01/06/2025

SPORTS 15 ON SUNDAY JUNE 1, 2025

Jonassen surprised by Jun Hao’s performance

Draw with Cape Verde a step forward: Yeoh YOUTH and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has described Harimau Malaya’s 1-1 draw against Cape Verde in a Tier 1 interna tional friendly on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur as a positive devel opment for the national team. She said the result, achieved against a team ranked 72nd in the world, will help build the team’s confidence ahead of their crucial 2027 Asian Cup qualifying match against Vietnam on June 10. “I hope every match will pro vide new confidence for our play ers, especially as they prepare to face Vietnam,” Yeoh told report ers at the 14th National Junior Wushu Championship in Seremban on Friday night. The event was graced by the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir, and featured nearly 500 exponents from 17 teams nation wide. Malaysia will face Cape Verde again in a closed-door friendly at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday as part of prepara tions for the qualifier. Yeoh also urged fans to turn out in full force to support Harimau Malaya, stressing that the energy and chants from the Ultras can significantly lift the players’ spirit. “The cheers from fans really matter. The Ultras’ songs and chants play a big role in motivat ing the team,” she said, citing the difference in atmosphere during a recent Manchester United-Asean All-Stars match without Ultras. She expressed hope the national squad can improve their ranking under the new head coach, with the support of gov ernment and corporate sponsor ship. On the junior wushu champi onship, Yeoh said her ministry has channelled RM165,000 through the Sports Matching Grant to sup port the five-day event. She said wushu has now been reclassified as a sport in schools to align with the ministry’s long-term athlete development plan, espe cially in preparation for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games. – Bernama

development, I truly hope it will (gain confi dence),” he said when met at the training ses sion in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. With signs of progress becoming more evident, all eyes will be on how far Jun Hao can progress at the upcoming Indonesia Open 2025. The Super 1000 tournament will be held at Istora Senayan, Jakarta, from Tuesday until June 8. The 25-year-old will open the campaign in Indonesia Open against China’s Lei Lan Xi, with both players tied 1-1 in their head-to head record heading into the match. – Bernama

pleasantly surprised with the way the world No. 25 shuttler approached the tournament, particularly when upsetting world No. 5 Jonatan Christie of Indonesia, 21-16, 21-19, at the second round on Thursday, highlighting his true potential. “You need to gain confidence and believe in yourself from a win like that. The process you’re going through, the things that you are trying to develop and get better at are work ing. It’s just still about getting the puzzle right every time you choose to step on that court. “Beating a world-class player is where you build your confidence from. The process you’re going through as a player, in terms of

ALTHOUGH national men’s singles player Leong Jun Hao exited in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Singapore Open after losing to reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand, there were still plenty of positives to take from his performance. On Friday, Jun Hao lost to Kunlavut 13-21, 11-21 during the Super 750 tournament at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. However, Jun Hao’s performance in Singapore, his first quarterfinal appearance this year, could mark a turning point in his season after a string of early-round exits. National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen said he was both impressed and

Rajagobal pose for photos with his book. – BERNAMAPIC

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conference to launch his book titled Inilah Saya K. Rajagobal (This is Me, K. Rajagobal) at the Kuala Lumpur International Book Festival yesterday. The national team will take on Cape Verde again, in a closed-door friendly, at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday (June 3). The friendlies against Cape Verde are part of Malaysia’s preparations for the crucial games against Vietnam in their second Group F match of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers at the National Stadium on June 10. Meanwhile, Rajagobal described his book as an effort to inspire the younger generation and serve as a medium for him to share his coaching experiences with future generations. – Bernama Rajagobal feels Cklamovski’s impact on Harimau Malaya still too early to call Work in progress “That’s why we’re having this meeting today, to ensure the involvement of both FAs and FCs. Together, they can combine efforts to make state football healthier. That is one of the key methods we will employ,” he said. In a separate development, Mohd Joehari praised the outstanding perform ance of national young talent Muhammad Ubaidullah Shamsul Fazili, who impressed in Malaysia’s friendly match against Cape Verde on Tuesday, proving that local play ers possess the quality to compete at the international level. “Ubaidullah was named Man of the Match, which even he didn’t expect, and neither did we. I believe the media is well aware of his development, which began during the national project squad when I was the team manager. It’s truly a proud moment,” he said. – Bernama

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FORMER national football team head coach Datuk K. Rajagobal feels that it is still too early to evaluate current coach Peter Cklamovski’s impact on Harimau Malaya. Rajagobal, however, believes that the team showed an improved performance in their 1-1 draw in the friendly against Cape Verde at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras on Thursday. Although he was quick to point out that the Harimau Malaya squad still need to work hard to continue to improve, he also expressed confidence in Cklamovski, saying “he (Cklamovski) knows what he is doing”. “Every coach has his plans. We can see from his second game in charge (against Cape Verde), there is an improvement, although they still have room for improvement. Cklamovski knows which team they will be facing and the players he will field against Vietnam (in the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers on June 10) “I can’t give an evaluation now. Usually, it will take about 10 matches before one can assess if there has been an improvement or not,” he told reporters during the media

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FAM boss stresses close ties between FAs, FCs THE Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has stressed that ties between state football associations (FAs) and football clubs (FCs) have never been severed, but instead continue to be strengthened through a more holistic approach to ensure healthier development of football at the state level. remain responsible for the well-being of these clubs,” he said after a meeting with top leadership of FAs and FCs at Wisma FAM in Petaling Jaya on Friday. On the engagement session, Joehari expressed confidence that FAM’s new approach has been positively received by all stakeholders involved.

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“Very good. It has always been positive. That’s why, as president, my new approach will involve more frequent meet ings between FAs and FCs. “We ourselves will go down to every state to meet and have dialogues with all of them regularly,” he added. He also said that FAM and the Malaysia Football League (MFL) will continue to work closely and take a more aggressive approach to ensure that club management is carried out in a more structured and responsible manner.

FAM president Datuk Mohd Joehari Mohd Ayub said the perception that FAs and FCs operate separately is inaccurate, as most clubs are still owned by the respective FAs, and working relationships remain intact. “It is sometimes just assumptions made on the ground due to current issues, espe cially with salary problems. People tend to think there’s no working relationship between the FA and FC. “But that’s not true. In reality, most FCs are still under the ownership of FAs, so FAs

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