KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah wants Mohamed Syamin Yusof to reconsider his decision to pull out of the Sultan Azlan Shah and World Cup squads.
“I hope he will reconsider his decision to take a break. He can take a break but not give up on hockey. Maybe he is very tired and decided to quit. I want to give him another chance,” Tengku Abdullah said after chairing the MHC executive committee meeting here on Tuesday.
Syamin, 21, is said to have pulled out of the 35-player squad for personal reasons.
He was the fourth player to pull out from the national squad who are currently preparing for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, scheduled from May 13-23. The others are Harvinder Singh, Azreen Rizal and Engku Abdul Malek.
The national squad have also lost penalty corner specialist Mohamed Razie Rahim due to a dislocated shoulder, an injury he picked up while playing for Dabur Mumbai Magicians in the Hockey India League.
Tengku Abdullah urged those called up for national team training to give their full commitment in order to lift the status of hockey in the country and the international arena.
He said that the success of the National Juniors at the Junior World Cup in New Delhi last December must act as a fillip for them to continue to excel.
“We are preparing for the World Cup in May and I hope the players will give their undivided support. I have full confidence in coach K. Dharmaraj. Many countries are now showing a lot of respect for Malaysia,” he said.
Tengku Abdullah also announced that the inaugural National Women’s Hockey League, which will be held from March 16, will have eight to 10 state and club teams. — Bernama
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
