News for 11 May 2009
Tuesday, 12 May 2009 09:08 | 
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All the news for Monday 11 May 2009
Pakistan comes clean against arch rivals India,3-2
K. Arumugam
Pakistan defeated India 3-2 in the rain marred pool match of the 8th Asia Cup. The winning goal was scored by Sohail Abbas off the 5th penalty corner in the 55th minute. India got two penalty corners and a couple of chances thereafter to equalize, but they miffed it all.
This is India's first lost to Pakistan after 2006 Commonwealth Games, that was held in March.
SV Sunil in particular was so opportunitistic and aggressive, two of his efforts, though goal worth, did not move the scoreboard in the last five minutes.
For Pakistan, the young Haseem, who scored the golden goal in the Johar Bahru 4-Nation recently, scored a brace in the 32 and 36th minutes.
India took the lead off the first penalty corner, Prabhjot Singh deflecting the rebound ball waist high into the net. A minute before the half time, a defence slip led to youngster Haseem Khan equalizing.
The match was stopped due to heavy rain after India equalized through Rajpal Singh in the 46th minute.
In the first minute of resumption, off Rehan Butt's feed, youngster Haseem tapped in a melee to give Pak the lead
A combined move from Gurbaj and Sardar Singh created a flutter inside the Pak circle, of which Rajpal Singh deflected a shot in the 45th minute. Even as India picked up the gautlet from thereon, rains stopped the flow.
The match that started on a furious pace came to a standstill at the fourth minute when Tariq Aziz's shot home from top of Circle. However, umpire John Wright of South Africa disallowed it, holding the ball was hit from outside the circle.
"It happens, its a human error, we are not unduly disturbed by it", said Shahid Ali Khan, the former goalkeeper turned coach.
It is interestingly observed all the four recalled stars did their best intoday's Pakistan victory. Pakistan's first goal was a lucky one, as Sandeep Singh needlessly hung on to the ball inside the D and then slipped giving a golden chance to hawkish Haseem to effect a zero angle shot. It touched the right corner of the net.
"We needed a scorer, and we got in Haseem", said Shahid Ali Khan in the post match conference.
Note: It was wrongly reported Rehan Butt scored the second goal, it was officially claried by the coach Shahid Ali Khan that the second goal was by Haseem.
Stick2Hockey.com
Coach Shahid says victory will boost title hopes
By Khalid Hussain
KARACHI: Pakistan are hoping that Sunday's 3-2 triumph over India will serve them as a much-needed tonic during the rest of their Asia Cup campaign in Kuantan, Malaysia.
Facing possible elimination, Pakistan clicked when it mattered most to edge out India in an action-packed encounter and now their coach is hoping that his charges will maintain the golden form in Thursday's semifinals.
"It was the sort of win that can work wonders for your confidence," Shahid Ali Khan, Pakistan's coach, told 'The News' from Kuantan. "We haven't been playing badly in the past but our results were quite. I hope that today's victory will change all that," he added.
Pakistan crashed to a dismal fourth position in the five-nation Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia last month and opened their Asia Cup campaign on Saturday with an uni9mpressive 1-1 draw against China.
But they seemed to be a different side against in-form India - the defending champions - and Shahid stressed that it was all because they played like a disciplined unit.
"We've finally found the one ingredient that's been missing for a while," he said. "The boys played like a well-oiled unit and followed the game plan properly. All credit of this win should go to them," said the former Olympian.
Shahid pointed out that the match was played in really tough conditions but his boys were in top gear in the tough encounter against the defending champions.
"It had rained for almost an hour today and the pitch was really very heavy," he said. "Things were really tough because of the heat and the fact that India played very aggressively but my boys were better."
Shahid, who took over as Pakistan coach this February, was all praise for young striker Abdul Haseem Khan, who scored twice against India. "Haseem was brilliant today. We selected him in the Asia Cup because he is a genuine centre-forward and I'm really happy we took that decision."
Haseem is the national Under-21 captain and is supposed to lead Pakistan's campaign in next month's Junior World Cup to be played in Malaysia and Singapore.
After having played back-to-back games against China and India, Pakistan will have a well-deserved break till May 14 when the semifinals of the seven-nation event will take place.
Shahid said that the team management has decided against having any rest days and will carry out extensive practice sessions ahead of the last-four clash.
"We have booked the pitch for all the three days because there is still a lot of room for improvement," he said. "Our target now is to secure a place in the final but the boys will have to give their best in our next match."
Pakistan have a few minor injuries with young midfielder Muhammad Irfan, who is a vital player because of his role as a 'dasher' in penalty corner defense, suffering from an ankle injury.
But Shahid is confident that his players, who have played two tough games in a row, will rejuvenate during the three-day break.
The News International
Pakistan edge India in pulsating clash to enter semi-finals
By S. RAMAGURU
KUANTAN: Pakistan booked a place in the semi-finals of the Asia Cup hockey tournament after edging arch rivals India 3-2 in a pulsating Group B match at the Kuantan Hockey Stadium yesterday.
In a match which Pakistan must win, following their opening 1-1 draw with China, they had the ball in the net as early as the fourth minute when Tariq Aziz slotted home from the top of the D. But South African umpire Jon Wright blew for a 16-year hit to India as the shot was taken from outside the D.
There was much anticipation in the first half with the expected duel between the two penalty corner specialists Sohail Abbas of Pakistan and Sandeep Singh of India.
Sohail had two chances which failed to bear results. The first attempt failed due to poor stopping of the ball while his second attempt was saved by India goalkeeper Baljit Singh.
Sandeep had one chance but his soft flick was saved by Pakistan goalkeeper Salman Akhbar. The rebound fell to Prabhjot Singh who pushed it in for the opening goal in the 16th minute
Then came the equaliser from Pakistan which was given on a platter. In a quick counter attack, the ball was sent into India’s D and skipper Sandeep tripped over while attempting to get to the ball. Haseem Khan gleefully picked up the loose ball to hit an acute shot into the top of the net in the 33rd minute.
Pakistan started off aggressively in the second half and it took them only a minute after the start to take the lead when Haseem deflected a long ball into goal.
Then the rain came and it slowed down the game. And it benefited India as Rajpal Singh put India level with a field goal in the 46th minute.
Then conditions became unplayable and the game was stopped for 45 minutes.
And when play resumed, Pakistan’s Sohail lived up to his reputation as the best penalty corner specialist in the world with the winning flick in the 54th minute of the delayed game.
The Star of Malaysia
Sohail stars for Pakistan with late strike
SOHAIL Abbas' trademark penalty corner goal helped Pakistan edge arch rivals India 3-2 in a thrilling Group B encounter, which was stopped for about 45 minutes due to a heavy downpour, in the 8th AirAsia Men's Asia Cup at the Wisma Belia Stadium in Kuantan yesterday.
Sohail, in his first international tournament in two years, found his rhythm in his fourth penalty corner attempt when he sent a low drive past India's goalkeeper Baljit Singh in the 55th minute for the winning goal which ensured Pakistan a spot in the semi-finals.
Pakistan coach Shahid Ali Khan said his players played their hearts out yesterday to notch this important victory.
"It's always a pressure game against India. We took our chances well and it made the difference. I told my players to play aggressive and it left India back-tracking for most periods of the match," said Shahid yesterday.
India started on a right note when Prabhjot Singh scored off a rebound from the penalty corner attempt by captain Sandeep Singh in the 16th minute.
Pakistan players protested as they felt Prabhjot had committed a foul but it was turned down by New Zealand umpire Simon Taylor.
Pakistan began to make inroads deep in India's half and were rewarded in the 32nd minute when Haseem Khan, after getting past Sandeep, sent a delightful reverse attempt to the top corner leaving keeper Baljit rooted. Boosted by the goal, Pakistan stunned India's sleepy defence when they took a 2-1 lead through Haseem's field attempt in the 36th minute.
India turned on the heat and equalised 10 minutes later when Sardar Singh deflected a pass from Gurbaj Singh. After the goal, the technical officer stopped the match for nearly 45 minutes due to a heavy downpour.
Pakistan dominated proceedings and deservedly scored their third though Sohail in the 56th minute. India pressed for an equaliser but to no avail.
India, the defending champions, have to beat China tomorrow to earn a place in the semi-finals.
New Straits Times
Pakistan in Men’s Asia Cup semifinals
Pakistan reached the semifinal stage of the men’s Asia Cup after defeating tournament favorite India on the second day of play in Kuantan, Malaysia.
Pakistan outplayed India by 3-2 after a thrilling game. At the end of the first half, the match was tied by 1-1. In the 4th minute Tariq Aziz of Pakistan scored a goal but umpire disallowed the goal. In the 15th minute India got the first penalty corner and scored the goal on it by Parbjot Singh.
Pakistan got two penalty corners in 16th and 21st minutes but did not succeeded to score a goal. Pakistan’s Abdul Haseem Khan leveled the score in 33rd minute by the mistake of Indian defender.
In the start of the second half Rehan Butt scored the second goal in 36th minute. In 42nd minute Pakistan missed another penalty corner. In 45th minute Rajpal Singh scored a field goal and once again leveled the match by 2-2.
When the match entered in 46th minute match was stopped due to the heavy showers and the match was stopped till 45 minutes. After the break in 54th minute Sohail Abbas scored a goal on penalty corner and took Pakistan in commanding position. In the second half India got three penalty corners in 59th, 60th and 65th minutes but they did not succeeded to level the match.
Pakistan in now on the top in pool B with four points and qualified for the semifinal stage. The second team of the pool B for semi final will be decided after the match between India and China on 12 May. India needs only win to qualify and China needs win or draw to qualify for the semifinal.
Results Men’s Asia Cup:
Pool B:
Pakistan – India 3-2 (1-1)
Ranking: 1. Pakistan 2-4 (4-3), China 1-1 (1-1), 3. India 1-0 (2-3)
Pakistan Hockey Federation media release
India lose to Pakistan 2-3
KUANTAN (Malaysia): Defending champions India started their Asia Cup campaign on a disastrous note, going down 2-3 to arch-rivals Pakistan in a nerve-wrecking rain-marred Pool B match at the Wisma Belia Kuantan Hockey Stadium on Sunday.
With this win and the draw against China on Saturday, the three-time former champions Pakistan, who lost to India 1-2 in the Azlan Shah Cup here last month, are assured of a place in Thursday's semi-final, while India will have to win their last pool match against the Chinese on Tuesday to qualify for the last four stage.
India-Pakistan encounters have always been nail-biting and today's match was no exception with the traditional rivals starting the game on a high pace note and seemed in no mood to give an inch to each other.
Both the teams displayed very high speed and attractive hockey in the pulsating opening half with the ball continuously moving from one end to the other.
Pakistan was the more aggressive of the two sides and found the net as early as in the fourth minute through Tariq Aziz from the top of the semi circle but umpire John Right ruled out the goal due to an infringement and in turn gave a 16 yard hit to the Indians.
Stung by Pakistan's early attacks, the Indians stepped up their offensive and very nearly came to scoring in the 13th minute only to be denied by experienced Pakistan custodian Salman Akbar.
India opened the scoring against the run of play after Prabjot Singh converted a rebound from skipper Sandeep Singh's penalty corner in the 15th minute.
But with just two minutes remaining for the breather, Pakistan struck back with Hasneem Khan scoring with a reverse stick from a well build up counter attack.
Pakistan could have scored many had they not wasted several penalty corner attempts with the Indian defence standing tall.
Experienced centre forward Rehan Butt, who made a comeback to the national team in this tournament, made it 2-1 for Pakistan in the very first minute of the second half from a goalmouth melee.
India soon drew parity in the 10th minute through Rajpal Singh's field goal before heavy rains suspended play for nearly 40 minutes.
However, another comeback man, veteran Sohail Abbas, ensured a happy outing for Pakistan when he scored the winning goal off their fifth short corner in the 55th minute through a powerful dragflick which beat Indian custodian Baljit Singh hands down.
Thereafter, India got two penalty corners and a couple of chances to equalise, but they miffed it all with goalkeeper Akbar coming to Pakistan's rescue on many occasions.
SV Sunil was the star performer for India but was unlucky not to have registered his name in the scoreboard, while skipper Sandeep was off-colour as he wasted three penalty corners in the last 10 minutes of the match.
The Times of India
India go down to Pakistan
India lost 2-3 against Pakistan in their Pool B hockey match of the Asia Cup in Malaysia on Sunday.
With today's win and the draw against China yesterday, the three-time former champions Pakistan, who lost to India 1-2 in the Azlan Shah Cup here last month, are assured of a place in Thursday's semi-final, while India will have to win their last pool match against the Chinese on Tuesday to qualify for the last four stage.
India-Pakistan encounters have always been nail-biting and today's match was no exception with the traditional rivals starting the game on a high pace note and seemed in no mood to give an inch to each other.
Both the teams displayed very high speed and attractive hockey in the pulsating opening half with the ball continuously moving from one end to the other.
Pakistan was the more aggressive of the two sides and found the net as early as in the fourth minute through Tariq Aziz from the top of the semi circle but umpire John Right ruled out the goal due to an infringement and in turn gave a 16 yard hit to the Indians.
Stung by Pakistan's early attacks, the Indians stepped up their offensive and very nearly came to scoring in the 13th minute only to be denied by experienced Pakistan custodian Salman Akbar. India opened the scoring against the run of play after Prabjot Singh converted a rebound from skipper Sandeep Singh's penalty corner in the 15th minute.
But with just two minutes remaining for the breather, Pakistan struck back with Hasneem Khan scoring with a reverse stick from a well build up counter attack.
Pakistan could have scored many had they not wasted several penalty corner attempts with the Indian defence standing tall.
Experienced centre forward Rehan Butt, who made a comeback to the national team in this tournament, made it 2-1 for Pakistan in the very first minute of the second half from a goalmouth melee.
India soon drew parity in the 10th minute through Rajpal Singh's field goal before heavy rains suspended play for nearly 40 minutes.
However, another comeback man, veteran Sohail Abbas, ensured a happy outing for Pakistan when he scored the winning goal off their fifth short corner in the 55th minute through a powerful dragflick which beat Indian custodian Baljit Singh hands down. Thereafter, India got two penalty corners and a couple of chances to equalise, but they miffed it all with goalkeeper Akbar coming to Pakistan's rescue on many occasions.
SV Sunil was the star performer for India today but was unlucky not to have registered his name in the scoreboard, while skipper Sandeep was off-colour as he wasted three penalty corners in the last 10 minutes of the match.
ESPNStar.com
Pakistan edge past India, enter last-4
Kuantan (Malaysia), May 10: Sohail Abbas found his scoring touch just in time to lead Pakistan into the Asia Cup hockey semifinal with a 3-2 win over India in a Group B match in Malaysia on Sunday.
The Pakistanis had five penalty corners but Sohail was on target with only one attempt and that turned out to be the winner.
Pakistan had earlier on Saturday drawn 1-1 with China and needed a win to book their place in the semifinals.
Pakistan coach Shahid Ali Khan said that the recall of the four players from Europe made the difference in the match.
"Sohail, Salman Akbar, Waseem Ahmed and Rehan Butt gave us experience and were influential in the win.
"We needed full points and credit to the players for achieving it," he said.
The match was an absorbing encounter with a lot of goal-scoring chances at both ends.
Pakistan took the initiative from the start. They had the ball in the back of the net in the fourth minute but Tariq Aziz’s effort was ruled out by South African umpire Jon Wright.
Left winger Prabhjot Singh gave India the lead in the 16th minute after a botched penalty corner attempt.
The Pakistanis drew level in the 33rd minute when skipper Sandeep Singh fumbled with his clearance and allowed the 20-year-old Haseem Khan to score.
In the second half, Pakistan went on the offensive early and took the lead just one minute into the game.
Haseem Khan was the scorer when he deflected a long ball into the D.
Rain started to fall in the 43rd minute and India managed to score their equaliser in the 46th minute through Rajpal Singh before play was stopped.
Play resumed after 45 minutes. Pakistan attacked and in the 54th minute won a penalty corner.
Sohail finally got it correct with a low flick to put his team in the semis.
India coach Harendra Singh was disappointed with the result but remained confident that his team will make the semifinals.
"It was a good match and could have gone either way. Now we are under pressure and will have to win against China on Tuesday," he said.
"My players did well and I have no complaints about their performance," he added.
The Asian Age
Bangladesh out to break the duck against Malaysia
KUANTAN: Bangladesh has thrown in the towel as far as their campaign in the on-going Asia Cup hockey tournament is concerned.
Their ultimate target is, in fact, to score one goal against a top hockey team – and they hope to do it when they play Malaysia today.
Their German coach Gerhad Peter Rach said the team have not scored a goal against a top hockey playing nation in the last few years and he would like to see that end during the Asia Cup.
“That is our target. We do not have a well prepared team and you cannot do much when you have not played any practice matches.
“We only played two friendlies against the Malaysian Juniors prior to the tournament. So to expect a great performance from us is not right,” said Rach.
Bangladesh lost 0-5 to Japan and the German was not too disappointed with the result.
“Five goals is not a big defeat for us. We used to get beaten by bigger margins by the top teams.
The match with Japan highlighted our shortcomings. The players we have are the best in our country but they are sorely lacking in experience.
“They could not handle the pressure and neither are they able to match the others. The gap is too wide between the top teams and us,” he said.
Rach expects Malaysia to win but he wants his players to get a goal.
Rach was India’s first foreign coach from 2004-2005. He guided the team to the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2005 Champions Trophy tournament.
He only joined Bangladesh six months ago and his long association with the team will depend on their performance in the Asia Cup.
“I do not know what my future is with the national team but it will be decided after the Asia Cup. For the moment, I am handling the team for this tournament only,” he said.
Bangladesh come into the Asia Cup as the Asia Hockey Federation (AHF) Cup champions. The AHF Cup is a second tier tournament for Asian teams.
Rach added that they are certainly out of their depth for this tournament and said that teams in the AHF Cup will be outclassed in the Asia Cup.
“I think that is why Oman did not come here. They would have been beaten soundly too. This is the reality and the gap is too wide,” he said. Oman, the AHF Cup runner-up, also qualified for the Asia Cup.
It would not be wrong to say Bangladesh will be in for a thrashing against Malaysia but they will definitely give their best – as scoring a goal for them is like winning a match.
The Star of Malaysia
Malaysia must show Bangladesh no mercy
BANGLADESH have not played in a Class 'A' tournament for almost two years and Malaysia have been doing so quite regularly for decades.
And when the teams meet in today's Group A match of the 8th AirAsia Men's Asia Cup, logically, the hosts should score an overwhelming win which will boost their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals.
Bangladesh, presently, are not in the same class as Malaysia and this was evident a few days ago when the national juniors, who are preparing for next month's Junior World Cup, mauled them 6-1.
The Juniors have set a benchmark score and the seniors must try to breach that against the minnows. There is no reason why the seniors can't do it.
The Malaysians are gradually improving and their confidence is also on a high after the impressive 1-1 draw against World No 5 South Korea on Saturday.
But as is always the case, the players are prone to taking things lightly when up against weaker teams and thus end up struggling to win matches where they should be piling up the goals.
National interim coach Tai Beng Hai understands this situation and has advised the players to give their 100 per cent against Bangladesh.
"There are no easy teams in this tournament. Bangladesh are minnows in the game but we need to treat them with respect. They can be dangerous if taken lightly," said Beng Hai in Kuantan yesterday.
"The aim is to win big as it may be crucial in our qualification for the semi-finals. Our players are experienced enough to win this match easily."
He added: "The players, I feel, are mentally and physically stronger after the four-and-half-months of training and they are starting to get confident. It's important that they keep it the upward momentum going in this tournament."
However, Beng Hai will make some changes in his first eleven with some fringe players expected to start the match.
"It's not huge changes but small ones. Those who played small roles against South Korea like S. Selvaraju and Jivan Mohan, will play bigger roles tomorrow (today)."
Beng Hai may also opt to field forward Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Jalil and Engku Malek Engku Mohd, who were rested against Korea, for today's match.
The teams last met in the 2006 Doha Asian Games where Malaysia thrashed Bangladesh 6-1 in the fifth-eight placing match.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh coach Gerhad Peter Rach said it will be a victory of sorts for his team if they lose 5-0 to Malaysia.
"Our target in this tournament is to score a goal in a Class 'A' international match. Malaysia are light years ahead of us. My players have not gone out of their country for quality matches for almost two years and I cannot expect much from them here," said Peter Rach, who started coaching the team only six weeks ago.
New Straits Times
Koreans to protest; Ind-Pak match to start late
K. Arumugam
Korean management has decided to lodge a protest against a Malaysian player not sent out of field after getting green card twice.
Yesterday in the opening match between Malaysia and Korea, a Malayasian player got a green card in the first half and then again in the 40th min. He contoinued to play the game, though as per FIH rules applicable for their tournaments, two green card automatically becomes yellow card, which meant temporry suspension of player from the match.
According to Dr. Kim, Manager of the Korean team, he pointed out to the officiating umpires so that the Malaysian player in question could be sent out. However, umpire Raghu Prasad, who gave the second green, did not accept it. "We will file a protest", Dr. Kim said
However, this tournament may have specific provision by which the Tournament Director will have discretionary powers to decide on the course. Mohandas (Singapore), Tournament Director here, might have used this provuso.
Meanwhile, The pakistan management has successfully argued for an hour postponement of India-Pak match. The only match of the day Two of the ongoing Asia Cup was to start at 17 hours (malaysian time) but will now be played only at 18 hrrs. The Pakistan management's view is that India is playing their first match while it is second for them in continuity. They require more time to recoup. Both teams agreed to the new time
It is worthwhile to mention here that Shahid Ali Khan, pak coach, pointed out hot-humid conditions for the teams below par performance yesterday against China.
Stick2Hockey.com
Asia Cup – tit bits here and there I
Kuantan is not a big city, a little town buzzing with lots of life. Beach is its attraction, seeks beehive of activity. Hyatt Regency, the official hotel where the teams and officials are put up, is right at the beach side, giving full sea view. Hyatt is in the eastern corner of the town while the hockey stadium is at the far west end. Taxis don’t use meter, and it is your luck if you can make it with reasonable rate from Hyatt to Bisma Belia, sports complex where swimming and hockey facilities are there.
The other day I gathered at Hyatt the Indian team has gone for practice, I rushed to Bisma Belia from Hyatt, cutting a big hole in the pocket, but the team was not there. Only Korea and Bangladesh were practicing. What I missed out the exact reading of pitch nos. Indians were practicing on pitch II, which is a good 10-15 minutes drive from Pitch I. Pitch I is Bismal Belia where the Asia Cup competitions are held. Pitch II is quite far off from it. Why do you then call it pitch II as if it is in the same complex?
Hockey, as usual, does not seem to be popular here, at least with the public. Not many could give you the idea of even where the stadium is. The taxi driver who took us (me, a fan from London, a journo from India) from Terminus Makmur – where I stayed first day before shifting to Green Leaf – could not straightaway take us to Bisma Belia. He stopped the taxi en route, went near a street poster, kept on studying it before getting a clue of his route. Even then he went to some other sports fields before finally taking us to intended destination. Of course he did not charge us extra, stuck to what we bargained early.
You can easily excuse the taxi driver for not knowing hockey. The Chinese vendor, who gave us local sims, too is not aware Asia Cup is being held in his town. But this gentleman knows bits hockey info. “India and Pak are hockey in the past, in my school days. Now Germany, Netherlands and all have come”, he said. Is Australia here in the Asia Cup? We told a weary no.
The stadium is compact, in a good setting. With fresh turf, it looks bright. Turf is bumpy. Can seat, say, hardly two thousands. I think for this town this is a correct number. No use in having big stands and having no one to watch matches.
Gates are free, and as happens in Azlan Shah Cups organizers bring school children, give specific schools jerseys of each team. So, for every match you have a school team rooting for each team. Yes, hockey’s cheer leaders, and investment for future. They are equipped with flags, bandanas, big banners … etc etc
My first encounter at the stadium was the umpires. All ten umpires were together to go for blip test at Pitch I. There are three neutral umpires each from South Africa, New Zealand and far off Argentina. Pan American Fernando was there in Azlan Shah Cup in 2008 as well. One of the umpires is a IPL fan, and he will catch it in the next diary.
to be continued
Stick2Hockey.com
Brasa believes India can be world class again
INDIA'S newly appointed chief coach Jose Manuel Brasa's immediate goals are to guide the national team to a podium finish in the World Cup in New Delhi (March 7-20) and win the gold medal in the Asian Games in Guangzhou (Nov 12-27) -- both next year.
Brasa is aware that he faces a tough task but the 55-year-old Spanish-born coach believes India are capable of making it big again in world hockey.
"If the India players play with their hearts and soul then it is possible to finish on the podium in the World Cup. It's too short period to prepare a well-tuned side to win the World Cup but India players are skillful and with a little bit of change in their style it will surely be an improvement for them," said Brasa, who was the man behind Spain's women winning gold at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, in Kuantan yesterday.
"My aim is to put India on a path that will take them to greater heights. I will only select the best players to represent the country. I have been given freedom to pick the players and plan the training system."
India's only World Cup title was achieved in 1975 in Kuala Lumpur when the then side, captained by Ajitpal Singh, edged Pakistan 2-1 in the final.
Brasa, also a former indoor hockey coach, signed a contract with the India Government to coach the national team till in the 2010 Asian Games with a possible two-year extension to his contract.
"I'm not in India to make immediate changes. The best style may only work for some teams and this is why I need to understand the culture of the game in India first before introducing new things," said Brasa, who will takeover the coaching duties of the India team after the 8th AirAsia Men's Asia Cup in Kuantan.
"Time is not on my side but I have to work hard in that time frame. Of course I have made it clear that the target is the Asian Games gold medal in Guangzhou,"
New Straits Times
German men better than England
In a game which saw five players make their debut and James Tindall make his 100th international (GB and England combined) appearance, England lost out 2-0 to current Olympic and World Champions Germany in the first of two matches in Hamburg. A strong partisan crowd was present to cheer on the host side on a sunny day with the thermometer tipping 26 degrees.
It was the host’s midfielder Christoph Menke who opened the scoring for the world’s number one side when he followed up on a save from James Fair to slot home the rebound to take a one goal advantage which remained until the break.
He doubled his side’s advantage five minutes into the second half when he deflected the ball high into the net from the top of the circle.
England had a good shout for a penalty stroke turned down with eight minutes to go when Tindall’s stick was taken when he was preparing to strike, but the pleas were turned down and a corner was awarded instead and England could find no other openings.
England Manager Pete Nicholson commented “Although Germany probably had the lion’s share of possession, we are pleased our performance. The debutants all put in good performances, but they are at the start of their international careers and are playing against the World and Olympic Champions. The senior players were there to help them out a lot today. With everyone fit, we are looking forward to tomorrow’s match.”
England Hockey Media release
Draw in second match between Germany and England
England drew the second of two matches against the Olympic and World Champions in an end to end match which saw six goals shared between the two sides.
Richard Braun and Christoph Zeller put the hosts 2-0 ahead before two penalty corner goals in three minutes from Surbiton’s Matt Daly and a goal from Bowdon’s Simon Egerton – in what was just his second international appearance – after some good work down the right from Reading’s Jonty Clarke, put England 3-2 up. However, Oliver Korn cancelled out the lead with a goal from open play to rescue the draw for Germany.
England Manager Pete Nicholson commented “There was a marked improvement from yesterday in today’s match. Play was pretty even with chances at both ends and both keepers made good saves. The second half was a feisty affair which was good as we were very competitive.”
Reading’s Iain MacKay received a knock to his leg during the match and as a result only played 10 minutes throughout the game.
England have a busy year ahead with the EuroHockey Nations Championships in Amsterdam in August and the ABN AMRO Champions Trophy in Melbourne in December.
Germany – England 3-3 (1-0)
Goals Germany: Richard Braun 15 (F), Christoph Zeller 42 (PC), Oliver Korn 65 (F)
Goals England: Matt Daly 50,53 (PC,PC), Simon Egerton 61 (F)
England Hockey Media release
England fight back to give Germany a scare
By Charles Randall
England came within five minutes of pulling off a shock victory when they drew 3-3 with Olympic champions Germany in Nuremberg on Sunday.
A repeat of the previous day's 2-0 defeat looked on the cards when England went two down early in the second half, but two goals from penalty corners by Matt Daly in three minutes, followed by a third by Simon Egerton, of Bowdon, rocked the Germans.
Oliver Korn's equaliser from open play four minutes later denied England after a much improved performance. The earlier goals arrived through Richard Braun and Christoph Zeller, scorer of the gold medal goal at last year's Beijing final against Spain.
Christoph Menke scored both Germany's goals at Nuremburg on Saturday when England's coach Jason Lee gave five players their debut – Egerton, Adam Dixon (Beeston), Dan Fox (Hampstead & Westminster), Iain Mackay (Reading) and Richard Smith (Loughborough).
Mackay, due to play in the EH Cup final against Beeston at Nottingham next Saturday, suffered a leg injury after 10 minutes in the second match.
England are next in action with two matches against Australia at Highfields in Nottingham on June 10 and 12. England's women meet Spain twice at the same venue on June 13 and 14.
The Telegraph
Second win for Germany against Ireland
Germany won its second match against Ireland this weekend. After winning 3-0 in the first clash, the German team took a 4-2 victory.
Despite losing, the Irish coach Gene Muller was very pleased: 'I am very pleased with our play today. We played with real conviction and it showed on the pitch. The German's scored to make it 3-2 with five left on the clock and we conceded again in the last minute when we were chasing the draw. We had some very strong individual performances today.'
The only change in today's starting line up was in goals with Emma Gray stepping between the posts as Muller rested Louisa Moore. The Irish side started much better than yesterday and despite coming under strong German attack their defense stood strong marshaled by an on form McKeever. Within ten minutes Ireland had their first real chance when a through ball was delivered to McKean who was only denied a shot by the last defender. Only three minutes later the German's opened the scoring when Natasha Kelleher picked up a loose ball to come in and shoot from close range. Two minutes later Ireland leveled matters when birthday girl Emma Smyth made a great steal to set up Cregan who showed her experience by squeezing a way a cracking shot at the tightest of angles between the keeper and the post. Ireland continued to contest well but no goals were coming their way until they had a golden opportunity with just four minutes to go before the break with the only penalty corner of the match but the shot went wide and the sides finished one all at the break.
Ireland grew in confidence as the second half ensued and had some good opportunities to take the lead as they played with conviction and aggression which also resulted in green cards for both Symmons and Small. Despite conceding three short corners in a six minute spell Ireland's defense held strong and Gray was composed in goals. Ireland were also forced to soak up the pressure for ten minutes a man down as McKeever was shown a yellow for a bad tackle, and ironically they held strong until they returned to full strength when Beerman made it 2-1 for her side. Ireland surged once again and Small made a great attack which was illegally defended resulting in a penalty stroke being awarded which Symmons duly converted to level the sides to 2-2 once again.
As the clock ticked on both sides went in search of the winner and a quick German attack released Beerman up front to get away a shot to score her brace and Germany's third goal of the day. Ireland then visibly went on the hunt for an equalizer and in doing so left themselves open allowing Keller to break through once again and secure her sides victory with just 120seconds left on the clock.
Germany – Ireland 4-2 (1-1)
Goals Germany: Natascha Keller 2; Janine Beerman 2.
Goals Ireland: Eimear Cregan; Nikki Symmons
Irish Hockey Association media release
Wazalendo On Top
By Oscar Pilipili and Ernest Ndunda
Wazalendo scored twice in each half to beat Green Sharks 4-2 in an explosive premier league hockey match at City Park Stadium, Nairobi.
Fans were allowed free entry at the stadium in yesterday’s matches, thanks to a collapsed perimeter wall.
The front wall that measures about 50 metres succumbed to rains last Monday, leaving the pitch exposed.
Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) secretary Peter Kiruma said there was illogical to charge fans with an open Stadium.
"There was no point of charging fans when they can watch the proceedings from outside the stadium," he said. Contractors are re-erecting the concrete wall.
As the KHU counted its loses, fans who are known to be regular members of the ‘Russian’ section of the pitch, capitalised on the natural calamity to access the executive centre stand.
Return to terraces
"It is just a matter of time before we return to our usual terraces," one fan was overheard saying.
During the match, Sharks were the first to score when John Wachira converted a penalty corner off Nixon Nyangaga after 20 minutes.
Wazalendo who displayed great form equalised through a penalty stroke that was converted by David Were in the 28th minute.
The penalty was awarded after a Sharks defender used his leg to block a goal-bound ball with goalkeeper Elly Asura well beaten.
Peter Karanja put Wazalendo in control after he picked a ball from Were and danced around Sharks defenders inside the circle before releasing a cracking shot past a hapless Asura in goal.
Inspired by the lead, the youthful Wazalendo extended the lead to 3-1 with a goal from Wycliffe Mbenda in the 42nd minute.
Substitute James Were sounded the boards to push Wazalendo’s advantage to three goals in the 63rd minute.
Early lead
Sharks reduced the gap when unmarked Edwin Otieno scored their second in the 65th minute.
Down Coast, Mombasa Institute handed their neighbours Mombasa Sports Club a 3-1 beating in a national men’s hockey league match.
The match played at Mombasa Sports Club saw Institute take an early lead in the second minute through Friday Mathew.
The Institute players steered by their former national team goalkeeper Chris Maruti surged ahead in the 14th minute when Peter Obalo struck the target and David Markopiyo added the third five minutes later.
MSC got their consolation goal through Titus Mulwa in the 57th minute.
The teams, Institute and MSC will be at home to host Parklands Sports Club and Barbarians all from Nairobi this weekend.
Meanwhile, national women’s league side Sliders will have their tournament between May 30 and 31 at City Park Stadium.
The club’s secretary Tina Agunda said the tournament is open to men and women’s teams from clubs, institutions, colleges and schools.
The entrance fee is Sh2,000 for clubs and institutions while schools and institutions will be required to pay Sh1,500.
The Standard Online
Hockey units unhappy at IOA's merger initiative
The Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) reported attempt to merge the two national hockey governing bodies - the Indian Hockey Federation (men) and the Indian Women’s Hockey Association (IWHF) - has raised hackles in some quarters.
Speaking to IANS in Chennai on Friday, Kannan Krishnamurthy, secretary of the Karnataka State Hockey Association, said: “We have learnt that the IOA has taken the initiative to merge the two units, IHF and the IWHA, in view of the notice issued by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). We strongly object to the IOA’s unilateral move to call the IWHA officials for a meeting in this regard."
"The merger can only be performed by the elected representatives of the two bodies and not the IOA,” he said.
The FIH issued a stern warning in April that unless the two governing bodies unite into Hockey India, representing the interests of both men’s and women’s hockey within the next six months, the 2010 World Cup allotted to India would be shifted to Malaysia.
Krishnamurthy, who is being projected as a strong candidate for the post of IHF secretary if and when fresh elections are held to the now-suspended body, said: “Yes, there is a need to merge the two federations, but that is something only the stakeholders can initiate. The IOA is exceeding its brief by wanting to conduct a dialogue with the IWHA on the matter of merger.”
He said of more urgency is elections to the IHF that was suspended a year ago by the IOA in the wake of a bribery scandal involving the then secretary-general K Jothikumaran, who has since resigned. In its place, the IOA appointed an ad hoc body comprising Olympians and former India players to administer the sport.
“It has been over a year now since the IHF was suspended and we feel the first corrective step would be to conduct free and fair elections. Once the new office-bearers are elected, they in turn can have discussions with the women’s federation about merger. The IOA, on its part, cannot be a part of this process,” said Krishnamurthy.
In March, some 28 state associations, all affiliated to the IHF, had submitted a memorandum to the IOA requesting it to call for a general body meeting and elections.
“It is imperative that the country’s hockey affairs are run by the IHF and not the IOA or its extension which is the ad hoc committee. As it is, the IOA is seized of more important matters such as the Commonwealth Games in Delhi next year. In the process, there is needless delay in setting right matters in the IHF. So far, the IOA is still to respond to our memorandum,” he said.
“The IOA has no palpable reason to hang on to the power and they have no idea as how to proceed further. Domestic hockey calendar has taken a big beating though it is to be lauded that the national teams are provided adequate support and encouragement by allowing them to take part in various international events. But, we cannot understand as to why the ad-hoc committee is still not inclined to hand over the administration to the actual stakeholders who are the state associations and affiliated units of the IHF,” he added.
Contributing the delay is the case filed by IHF president KPS Gill, seeking a reversal of the suspension, Krishnamurthy pointed out.
He hoped that the IWHA officials would desist from meeting the IOA officials on the merger issue. “In fact, the IWHF must tell IOA that it shall only deal with the representatives of IHF,” Krishnamurthy said.
What the Papers Say Today - Stick2Hockey.com
Indian hockey owes a lot to Dilip Tirkey
Dilip Tirkey is one of those rare gems that any country would be proud to have. Tirkey's milestone of becoming the highest capped hockey player in the world during the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia, last month went almost unnoticed. He equalled the world record of 401 internationals, held by former Dutch captain Joren Delmee.
One would have thought that Tirkey's homecoming would be celebrated, some sports lover or association would come forward to host a party, order a cake and champagne. But such courtesies are reserved only for cricketers.
Instead, Tirkey quietly returned home with the triumphant Azlan Shah team, and again left for Malaysia this week for the Asia Cup that starts Saturday.
The unassuming player from Sundergarh, Orissa, who has given his everything to the sport, deserved better treatment.
Tirkey belongs to that hallowed circle of international sports heroes who are above such things like the honour of leading the team. Tirkey is to the Indian hockey team what Sachin Tendulkar is to the cricket team. Their very presence is a source of strength.
The tough full-back has come a long way since he had his international baptism as an 18-year-old. He has three Olympic Games (Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004), and as many World Cups, Asian Games and Asia Cups, and four Champions Trophy tournaments behind him.
If only India had qualified for last year's Beijing Olympics, he would have been only the fourth Indian to have played in four Olympic Games, Udham Singh, Leslie Claudius and Dhanraj Pillai having done so before him. No Indian hockey player could have missed Beijing as badly as Tirkey.
Tirkey has a lot of hockey left in him. The day is not very far when he will touch the mindboggling figure of 500 international caps for India who have a busy season or two ahead what with the Asia Cup next month in Kuantan, Malaysia, and the World Cup and Commonwealth Games next year in New Delhi, with a European tour and other international engagements in between.
The 500 milestone would be like climbing the Everest. If Tirkey has talked of retirement after the 2010 Commonwealth Games one can understand. Only he knows how much more his body can take.
Comparisons in the fast changing game of hockey are risky. Tirkey's tackling reminds older students of the game of another stalwart tackler Michael Kindo of the 1970s. But Tirkey's sturdier build makes him look more formidable.
One remembers with horror the day at the New Delhi's Maj. Dhyan Chand Stadium a few years ago when, rushing out defending a penalty corner he took a drag flick by Pakistan's Sohail Abbas, then the world's best at it, smack on his face. Taking a 150 kmph or so hard hockey ball on an unprotected face can even be fatal. Like everyone else in the stadium that day, Sohail also had his worst fears. It could have been the end of any hockey player's career. But the intrepid Tirkey made an admirable comeback. No way you can keep tough men like Tirkey out.
Last month Sandeep Singh, the young captain and drag flick expert of the recent Azlan Shah Cup-winning Indian hockey team at Ipoh, Malaysia, was adjudged man of the tournament.
But every scorer is aware that no matter how many he may score or how many headlines he may find his name in, you can't win tournaments without the support of doughty tacklers in the defence who prevent opponents from scoring against you. Sandeep has handsomely acknowledged the role of his senior and former captain Dilip 'Bhai', as he deferentially addresses the elder statesman of the team.
What the Papers Say Today - Stick2Hockey.com
Pakistan comes clean against arch rivals India,3-2
K. Arumugam
Pakistan defeated India 3-2 in the rain marred pool match of the 8th Asia Cup. The winning goal was scored by Sohail Abbas off the 5th penalty corner in the 55th minute. India got two penalty corners and a couple of chances thereafter to equalize, but they miffed it all.
This is India's first lost to Pakistan after 2006 Commonwealth Games, that was held in March.
SV Sunil in particular was so opportunitistic and aggressive, two of his efforts, though goal worth, did not move the scoreboard in the last five minutes.
For Pakistan, the young Haseem, who scored the golden goal in the Johar Bahru 4-Nation recently, scored a brace in the 32 and 36th minutes.
India took the lead off the first penalty corner, Prabhjot Singh deflecting the rebound ball waist high into the net. A minute before the half time, a defence slip led to youngster Haseem Khan equalizing.
The match was stopped due to heavy rain after India equalized through Rajpal Singh in the 46th minute.
In the first minute of resumption, off Rehan Butt's feed, youngster Haseem tapped in a melee to give Pak the lead
A combined move from Gurbaj and Sardar Singh created a flutter inside the Pak circle, of which Rajpal Singh deflected a shot in the 45th minute. Even as India picked up the gautlet from thereon, rains stopped the flow.
The match that started on a furious pace came to a standstill at the fourth minute when Tariq Aziz's shot home from top of Circle. However, umpire John Wright of South Africa disallowed it, holding the ball was hit from outside the circle.
"It happens, its a human error, we are not unduly disturbed by it", said Shahid Ali Khan, the former goalkeeper turned coach.
It is interestingly observed all the four recalled stars did their best intoday's Pakistan victory. Pakistan's first goal was a lucky one, as Sandeep Singh needlessly hung on to the ball inside the D and then slipped giving a golden chance to hawkish Haseem to effect a zero angle shot. It touched the right corner of the net.
"We needed a scorer, and we got in Haseem", said Shahid Ali Khan in the post match conference.
Note: It was wrongly reported Rehan Butt scored the second goal, it was officially claried by the coach Shahid Ali Khan that the second goal was by Haseem.
Stick2Hockey.com
Coach Shahid says victory will boost title hopes
By Khalid Hussain
KARACHI: Pakistan are hoping that Sunday's 3-2 triumph over India will serve them as a much-needed tonic during the rest of their Asia Cup campaign in Kuantan, Malaysia.
Facing possible elimination, Pakistan clicked when it mattered most to edge out India in an action-packed encounter and now their coach is hoping that his charges will maintain the golden form in Thursday's semifinals.
"It was the sort of win that can work wonders for your confidence," Shahid Ali Khan, Pakistan's coach, told 'The News' from Kuantan. "We haven't been playing badly in the past but our results were quite. I hope that today's victory will change all that," he added.
Pakistan crashed to a dismal fourth position in the five-nation Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia last month and opened their Asia Cup campaign on Saturday with an uni9mpressive 1-1 draw against China.
But they seemed to be a different side against in-form India - the defending champions - and Shahid stressed that it was all because they played like a disciplined unit.
"We've finally found the one ingredient that's been missing for a while," he said. "The boys played like a well-oiled unit and followed the game plan properly. All credit of this win should go to them," said the former Olympian.
Shahid pointed out that the match was played in really tough conditions but his boys were in top gear in the tough encounter against the defending champions.
"It had rained for almost an hour today and the pitch was really very heavy," he said. "Things were really tough because of the heat and the fact that India played very aggressively but my boys were better."
Shahid, who took over as Pakistan coach this February, was all praise for young striker Abdul Haseem Khan, who scored twice against India. "Haseem was brilliant today. We selected him in the Asia Cup because he is a genuine centre-forward and I'm really happy we took that decision."
Haseem is the national Under-21 captain and is supposed to lead Pakistan's campaign in next month's Junior World Cup to be played in Malaysia and Singapore.
After having played back-to-back games against China and India, Pakistan will have a well-deserved break till May 14 when the semifinals of the seven-nation event will take place.
Shahid said that the team management has decided against having any rest days and will carry out extensive practice sessions ahead of the last-four clash.
"We have booked the pitch for all the three days because there is still a lot of room for improvement," he said. "Our target now is to secure a place in the final but the boys will have to give their best in our next match."
Pakistan have a few minor injuries with young midfielder Muhammad Irfan, who is a vital player because of his role as a 'dasher' in penalty corner defense, suffering from an ankle injury.
But Shahid is confident that his players, who have played two tough games in a row, will rejuvenate during the three-day break.
The News International
Pakistan edge India in pulsating clash to enter semi-finals
By S. RAMAGURU
KUANTAN: Pakistan booked a place in the semi-finals of the Asia Cup hockey tournament after edging arch rivals India 3-2 in a pulsating Group B match at the Kuantan Hockey Stadium yesterday.
In a match which Pakistan must win, following their opening 1-1 draw with China, they had the ball in the net as early as the fourth minute when Tariq Aziz slotted home from the top of the D. But South African umpire Jon Wright blew for a 16-year hit to India as the shot was taken from outside the D.
There was much anticipation in the first half with the expected duel between the two penalty corner specialists Sohail Abbas of Pakistan and Sandeep Singh of India.
Sohail had two chances which failed to bear results. The first attempt failed due to poor stopping of the ball while his second attempt was saved by India goalkeeper Baljit Singh.
Sandeep had one chance but his soft flick was saved by Pakistan goalkeeper Salman Akhbar. The rebound fell to Prabhjot Singh who pushed it in for the opening goal in the 16th minute
Then came the equaliser from Pakistan which was given on a platter. In a quick counter attack, the ball was sent into India’s D and skipper Sandeep tripped over while attempting to get to the ball. Haseem Khan gleefully picked up the loose ball to hit an acute shot into the top of the net in the 33rd minute.
Pakistan started off aggressively in the second half and it took them only a minute after the start to take the lead when Haseem deflected a long ball into goal.
Then the rain came and it slowed down the game. And it benefited India as Rajpal Singh put India level with a field goal in the 46th minute.
Then conditions became unplayable and the game was stopped for 45 minutes.
And when play resumed, Pakistan’s Sohail lived up to his reputation as the best penalty corner specialist in the world with the winning flick in the 54th minute of the delayed game.
The Star of Malaysia
Sohail stars for Pakistan with late strike
SOHAIL Abbas' trademark penalty corner goal helped Pakistan edge arch rivals India 3-2 in a thrilling Group B encounter, which was stopped for about 45 minutes due to a heavy downpour, in the 8th AirAsia Men's Asia Cup at the Wisma Belia Stadium in Kuantan yesterday.
Sohail, in his first international tournament in two years, found his rhythm in his fourth penalty corner attempt when he sent a low drive past India's goalkeeper Baljit Singh in the 55th minute for the winning goal which ensured Pakistan a spot in the semi-finals.
Pakistan coach Shahid Ali Khan said his players played their hearts out yesterday to notch this important victory.
"It's always a pressure game against India. We took our chances well and it made the difference. I told my players to play aggressive and it left India back-tracking for most periods of the match," said Shahid yesterday.
India started on a right note when Prabhjot Singh scored off a rebound from the penalty corner attempt by captain Sandeep Singh in the 16th minute.
Pakistan players protested as they felt Prabhjot had committed a foul but it was turned down by New Zealand umpire Simon Taylor.
Pakistan began to make inroads deep in India's half and were rewarded in the 32nd minute when Haseem Khan, after getting past Sandeep, sent a delightful reverse attempt to the top corner leaving keeper Baljit rooted. Boosted by the goal, Pakistan stunned India's sleepy defence when they took a 2-1 lead through Haseem's field attempt in the 36th minute.
India turned on the heat and equalised 10 minutes later when Sardar Singh deflected a pass from Gurbaj Singh. After the goal, the technical officer stopped the match for nearly 45 minutes due to a heavy downpour.
Pakistan dominated proceedings and deservedly scored their third though Sohail in the 56th minute. India pressed for an equaliser but to no avail.
India, the defending champions, have to beat China tomorrow to earn a place in the semi-finals.
New Straits Times
Pakistan in Men’s Asia Cup semifinals
Pakistan reached the semifinal stage of the men’s Asia Cup after defeating tournament favorite India on the second day of play in Kuantan, Malaysia.
Pakistan outplayed India by 3-2 after a thrilling game. At the end of the first half, the match was tied by 1-1. In the 4th minute Tariq Aziz of Pakistan scored a goal but umpire disallowed the goal. In the 15th minute India got the first penalty corner and scored the goal on it by Parbjot Singh.
Pakistan got two penalty corners in 16th and 21st minutes but did not succeeded to score a goal. Pakistan’s Abdul Haseem Khan leveled the score in 33rd minute by the mistake of Indian defender.
In the start of the second half Rehan Butt scored the second goal in 36th minute. In 42nd minute Pakistan missed another penalty corner. In 45th minute Rajpal Singh scored a field goal and once again leveled the match by 2-2.
When the match entered in 46th minute match was stopped due to the heavy showers and the match was stopped till 45 minutes. After the break in 54th minute Sohail Abbas scored a goal on penalty corner and took Pakistan in commanding position. In the second half India got three penalty corners in 59th, 60th and 65th minutes but they did not succeeded to level the match.
Pakistan in now on the top in pool B with four points and qualified for the semifinal stage. The second team of the pool B for semi final will be decided after the match between India and China on 12 May. India needs only win to qualify and China needs win or draw to qualify for the semifinal.
Results Men’s Asia Cup:
Pool B:
Pakistan – India 3-2 (1-1)
Ranking: 1. Pakistan 2-4 (4-3), China 1-1 (1-1), 3. India 1-0 (2-3)
Pakistan Hockey Federation media release
India lose to Pakistan 2-3
KUANTAN (Malaysia): Defending champions India started their Asia Cup campaign on a disastrous note, going down 2-3 to arch-rivals Pakistan in a nerve-wrecking rain-marred Pool B match at the Wisma Belia Kuantan Hockey Stadium on Sunday.
With this win and the draw against China on Saturday, the three-time former champions Pakistan, who lost to India 1-2 in the Azlan Shah Cup here last month, are assured of a place in Thursday's semi-final, while India will have to win their last pool match against the Chinese on Tuesday to qualify for the last four stage.
India-Pakistan encounters have always been nail-biting and today's match was no exception with the traditional rivals starting the game on a high pace note and seemed in no mood to give an inch to each other.
Both the teams displayed very high speed and attractive hockey in the pulsating opening half with the ball continuously moving from one end to the other.
Pakistan was the more aggressive of the two sides and found the net as early as in the fourth minute through Tariq Aziz from the top of the semi circle but umpire John Right ruled out the goal due to an infringement and in turn gave a 16 yard hit to the Indians.
Stung by Pakistan's early attacks, the Indians stepped up their offensive and very nearly came to scoring in the 13th minute only to be denied by experienced Pakistan custodian Salman Akbar.
India opened the scoring against the run of play after Prabjot Singh converted a rebound from skipper Sandeep Singh's penalty corner in the 15th minute.
But with just two minutes remaining for the breather, Pakistan struck back with Hasneem Khan scoring with a reverse stick from a well build up counter attack.
Pakistan could have scored many had they not wasted several penalty corner attempts with the Indian defence standing tall.
Experienced centre forward Rehan Butt, who made a comeback to the national team in this tournament, made it 2-1 for Pakistan in the very first minute of the second half from a goalmouth melee.
India soon drew parity in the 10th minute through Rajpal Singh's field goal before heavy rains suspended play for nearly 40 minutes.
However, another comeback man, veteran Sohail Abbas, ensured a happy outing for Pakistan when he scored the winning goal off their fifth short corner in the 55th minute through a powerful dragflick which beat Indian custodian Baljit Singh hands down.
Thereafter, India got two penalty corners and a couple of chances to equalise, but they miffed it all with goalkeeper Akbar coming to Pakistan's rescue on many occasions.
SV Sunil was the star performer for India but was unlucky not to have registered his name in the scoreboard, while skipper Sandeep was off-colour as he wasted three penalty corners in the last 10 minutes of the match.
The Times of India
India go down to Pakistan
India lost 2-3 against Pakistan in their Pool B hockey match of the Asia Cup in Malaysia on Sunday.
With today's win and the draw against China yesterday, the three-time former champions Pakistan, who lost to India 1-2 in the Azlan Shah Cup here last month, are assured of a place in Thursday's semi-final, while India will have to win their last pool match against the Chinese on Tuesday to qualify for the last four stage.
India-Pakistan encounters have always been nail-biting and today's match was no exception with the traditional rivals starting the game on a high pace note and seemed in no mood to give an inch to each other.
Both the teams displayed very high speed and attractive hockey in the pulsating opening half with the ball continuously moving from one end to the other.
Pakistan was the more aggressive of the two sides and found the net as early as in the fourth minute through Tariq Aziz from the top of the semi circle but umpire John Right ruled out the goal due to an infringement and in turn gave a 16 yard hit to the Indians.
Stung by Pakistan's early attacks, the Indians stepped up their offensive and very nearly came to scoring in the 13th minute only to be denied by experienced Pakistan custodian Salman Akbar. India opened the scoring against the run of play after Prabjot Singh converted a rebound from skipper Sandeep Singh's penalty corner in the 15th minute.
But with just two minutes remaining for the breather, Pakistan struck back with Hasneem Khan scoring with a reverse stick from a well build up counter attack.
Pakistan could have scored many had they not wasted several penalty corner attempts with the Indian defence standing tall.
Experienced centre forward Rehan Butt, who made a comeback to the national team in this tournament, made it 2-1 for Pakistan in the very first minute of the second half from a goalmouth melee.
India soon drew parity in the 10th minute through Rajpal Singh's field goal before heavy rains suspended play for nearly 40 minutes.
However, another comeback man, veteran Sohail Abbas, ensured a happy outing for Pakistan when he scored the winning goal off their fifth short corner in the 55th minute through a powerful dragflick which beat Indian custodian Baljit Singh hands down. Thereafter, India got two penalty corners and a couple of chances to equalise, but they miffed it all with goalkeeper Akbar coming to Pakistan's rescue on many occasions.
SV Sunil was the star performer for India today but was unlucky not to have registered his name in the scoreboard, while skipper Sandeep was off-colour as he wasted three penalty corners in the last 10 minutes of the match.
ESPNStar.com
Pakistan edge past India, enter last-4
Kuantan (Malaysia), May 10: Sohail Abbas found his scoring touch just in time to lead Pakistan into the Asia Cup hockey semifinal with a 3-2 win over India in a Group B match in Malaysia on Sunday.
The Pakistanis had five penalty corners but Sohail was on target with only one attempt and that turned out to be the winner.
Pakistan had earlier on Saturday drawn 1-1 with China and needed a win to book their place in the semifinals.
Pakistan coach Shahid Ali Khan said that the recall of the four players from Europe made the difference in the match.
"Sohail, Salman Akbar, Waseem Ahmed and Rehan Butt gave us experience and were influential in the win.
"We needed full points and credit to the players for achieving it," he said.
The match was an absorbing encounter with a lot of goal-scoring chances at both ends.
Pakistan took the initiative from the start. They had the ball in the back of the net in the fourth minute but Tariq Aziz’s effort was ruled out by South African umpire Jon Wright.
Left winger Prabhjot Singh gave India the lead in the 16th minute after a botched penalty corner attempt.
The Pakistanis drew level in the 33rd minute when skipper Sandeep Singh fumbled with his clearance and allowed the 20-year-old Haseem Khan to score.
In the second half, Pakistan went on the offensive early and took the lead just one minute into the game.
Haseem Khan was the scorer when he deflected a long ball into the D.
Rain started to fall in the 43rd minute and India managed to score their equaliser in the 46th minute through Rajpal Singh before play was stopped.
Play resumed after 45 minutes. Pakistan attacked and in the 54th minute won a penalty corner.
Sohail finally got it correct with a low flick to put his team in the semis.
India coach Harendra Singh was disappointed with the result but remained confident that his team will make the semifinals.
"It was a good match and could have gone either way. Now we are under pressure and will have to win against China on Tuesday," he said.
"My players did well and I have no complaints about their performance," he added.
The Asian Age
Bangladesh out to break the duck against Malaysia
KUANTAN: Bangladesh has thrown in the towel as far as their campaign in the on-going Asia Cup hockey tournament is concerned.
Their ultimate target is, in fact, to score one goal against a top hockey team – and they hope to do it when they play Malaysia today.
Their German coach Gerhad Peter Rach said the team have not scored a goal against a top hockey playing nation in the last few years and he would like to see that end during the Asia Cup.
“That is our target. We do not have a well prepared team and you cannot do much when you have not played any practice matches.
“We only played two friendlies against the Malaysian Juniors prior to the tournament. So to expect a great performance from us is not right,” said Rach.
Bangladesh lost 0-5 to Japan and the German was not too disappointed with the result.
“Five goals is not a big defeat for us. We used to get beaten by bigger margins by the top teams.
The match with Japan highlighted our shortcomings. The players we have are the best in our country but they are sorely lacking in experience.
“They could not handle the pressure and neither are they able to match the others. The gap is too wide between the top teams and us,” he said.
Rach expects Malaysia to win but he wants his players to get a goal.
Rach was India’s first foreign coach from 2004-2005. He guided the team to the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2005 Champions Trophy tournament.
He only joined Bangladesh six months ago and his long association with the team will depend on their performance in the Asia Cup.
“I do not know what my future is with the national team but it will be decided after the Asia Cup. For the moment, I am handling the team for this tournament only,” he said.
Bangladesh come into the Asia Cup as the Asia Hockey Federation (AHF) Cup champions. The AHF Cup is a second tier tournament for Asian teams.
Rach added that they are certainly out of their depth for this tournament and said that teams in the AHF Cup will be outclassed in the Asia Cup.
“I think that is why Oman did not come here. They would have been beaten soundly too. This is the reality and the gap is too wide,” he said. Oman, the AHF Cup runner-up, also qualified for the Asia Cup.
It would not be wrong to say Bangladesh will be in for a thrashing against Malaysia but they will definitely give their best – as scoring a goal for them is like winning a match.
The Star of Malaysia
Malaysia must show Bangladesh no mercy
BANGLADESH have not played in a Class 'A' tournament for almost two years and Malaysia have been doing so quite regularly for decades.
And when the teams meet in today's Group A match of the 8th AirAsia Men's Asia Cup, logically, the hosts should score an overwhelming win which will boost their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals.
Bangladesh, presently, are not in the same class as Malaysia and this was evident a few days ago when the national juniors, who are preparing for next month's Junior World Cup, mauled them 6-1.
The Juniors have set a benchmark score and the seniors must try to breach that against the minnows. There is no reason why the seniors can't do it.
The Malaysians are gradually improving and their confidence is also on a high after the impressive 1-1 draw against World No 5 South Korea on Saturday.
But as is always the case, the players are prone to taking things lightly when up against weaker teams and thus end up struggling to win matches where they should be piling up the goals.
National interim coach Tai Beng Hai understands this situation and has advised the players to give their 100 per cent against Bangladesh.
"There are no easy teams in this tournament. Bangladesh are minnows in the game but we need to treat them with respect. They can be dangerous if taken lightly," said Beng Hai in Kuantan yesterday.
"The aim is to win big as it may be crucial in our qualification for the semi-finals. Our players are experienced enough to win this match easily."
He added: "The players, I feel, are mentally and physically stronger after the four-and-half-months of training and they are starting to get confident. It's important that they keep it the upward momentum going in this tournament."
However, Beng Hai will make some changes in his first eleven with some fringe players expected to start the match.
"It's not huge changes but small ones. Those who played small roles against South Korea like S. Selvaraju and Jivan Mohan, will play bigger roles tomorrow (today)."
Beng Hai may also opt to field forward Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Jalil and Engku Malek Engku Mohd, who were rested against Korea, for today's match.
The teams last met in the 2006 Doha Asian Games where Malaysia thrashed Bangladesh 6-1 in the fifth-eight placing match.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh coach Gerhad Peter Rach said it will be a victory of sorts for his team if they lose 5-0 to Malaysia.
"Our target in this tournament is to score a goal in a Class 'A' international match. Malaysia are light years ahead of us. My players have not gone out of their country for quality matches for almost two years and I cannot expect much from them here," said Peter Rach, who started coaching the team only six weeks ago.
New Straits Times
Koreans to protest; Ind-Pak match to start late
K. Arumugam
Korean management has decided to lodge a protest against a Malaysian player not sent out of field after getting green card twice.
Yesterday in the opening match between Malaysia and Korea, a Malayasian player got a green card in the first half and then again in the 40th min. He contoinued to play the game, though as per FIH rules applicable for their tournaments, two green card automatically becomes yellow card, which meant temporry suspension of player from the match.
According to Dr. Kim, Manager of the Korean team, he pointed out to the officiating umpires so that the Malaysian player in question could be sent out. However, umpire Raghu Prasad, who gave the second green, did not accept it. "We will file a protest", Dr. Kim said
However, this tournament may have specific provision by which the Tournament Director will have discretionary powers to decide on the course. Mohandas (Singapore), Tournament Director here, might have used this provuso.
Meanwhile, The pakistan management has successfully argued for an hour postponement of India-Pak match. The only match of the day Two of the ongoing Asia Cup was to start at 17 hours (malaysian time) but will now be played only at 18 hrrs. The Pakistan management's view is that India is playing their first match while it is second for them in continuity. They require more time to recoup. Both teams agreed to the new time
It is worthwhile to mention here that Shahid Ali Khan, pak coach, pointed out hot-humid conditions for the teams below par performance yesterday against China.
Stick2Hockey.com
Asia Cup – tit bits here and there I
Kuantan is not a big city, a little town buzzing with lots of life. Beach is its attraction, seeks beehive of activity. Hyatt Regency, the official hotel where the teams and officials are put up, is right at the beach side, giving full sea view. Hyatt is in the eastern corner of the town while the hockey stadium is at the far west end. Taxis don’t use meter, and it is your luck if you can make it with reasonable rate from Hyatt to Bisma Belia, sports complex where swimming and hockey facilities are there.
The other day I gathered at Hyatt the Indian team has gone for practice, I rushed to Bisma Belia from Hyatt, cutting a big hole in the pocket, but the team was not there. Only Korea and Bangladesh were practicing. What I missed out the exact reading of pitch nos. Indians were practicing on pitch II, which is a good 10-15 minutes drive from Pitch I. Pitch I is Bismal Belia where the Asia Cup competitions are held. Pitch II is quite far off from it. Why do you then call it pitch II as if it is in the same complex?
Hockey, as usual, does not seem to be popular here, at least with the public. Not many could give you the idea of even where the stadium is. The taxi driver who took us (me, a fan from London, a journo from India) from Terminus Makmur – where I stayed first day before shifting to Green Leaf – could not straightaway take us to Bisma Belia. He stopped the taxi en route, went near a street poster, kept on studying it before getting a clue of his route. Even then he went to some other sports fields before finally taking us to intended destination. Of course he did not charge us extra, stuck to what we bargained early.
You can easily excuse the taxi driver for not knowing hockey. The Chinese vendor, who gave us local sims, too is not aware Asia Cup is being held in his town. But this gentleman knows bits hockey info. “India and Pak are hockey in the past, in my school days. Now Germany, Netherlands and all have come”, he said. Is Australia here in the Asia Cup? We told a weary no.
The stadium is compact, in a good setting. With fresh turf, it looks bright. Turf is bumpy. Can seat, say, hardly two thousands. I think for this town this is a correct number. No use in having big stands and having no one to watch matches.
Gates are free, and as happens in Azlan Shah Cups organizers bring school children, give specific schools jerseys of each team. So, for every match you have a school team rooting for each team. Yes, hockey’s cheer leaders, and investment for future. They are equipped with flags, bandanas, big banners … etc etc
My first encounter at the stadium was the umpires. All ten umpires were together to go for blip test at Pitch I. There are three neutral umpires each from South Africa, New Zealand and far off Argentina. Pan American Fernando was there in Azlan Shah Cup in 2008 as well. One of the umpires is a IPL fan, and he will catch it in the next diary.
to be continued
Stick2Hockey.com
Brasa believes India can be world class again
INDIA'S newly appointed chief coach Jose Manuel Brasa's immediate goals are to guide the national team to a podium finish in the World Cup in New Delhi (March 7-20) and win the gold medal in the Asian Games in Guangzhou (Nov 12-27) -- both next year.
Brasa is aware that he faces a tough task but the 55-year-old Spanish-born coach believes India are capable of making it big again in world hockey.
"If the India players play with their hearts and soul then it is possible to finish on the podium in the World Cup. It's too short period to prepare a well-tuned side to win the World Cup but India players are skillful and with a little bit of change in their style it will surely be an improvement for them," said Brasa, who was the man behind Spain's women winning gold at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, in Kuantan yesterday.
"My aim is to put India on a path that will take them to greater heights. I will only select the best players to represent the country. I have been given freedom to pick the players and plan the training system."
India's only World Cup title was achieved in 1975 in Kuala Lumpur when the then side, captained by Ajitpal Singh, edged Pakistan 2-1 in the final.
Brasa, also a former indoor hockey coach, signed a contract with the India Government to coach the national team till in the 2010 Asian Games with a possible two-year extension to his contract.
"I'm not in India to make immediate changes. The best style may only work for some teams and this is why I need to understand the culture of the game in India first before introducing new things," said Brasa, who will takeover the coaching duties of the India team after the 8th AirAsia Men's Asia Cup in Kuantan.
"Time is not on my side but I have to work hard in that time frame. Of course I have made it clear that the target is the Asian Games gold medal in Guangzhou,"
New Straits Times
German men better than England
In a game which saw five players make their debut and James Tindall make his 100th international (GB and England combined) appearance, England lost out 2-0 to current Olympic and World Champions Germany in the first of two matches in Hamburg. A strong partisan crowd was present to cheer on the host side on a sunny day with the thermometer tipping 26 degrees.
It was the host’s midfielder Christoph Menke who opened the scoring for the world’s number one side when he followed up on a save from James Fair to slot home the rebound to take a one goal advantage which remained until the break.
He doubled his side’s advantage five minutes into the second half when he deflected the ball high into the net from the top of the circle.
England had a good shout for a penalty stroke turned down with eight minutes to go when Tindall’s stick was taken when he was preparing to strike, but the pleas were turned down and a corner was awarded instead and England could find no other openings.
England Manager Pete Nicholson commented “Although Germany probably had the lion’s share of possession, we are pleased our performance. The debutants all put in good performances, but they are at the start of their international careers and are playing against the World and Olympic Champions. The senior players were there to help them out a lot today. With everyone fit, we are looking forward to tomorrow’s match.”
England Hockey Media release
Draw in second match between Germany and England
England drew the second of two matches against the Olympic and World Champions in an end to end match which saw six goals shared between the two sides.
Richard Braun and Christoph Zeller put the hosts 2-0 ahead before two penalty corner goals in three minutes from Surbiton’s Matt Daly and a goal from Bowdon’s Simon Egerton – in what was just his second international appearance – after some good work down the right from Reading’s Jonty Clarke, put England 3-2 up. However, Oliver Korn cancelled out the lead with a goal from open play to rescue the draw for Germany.
England Manager Pete Nicholson commented “There was a marked improvement from yesterday in today’s match. Play was pretty even with chances at both ends and both keepers made good saves. The second half was a feisty affair which was good as we were very competitive.”
Reading’s Iain MacKay received a knock to his leg during the match and as a result only played 10 minutes throughout the game.
England have a busy year ahead with the EuroHockey Nations Championships in Amsterdam in August and the ABN AMRO Champions Trophy in Melbourne in December.
Germany – England 3-3 (1-0)
Goals Germany: Richard Braun 15 (F), Christoph Zeller 42 (PC), Oliver Korn 65 (F)
Goals England: Matt Daly 50,53 (PC,PC), Simon Egerton 61 (F)
England Hockey Media release
England fight back to give Germany a scare
By Charles Randall
England came within five minutes of pulling off a shock victory when they drew 3-3 with Olympic champions Germany in Nuremberg on Sunday.
A repeat of the previous day's 2-0 defeat looked on the cards when England went two down early in the second half, but two goals from penalty corners by Matt Daly in three minutes, followed by a third by Simon Egerton, of Bowdon, rocked the Germans.
Oliver Korn's equaliser from open play four minutes later denied England after a much improved performance. The earlier goals arrived through Richard Braun and Christoph Zeller, scorer of the gold medal goal at last year's Beijing final against Spain.
Christoph Menke scored both Germany's goals at Nuremburg on Saturday when England's coach Jason Lee gave five players their debut – Egerton, Adam Dixon (Beeston), Dan Fox (Hampstead & Westminster), Iain Mackay (Reading) and Richard Smith (Loughborough).
Mackay, due to play in the EH Cup final against Beeston at Nottingham next Saturday, suffered a leg injury after 10 minutes in the second match.
England are next in action with two matches against Australia at Highfields in Nottingham on June 10 and 12. England's women meet Spain twice at the same venue on June 13 and 14.
The Telegraph
Second win for Germany against Ireland
Germany won its second match against Ireland this weekend. After winning 3-0 in the first clash, the German team took a 4-2 victory.
Despite losing, the Irish coach Gene Muller was very pleased: 'I am very pleased with our play today. We played with real conviction and it showed on the pitch. The German's scored to make it 3-2 with five left on the clock and we conceded again in the last minute when we were chasing the draw. We had some very strong individual performances today.'
The only change in today's starting line up was in goals with Emma Gray stepping between the posts as Muller rested Louisa Moore. The Irish side started much better than yesterday and despite coming under strong German attack their defense stood strong marshaled by an on form McKeever. Within ten minutes Ireland had their first real chance when a through ball was delivered to McKean who was only denied a shot by the last defender. Only three minutes later the German's opened the scoring when Natasha Kelleher picked up a loose ball to come in and shoot from close range. Two minutes later Ireland leveled matters when birthday girl Emma Smyth made a great steal to set up Cregan who showed her experience by squeezing a way a cracking shot at the tightest of angles between the keeper and the post. Ireland continued to contest well but no goals were coming their way until they had a golden opportunity with just four minutes to go before the break with the only penalty corner of the match but the shot went wide and the sides finished one all at the break.
Ireland grew in confidence as the second half ensued and had some good opportunities to take the lead as they played with conviction and aggression which also resulted in green cards for both Symmons and Small. Despite conceding three short corners in a six minute spell Ireland's defense held strong and Gray was composed in goals. Ireland were also forced to soak up the pressure for ten minutes a man down as McKeever was shown a yellow for a bad tackle, and ironically they held strong until they returned to full strength when Beerman made it 2-1 for her side. Ireland surged once again and Small made a great attack which was illegally defended resulting in a penalty stroke being awarded which Symmons duly converted to level the sides to 2-2 once again.
As the clock ticked on both sides went in search of the winner and a quick German attack released Beerman up front to get away a shot to score her brace and Germany's third goal of the day. Ireland then visibly went on the hunt for an equalizer and in doing so left themselves open allowing Keller to break through once again and secure her sides victory with just 120seconds left on the clock.
Germany – Ireland 4-2 (1-1)
Goals Germany: Natascha Keller 2; Janine Beerman 2.
Goals Ireland: Eimear Cregan; Nikki Symmons
Irish Hockey Association media release
Wazalendo On Top
By Oscar Pilipili and Ernest Ndunda
Wazalendo scored twice in each half to beat Green Sharks 4-2 in an explosive premier league hockey match at City Park Stadium, Nairobi.
Fans were allowed free entry at the stadium in yesterday’s matches, thanks to a collapsed perimeter wall.
The front wall that measures about 50 metres succumbed to rains last Monday, leaving the pitch exposed.
Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) secretary Peter Kiruma said there was illogical to charge fans with an open Stadium.
"There was no point of charging fans when they can watch the proceedings from outside the stadium," he said. Contractors are re-erecting the concrete wall.
As the KHU counted its loses, fans who are known to be regular members of the ‘Russian’ section of the pitch, capitalised on the natural calamity to access the executive centre stand.
Return to terraces
"It is just a matter of time before we return to our usual terraces," one fan was overheard saying.
During the match, Sharks were the first to score when John Wachira converted a penalty corner off Nixon Nyangaga after 20 minutes.
Wazalendo who displayed great form equalised through a penalty stroke that was converted by David Were in the 28th minute.
The penalty was awarded after a Sharks defender used his leg to block a goal-bound ball with goalkeeper Elly Asura well beaten.
Peter Karanja put Wazalendo in control after he picked a ball from Were and danced around Sharks defenders inside the circle before releasing a cracking shot past a hapless Asura in goal.
Inspired by the lead, the youthful Wazalendo extended the lead to 3-1 with a goal from Wycliffe Mbenda in the 42nd minute.
Substitute James Were sounded the boards to push Wazalendo’s advantage to three goals in the 63rd minute.
Early lead
Sharks reduced the gap when unmarked Edwin Otieno scored their second in the 65th minute.
Down Coast, Mombasa Institute handed their neighbours Mombasa Sports Club a 3-1 beating in a national men’s hockey league match.
The match played at Mombasa Sports Club saw Institute take an early lead in the second minute through Friday Mathew.
The Institute players steered by their former national team goalkeeper Chris Maruti surged ahead in the 14th minute when Peter Obalo struck the target and David Markopiyo added the third five minutes later.
MSC got their consolation goal through Titus Mulwa in the 57th minute.
The teams, Institute and MSC will be at home to host Parklands Sports Club and Barbarians all from Nairobi this weekend.
Meanwhile, national women’s league side Sliders will have their tournament between May 30 and 31 at City Park Stadium.
The club’s secretary Tina Agunda said the tournament is open to men and women’s teams from clubs, institutions, colleges and schools.
The entrance fee is Sh2,000 for clubs and institutions while schools and institutions will be required to pay Sh1,500.
The Standard Online
Hockey units unhappy at IOA's merger initiative
The Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) reported attempt to merge the two national hockey governing bodies - the Indian Hockey Federation (men) and the Indian Women’s Hockey Association (IWHF) - has raised hackles in some quarters.
Speaking to IANS in Chennai on Friday, Kannan Krishnamurthy, secretary of the Karnataka State Hockey Association, said: “We have learnt that the IOA has taken the initiative to merge the two units, IHF and the IWHA, in view of the notice issued by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). We strongly object to the IOA’s unilateral move to call the IWHA officials for a meeting in this regard."
"The merger can only be performed by the elected representatives of the two bodies and not the IOA,” he said.
The FIH issued a stern warning in April that unless the two governing bodies unite into Hockey India, representing the interests of both men’s and women’s hockey within the next six months, the 2010 World Cup allotted to India would be shifted to Malaysia.
Krishnamurthy, who is being projected as a strong candidate for the post of IHF secretary if and when fresh elections are held to the now-suspended body, said: “Yes, there is a need to merge the two federations, but that is something only the stakeholders can initiate. The IOA is exceeding its brief by wanting to conduct a dialogue with the IWHA on the matter of merger.”
He said of more urgency is elections to the IHF that was suspended a year ago by the IOA in the wake of a bribery scandal involving the then secretary-general K Jothikumaran, who has since resigned. In its place, the IOA appointed an ad hoc body comprising Olympians and former India players to administer the sport.
“It has been over a year now since the IHF was suspended and we feel the first corrective step would be to conduct free and fair elections. Once the new office-bearers are elected, they in turn can have discussions with the women’s federation about merger. The IOA, on its part, cannot be a part of this process,” said Krishnamurthy.
In March, some 28 state associations, all affiliated to the IHF, had submitted a memorandum to the IOA requesting it to call for a general body meeting and elections.
“It is imperative that the country’s hockey affairs are run by the IHF and not the IOA or its extension which is the ad hoc committee. As it is, the IOA is seized of more important matters such as the Commonwealth Games in Delhi next year. In the process, there is needless delay in setting right matters in the IHF. So far, the IOA is still to respond to our memorandum,” he said.
“The IOA has no palpable reason to hang on to the power and they have no idea as how to proceed further. Domestic hockey calendar has taken a big beating though it is to be lauded that the national teams are provided adequate support and encouragement by allowing them to take part in various international events. But, we cannot understand as to why the ad-hoc committee is still not inclined to hand over the administration to the actual stakeholders who are the state associations and affiliated units of the IHF,” he added.
Contributing the delay is the case filed by IHF president KPS Gill, seeking a reversal of the suspension, Krishnamurthy pointed out.
He hoped that the IWHA officials would desist from meeting the IOA officials on the merger issue. “In fact, the IWHF must tell IOA that it shall only deal with the representatives of IHF,” Krishnamurthy said.
What the Papers Say Today - Stick2Hockey.com
Indian hockey owes a lot to Dilip Tirkey
Dilip Tirkey is one of those rare gems that any country would be proud to have. Tirkey's milestone of becoming the highest capped hockey player in the world during the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia, last month went almost unnoticed. He equalled the world record of 401 internationals, held by former Dutch captain Joren Delmee.
One would have thought that Tirkey's homecoming would be celebrated, some sports lover or association would come forward to host a party, order a cake and champagne. But such courtesies are reserved only for cricketers.
Instead, Tirkey quietly returned home with the triumphant Azlan Shah team, and again left for Malaysia this week for the Asia Cup that starts Saturday.
The unassuming player from Sundergarh, Orissa, who has given his everything to the sport, deserved better treatment.
Tirkey belongs to that hallowed circle of international sports heroes who are above such things like the honour of leading the team. Tirkey is to the Indian hockey team what Sachin Tendulkar is to the cricket team. Their very presence is a source of strength.
The tough full-back has come a long way since he had his international baptism as an 18-year-old. He has three Olympic Games (Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004), and as many World Cups, Asian Games and Asia Cups, and four Champions Trophy tournaments behind him.
If only India had qualified for last year's Beijing Olympics, he would have been only the fourth Indian to have played in four Olympic Games, Udham Singh, Leslie Claudius and Dhanraj Pillai having done so before him. No Indian hockey player could have missed Beijing as badly as Tirkey.
Tirkey has a lot of hockey left in him. The day is not very far when he will touch the mindboggling figure of 500 international caps for India who have a busy season or two ahead what with the Asia Cup next month in Kuantan, Malaysia, and the World Cup and Commonwealth Games next year in New Delhi, with a European tour and other international engagements in between.
The 500 milestone would be like climbing the Everest. If Tirkey has talked of retirement after the 2010 Commonwealth Games one can understand. Only he knows how much more his body can take.
Comparisons in the fast changing game of hockey are risky. Tirkey's tackling reminds older students of the game of another stalwart tackler Michael Kindo of the 1970s. But Tirkey's sturdier build makes him look more formidable.
One remembers with horror the day at the New Delhi's Maj. Dhyan Chand Stadium a few years ago when, rushing out defending a penalty corner he took a drag flick by Pakistan's Sohail Abbas, then the world's best at it, smack on his face. Taking a 150 kmph or so hard hockey ball on an unprotected face can even be fatal. Like everyone else in the stadium that day, Sohail also had his worst fears. It could have been the end of any hockey player's career. But the intrepid Tirkey made an admirable comeback. No way you can keep tough men like Tirkey out.
Last month Sandeep Singh, the young captain and drag flick expert of the recent Azlan Shah Cup-winning Indian hockey team at Ipoh, Malaysia, was adjudged man of the tournament.
But every scorer is aware that no matter how many he may score or how many headlines he may find his name in, you can't win tournaments without the support of doughty tacklers in the defence who prevent opponents from scoring against you. Sandeep has handsomely acknowledged the role of his senior and former captain Dilip 'Bhai', as he deferentially addresses the elder statesman of the team.
What the Papers Say Today - Stick2Hockey.com