabah coach added that he is a bit worried of the fact that his team lacks big-match exposure unlike Sarawak who has been on a successful Pre-season playing tour to Indonesia recently.
“I see the match tonight against Sarawak as an opportunity to really test my team’s ability and will set out the perfect set of combination to win. Although we have good and experienced players in the squad, they are not tested yet. In fact, I have no opportunities yet to see weaknesses in the Sabah team,” he informed.
He further added that Sarawak is a good and strong team which had had long preparation for the Super League 2012 campaign.
“Sarawak has a lot of good and experienced players that are capable of becoming match-winners. We are playing to win and will field the best first-11 to face Sarawak,” he added.
Kick-off is at 8.15pm at the State Stadium with tickets priced at RM5 and available at the venue.
The coach Justin Ganai said his team are not taking the match lightly even though it was just a friendly, as he expected tonight’s ‘Borneo Derby’ as having all the ingredients of a fiery encounter.
“We lack competitive matches. The match against Sarawak is our first real test as we only played against local club sides in Sabah prior to coming here. Although we have won big in those matches, I rather face strong teams like Sarawak to really measure the strength of my boys,” he said yesterday.
The Sabah Super League team scored an incredible 30-goal during a string of friendly matches in Sabah prior to their arrival in Kuching.
It is been several years since Sarawak and Sabah were last in the same division and the most important thing in Justin’s mind tonight must be the tough opposition his team faces tonight, and the hot reception from the voracious home fans.
The Sabah coach added that he is a bit worried of the fact that his team lacks big-match exposure unlike Sarawak who has been on a successful Pre-season playing tour to Indonesia recently.
“I see the match tonight against Sarawak as an opportunity to really test my team’s ability and will set out the perfect set of combination to win. Although we have good and experienced players in the squad, they are not tested yet. In fact, I have no opportunities yet to see weaknesses in the Sabah team,” he informed.
He further added that Sarawak is a good and strong team which had had long preparation for the Super League 2012 campaign.
“Sarawak has a lot of good and experienced players that are capable of becoming match-winners. We are playing to win and will field the best first-11 to face Sarawak,” he added.
Kick-off is at 8.15pm at the State Stadium with tickets priced at RM5 and available at the venue.
Singapore to play Johor in pre-season friendly
Singapore's Lions XII will take on Johor in a friendly on Dec 24 as part of their preparation for the Malaysian League (M-League) which they will participate in next year after a 17-year absence.
Their inclusion in the M-League for the 2012-2015 period was agreed upon during the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and Football Association of Singapore (FAS) on July 12 this year at Wisma FAM.
Malaysia's Harimau Muda A, on the other hand, will be competing in the Singapore League (S-League) over the same period.
The Lions XII have been training at their main venue, the Jalan Besar Stadium, for the past two weeks under chief coach V. Sundramoorthy who played in the M-League in the 1990's.
"This will be a good test for the team after training for just two weeks," said Sundramoorthy as quoted by the Asean Football Federation (AFF) website, www.aseanfootball.org.
The Lions XII, also known as Singapore's under-23 (U-23) squad, will be captained by their international Shahril Ishak, and the other players include Hariss Harun (midfielder), Agu Casmir (striker) and Baihakki Khaizan (defender), as well as youngsters like Izwan Mahbub (goalkeeper), Shakir Hamzah (defender) and Khairul Nizam (striker).
Besides Johor, the squad will also take on newly promoted team to the Super League, Selangor PKNS, and the Malaysian Armed Forces team.
Their inclusion in the M-League for the 2012-2015 period was agreed upon during the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and Football Association of Singapore (FAS) on July 12 this year at Wisma FAM.
Malaysia's Harimau Muda A, on the other hand, will be competing in the Singapore League (S-League) over the same period.
The Lions XII have been training at their main venue, the Jalan Besar Stadium, for the past two weeks under chief coach V. Sundramoorthy who played in the M-League in the 1990's.
"This will be a good test for the team after training for just two weeks," said Sundramoorthy as quoted by the Asean Football Federation (AFF) website, www.aseanfootball.org.
The Lions XII, also known as Singapore's under-23 (U-23) squad, will be captained by their international Shahril Ishak, and the other players include Hariss Harun (midfielder), Agu Casmir (striker) and Baihakki Khaizan (defender), as well as youngsters like Izwan Mahbub (goalkeeper), Shakir Hamzah (defender) and Khairul Nizam (striker).
Besides Johor, the squad will also take on newly promoted team to the Super League, Selangor PKNS, and the Malaysian Armed Forces team.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)