Mar 27

Nota: skrol ke bawah untuk edisi terjemahan dalam Bahasa Melayu

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) may have been founded in the year of 1933 but some of its administrators are actually older than Rome. Decisions made were full of flips and flops. Remember the pronouncement to prohibit import players in the year 1999-2001? Then again in 2009 till God knows when?

The decaying tale of Kedah’s double treble may have been old. However the tale of inferior quality of Malaysian referees is definitely older. If one would compare the value in their annual salary to the ones in the English Premiere League’s, sure they’re inferior, then again so goes to the quality. But does that justify the value of the Malaysian referees, at all? To be inferior because of the salary? Or they’re just selling games? … Food for thought!

The ones that have been so called FIFA approved referees in Malaysia come to the matches with full of rage and temper. They brought together an army of emotion inside them whilst refereeing. How could an organization such as FAM let this happen? There’re referees who threw out vulgar remarks such as “Pukimak hang! .. main sudah laaa” to players whilst running of a match (in that case, I’ve been understood he’s a policeman). Oh .. talking about policeman being a referee, can you recall an incident happened in 2007 where a policeman being a referee at a local match in Johor who pulled out a red card, then a gun?

As early as opening of 2010, the referee at the Piala Emas Raja-Raja Finale made ridiculous blunder flying cards at the wrong player fuming up anger amongst the spectators. That itself led to a halt of the match for approximately 20 minutes. How about the recent match between Kedah’s reserve team with Shahzan Muda in Sungai Petani – the referee flew a red card to a player, accused for delaying the game at a throw in. The player was sent out, then being let in again. How on earth do you let a player in again after a red card?

Then how about the Azlan Ismail’s ban for 7 matches (and RM4K penalty) incident at the recent FA League match against ATM? The report against Azlan was told by all 3 field refereeing personnel hearing him saying “Lu punya pasal, gua kena gantung”. Now again, how the heck did the linesman ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FIELD could possibly hear those words in the noise of spectators? Seriously, if he could, he’s not human!

Then there’s the incident with Ahmad Sabri Ismail raging to strike the referee after the match with Negeri Sembilan for the many blunders he made. That very referee went back to report that he has been hit by Ahmad Sabri Ismail leaving a straight mark on his body. What sort of hit from a human body leaves a straight mark? I don’t know, maybe somebody can highlight me. A punch? A kick? An elbow? A head on? A knee? Does any of that leaves straight mark sorta bruise? Those claims made Ahmad Sabri Ismail pay RM8K penalty and banned for 12 matches!

The spectators are not blind after all, they saw what they saw, so goes to Ahmad Sabri Ismail. When Shukor Adan did a tackle on Fadly Baharom, the referee said it was because of the wet ground (it was raining) and not a tackle, but when Shafizan Hashim slides accidentally to the ball, it was decided a tackle and Shafizan earned a red card. That and many other incidents (hand ball, foul, etc) accumulated slowly fuming nearly everyone in the stadium.

The finale for that event was a gathering of spectators in front of the stadium’s façade demonstrating for the weak and fragile refereeing quality display. Wan Jamak claimed saying that referees know best on the field in an interview after that very match. But do they? After all, Wan Jamak’s team won that night with a late goal.

The standard of refereeing in Malaysia is definitely falling to no end. At this rate, all of the matches are close to void. Meaning they’re all meaningless, refereed by inferior personnel, with inferior reflexes, with inferior senses. They don’t see much, really. They prefer to see what they prefer to see. The match commissioner isn’t a help at all. They’re there for just being there. Most of them are old, practically rotten. They can’t see that far into the field, so their reports would always concur what’s been prepared by the referees. Natural isn’t it? Too old to do all the tedious task at such age.

Gentlemen, these referees and their actions are to be questioned. After all these cases, no action has been taken upon them by FAM. If they’re passing judgments on the players and coaches in the field, who would be passing judgments on them whilst at their task? After all they’re fragile human who make mistakes all the time. They’re not imported from Nirvana by FAM. They’re merely flesh and blood like most of us. Only they’re trained to see things and pass judgment on the field like most of us can (hence most of us know the regulatory well) . They’re not indispensable.

FAM needs a wakeup call from all of us Malaysian football lovers. It defeats the purpose to bring in the FIFA Fair Play flag into the stadium every starting of a match when it can hardly be fair at all.

Update: Thank you Mr. Loose Cannon (the ever famous Rizal Hashim) for featuring my article in his blog.

Another Update in Malay (thanx to Mr Ninja (nickname Hokage_Ke_7 in HKC)

Memang benar Persatuan Bola sepak Malaysia (FAM) telah ditubuhkan pada tahun 1933 tetapi kebanyakkan pentadbirnya lebih berusia dari tamadun kerajaan Rom. Kadang kala keputusan yang dibuat oleh mereka penuh dengan kontroversi dan jelik pada pandangan am. Ingatkah anda tentang larangan pemain import pada tahun 1999-2001? Seterusnya berulang kembali pada tahun 2009 hingga belum tahu period kesudahannya hingga ke hari ini.

Kisah gelaran kejuaraan Kedah memenangi treble mungkin sudah lama berlalu. Namun kisah mutu pengadilan di Malaysia jauh lebih lama untuk di perdebatkan oleh kita. Jika ada yang cuba membandingkan gaji tahunan pengadil Liga Perdana Inggeris dan Malaysia, sudah pasti bagai langit dan bumi, begitu jugalah penilaian terhadap kedua-dua kualiti pengadilan antara di Malaysia dan Eropah. Apakah disebabkan oleh gaji yang tidak sepadan membuatkan kualiti pengadilan di Malaysia tidak perlu bermutu? Apakah kualitinya begitu kerana mereka sudah cukup muak untuk mengadil? Layanan pengadilan mereka sebegitu disebabkan gaji yang sedikit ? Atau mereka sebenarnya hanya menjual permainan? … Sama-sama kita fikirkan!

Pengadil yang kononnya sudah di iktiraf oleh FIFA ini sebenarnya mengadili setiap perlawanan dengan emosi kemarahan semata-mata. Mereka mengadili setiap perlawanan dengan cara dan emosi tersendiri tanpa berfikiran waras terhadap kreditibili pengadilan itu sendiri. Bagaimana organisasi yang merupakan kerajaan bolasepak Malaysia seperti FAM membiarkan keadaan ini terjadi sejak musim bermusim ? Malah terdapat pengadil yang mengeluarkan kata-kata kesat dalam perlawanan seperti ‘“Pukimak hang!.. main sudah laaa” kepada pemain. (saya sedia maklum bahawa dia adalah seorang anggota Polis ) Oh bila bercakap berkenaan Polis, masihkah anda ingat insiden yang berlaku pada tahun 2007 lalu di mana seorang polis yang mengadili perlawanan bolasepak tempatan di Johor telah mengeluarkan kad merah, kemudian selaras pistol?

Pada awal pembukaan musim 2010, Pengadil perlawanan akhir Piala Emas Raja-Raja telah tersalah melayangkan kad kepada pemain yang menyebabkan berlakunya kemarahan luar biasa peminat pada malam tersebut. Aksi tersebut menyebabkan permainan terhenti selama 20 minit. Begitu jugalah apa yang terjadi dalam pengadilan perlawanan Pasukan Simpanan Kedah dengan Shahzan Muda di Sg Petani tempoh hari. Kad merah di layangkan kepada seorang pemain yang dikatakan cuba melengahkan permainan ketika pembalingan masuk bola ke padang. Apabila pemain berkenaan sudah keluar dari padang, beliau dibenarkan bermain semula oleh pengadil. Jelik bukan? Apabila kad merah sudah dilayangkan, bagaimana seorang pemain dapat dimasukkan semula setelah pemain terbabit diusir keluar padang?

Bagaimana pula dengan insiden yang telah berlaku kepada Azlan Ismail yang digantung 7 perlawanan beserta denda RM4000 ketika aksi bertemu ATM dalam perlawanan Piala FA yang lalu. Menurut laporan 3 pengadil (pengadil utama dan 2 linesman/pembantu pengadil) telah di beritahu bahawa Azlan ada mengatakan “Lu punya pasal, gua kena gantung “. Lihatlah bagaimana pembantu pengadil yang berada di tepi padang arah bertentangan mampu mendengar ucapan sedemikan di sebalik keriuhan suara penonton pada malam berkenaan. Sudah ternampak ketiga-tiga pengadil bersekongkol menghasilkan laporan yang sama demi menjatuhkan Azlan Ismail. Jika benar dia mendengar, SAH dia bukan spesis manusia biasa seperti kita.

Seterusnya adalah insiden Ahmad Sabri Ismail yang mengamuk menyerang pengadil sejurus selepas perlawanan dengan Negeri Sembilan, ramai yang mempertikaikan perbuatannya. Sungguh aneh apabila pengadil berkenaan telah melaporkan bahawa dia telah dipukul oleh Ahmad Sabri Ismail pada malam berkenaan dan meninggalkan bekas lebam lurus di bahagian rusuk? Saya tidak faham, mungkin ada sesiapa yang dapat jelaskan kepada saya. Pukulan bagaimana ianya dibuat? Tendangan? Siku? Guna Kepala? Lutut? Atau ada lagikah cara untuk menghasilkan kesan lebam yang berbentuk lurus dari mana-mana anggota manusia? Disebabkan insiden dan laporan palsu tersebut Ahmad Sabri Ismail turut di denda sebanyak RM8000 serta dilarang berada di bangku simpanan untuk 12 perlawanan.

Semua yang hadir malam itu bukannya buta, mereka dapat melihat sendiri apa sebenarnya yang berlaku. Ketika Shukor Adan melakukan terjahan keras kepada Fadly Baharum, pengadil mengatakan bahawa keadaan permukaan yang licin ketika itu (hujan) bukan kerana terjahan. Akan tetapi ketika Shafizan Hashim cuba mengelonsor mendapatkan bola dalam situasi berkenaan, pengadil mengatakan sebaliknya. Adakah hujan hanya turun pada bahagian tertentu padang? Adakah bila hujan tempat-tempat tertentu sahaja yang basah? Akhirnya kad merah dilayangkan tanpa usul periksa serta banyak lagi aksi lain yang perlu dipertikaikan (seperti bola terkena tangan, offside). Inilah yang menimbulkan kemarahan peminat yang hadir di stadium malam itu.

Akibat dari insiden berkenaan, penonton telah berkumpul di luar stadium sebaik tamat perlawanan bagi mengambarkan betapa lemah dan rapuhnya mutu pengadilan di Malaysia. Wan Jamak menyatakan pengadil adalah entiti yang paling mengetahui apa yang terjadi di dalam padang ketika diwawancara selepas itu. Tetapi adakah pernyataan beliau untuk menyatakan kebenaran? Adakah kerana pasukannya menang dan dapat menjaringkan gol?

Taraf mutu pengadilan di Malaysia semakin menerjah jatuh yang tiada kesudahannya. Pada ketika ini semua pengadilan boleh dikatakan sebagai tidak mencapai mutu dan kualiti yang di harapkan. Mutu pengadilan sudah jauh tersimpang dari apa yang diharapkan oleh semua peminat tempatan. Mereka lebih melihat realiti sebenar apa yang terjadi di depan mata. Komisyener perlawanan juga tidak banyak membantu dalam keadaan ini, menuruti segala apa yang dilaporkan oleh pengadil utama di tengah padang. Adakah ini kualiti sebenar yang berlaku sehinggalah ianya berpanjangan sebegitu rupa.

Tahukah anda? Segala tindak tanduk pengadil selama ini sering dipersoalkan. Selepas apa yang berlaku, FAM masih lagi berpeluk tubuh tanpa mengambil sebarang tindakan susulan kepada mana-mana pengadil langsung. Benarlah telahan saya bahawa pengadil di Malaysia hanya tangkap muat untuk mengadili perlawanan yang dianggap bertaraf professional. Kita memahami setiap manusia tidak terlepas dari melakukan kesilapan. Ini kerana kita sedia maklum pengadil ini bukannya Malaikat yang di ambil oleh FAM dari Syurga. Mereka juga manusia biasa seperti kita juga, cuma mereka dilatih untuk memililki kemahiran untuk menilai prestasi dan mengadili perlawanan bolasepak. Apa yang dipersoalkan hanyalah keputusan yang sering berlawanan dengan perkataan “adil” itu sendiri.

Sesungguhnya FAM memerlukan teguran dari pencinta bolasepak tempatan. Teguran dan kritikan sebegini semata-mata untuk memastikan tujuan dan asas bolasepak yang diperkenalkan oleh FIFA dapat dimartabatkan setiap kali bendera “FIFA Fair Play” dibawa masuk ke dalam padang.

Feb 16

If you were to go through the entry gallery, you’d notice that I did not cover the team line up portrait at all as my first frame was recorded at 2112 .. that’s 9:12pm to those who don’t read time in the International format. And there’s a peculiar reason behind it – I wasn’t been let into the stadium’s parking area by the traffic policeman, even though I’m all prepared with the proper credentials. The conversation at the stop goes like this:

Police: Jalan! Jalan!
Me: (Winding screen) Assalamualaikum cik .. pasepa lak saya taleh nak masuk .. kan ada pass ngan stiker nie …
Police: Taleh masuk … jalan pi depan!
Me: Haa? Saya ada pass media nie (showing the media pass)
Police: Nih .. media kaa .. apa kaa … taleh masuk .. laluan VIP dah tutup .. parking dah takdak
Me: Tak pernah2 tutup laluan nih untuk orang yang ada pass pun cik, pasepa lak hari nie tutup?
Police: Hang tak payah nak cakap pandai sangat … jalan pi depan!

With him raising his voice like such, I know I have no time to lower myself to such level of stupidity. Looking at the time (it was 2035), instantaneously after that, I shut the screen and made 3 rounds to find a proper parking for my car which took quite some time as the area been flooded by cars for the favorite match. I managed to find a decent place near Petronas, carried my photography equipment, and marched straight to the stadium entrance without wasting time.

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At the entrance, the ushers were surprised to see my late entry. I saw ample available parking space. Then I saw a VVIP car at the stadium’s façade which happened to be transporting the new “Pemangku Sultan” to the match. Now, I don’t think my encounter with the policeman has anything to do with the “Pemangku Sultan” as I’ve been covering events with the Sultan’s attendance countless times.

I’ve been thinking, the stickers have been produced in putting the system to an order. They’ve been produced in direct relation to the number of available parking in the stadium vicinity. It’s very simple, those with stickers enter, those without do not. As a policeman, you don’t pass judgments based on your limited intellectual capacity because there’s the system and you need follow it to your bone. The interesting part was, my dear friend who holds a VVIP pass into the stadium vicinity came to the same encounter with the same officer as early as 1930! Soon after, I found out the other journalists have also been cast out from entering the parking space and I’m telling you, that policeman is definitely toast.

It’s funny that we have a system in our country of which many of those who enforce it manipulate the system to certain party’s interest to keep climbing the power ladder. Likewise in this encounter, the policeman deliberately broke the system and substituted his own to lick the balls of aristocracy.

BTW, the match ended with 0-0.

Feb 4

Because of the recent incident in Sabah, I received quite a sum of requests for a photo of Mohd Faizal Abu Bakar nose injury. According to the x-ray, there’s a tiny fracture in the bone in the nose area. Currently, because of the condensed amount of flesh in the area, he cannot breath (or hardly) through his nose. He may be missing in the next 3 or 4 matches (though that he has an MC for only a week).

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Apart of all that, you can see a number of other players by the side of the the field (there’s another one resting at home, Mohd Farizal Rozali for ACL).

Let us all pray for their speedy recoveries.

Oct 20

A while ago I received a facebook chat message from Azraai Khor, the double treble chief coach about his official appointment as the chief coach of Harimau Muda, the Under-21 Malaysian football endeavor. Nonetheless, he accepted the appointment dated 16th October 2009. With that stated, his glorious career with Kedah Football Association (KFA) since 2004 has finally come to an end.

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His duty shall be starting on November 1st 2009. I’m very sure that many would be missing his leadership in the state’s football scene. KFA on the other hand has yet to make any official appointment in filling up the blank seat.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the best to Azraai Khor in making the better football future in Malaysia. Worry not, we’ll keep in touch every now and then :-)

Aug 22

Salam and good greetings to all of you. I’ve been away for quite some time, hence not in a fit term to update my blog. I was having fever twice, one of which ran for nearly 2 weeks. Having stated that, fortunately it’s no H1N1, the deadly influenza this decade. Praise Allah that I’m still living and breathing to serve this blog of mine.

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I’d like to make up in the entry what I should be updating about a while back. It’s the final match of The Super League for Kedah with Penang, and then there’s the friendly match with Malaysia.

I know there’re a lot of entities out there been slapping the blog up and down for not being updated. I know, I’ve been reading the shoutbox by the side of the this blog. Regardless of that, Ramadhan is here, and indeed this is an update.

To Muslim viewers, I’d like to wish Happy Ramadhan to all of you. May Allah bless our good deeds in such a blessing month. InsyaAllah.

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