29/06/2025

SPORTS 15 ON SUNDAY JUNE 29, 2025

BRIEFS

Taking the plunge Heritage swimmers on MAS radar to strengthen national squad

TOUCHLINES MANCHESTER UNITED , Newcastle and Tottenham have all been put off Bournemouth’s price tag for 25-year-old Antoine Semenyo with the Cherries demanding £70m (RM406m). ARSENAL are hopeful of agreeing a deal to sign 21 year-old Spanish defender Cristhian Mosquera after holding talks with Valencia. CAMEROON midfielder Bryan Mbeumo, 25, has informed Brentford and Tottenham of his decision to sign for Manchester United if he makes a transfer this summer. CRYSTAL PALACE’S Eberechi Eze is among the forward players Arsenal are interested in signing, with Tottenham also keen on the 26-year-old England international. ASTON VILLA face competi tion from Italian duo Juventus and Lazio for 23-year-old Lens midfielder Neil El Aynaoui, a Morocco U-23 international. Safee steps down Former national striker Safee Sali has resigned as president of the Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia (PFAM). Safee said it was not an easy decision to make, but he believed the time had come for him to step aside for the younger generation to lead the association. “I firmly believe that introducing fresh perspec tives and innovative ideas is vital for the continued growth and development of football on a global scale. It has been an honour to serve in this capacity, and I am proud of what we have accomplished together during my tenure. My responsi bility as PFAM president, which began in 2019, has come to an end today,” he said in a state ment on his Instagram account. Safee expressed confidence that the new leaders of the association will inject fresh energy into the game and that he looks forward to seeing the positive changes they will make. Letshanaa’s run comes to an end The remarkable run of national women’s singles K. Letshanaa in the US Open ended in the quarterfinals after she was beaten by Indian player Tanvi Sharma yesterday. The 21 year-old athlete, who was aim ing to reach the Super 300 semifinals for the first time, lost 13-21, 16-21 in 33 minutes. The result thus saw the end of Malaysia’s campaign in the tournament. Earlier, Letshanaa brilliantly upset former world champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the first round, fol lowed by a second-round vic tory over Aakarshi Kashyap of India. Letshanaa is now expected to compete in the Canadian Open in Markham next week.

MALAYSIA Aquatics (MAS) has ramped up efforts to identify and recruit heritage swimmers to strengthen the national squad, adopting strategies similar to those used by Singapore. MAS swimming chairman Marilyn Chua said the governing body has been actively engaging with Malaysian citizens residing overseas who show potential to contribute to the national swimming programme. “Yes, of course. We’ve several Malaysian citizens reached out to us over the past couple of years, which is very positive. “So far, we have identified around five swimmers, aged

heritage athletes is not new in the Malaysian sports scene, with football being one of the sports that has used heritage players to bolster the national squad. In addition, Marilyn,

Andy Low and Yan Kong Lee were officially given the mandate by president Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim to serve as secretary-general and treasurer, respectively. In addition, the five contested committee member positions were won by Tasha Jane Taher Ali, Goh Kah Yo, Chee Pao Kam, Haris Lua Abdullah, and Sung Jun Hao. Previously, Shahidan, Marilyn, Anthony Ang (vice-president) and Nurul Huda Abdullah (assistant secretary) won their positions uncontested. – Bernama

who is also the deputy president of MAS, said that heritage swimmers must earn their place in the national team. She said selection will only be granted to those who meet the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set by MAS. “Swimming is a very objective sport and we have time standards. So if they meet the time standards, which we have set for every competition, they thus qualify on merit and will be selected. “So they need to meet the qualifying criteria and still have to be ranked among our local Malaysians as well,” she said. Earlier at the MAS AGM,

between 14 to 19,” she said to the media after the MAS Annual General Meeting (AGM) at National Sports Council (MSN) in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. T h e practice of u s i n g

223/25

28/06/2025

4433 6023 5156

5473 2960 7510 9392 1697

9476 2306 8549 6920 5271

4282 7185 5591 7339 2475

4440 5815 4763 9882 7683

Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Garcia (front) controls the ball in front of Salzburg’s Jacob Rasmussen during their Club World Cup Group H match. – AFPPIC

RM4,153,830.05

4433 + 5156 6023 + 5156 5156 + 6023

4433 + 6023 6023 + 4433 5156 + 4433

RM237,935.21

2 4 151923242536

Alonso lauds young striker Garcia REAL MADRID beat RB Salzburg 3-0 on Friday in Philadelphia to secure top spot in Group H and earn their place in the knockout rounds of the Club World Cup. BY JONATHAN DOIDGE

7 8

no decisions yet about next season.” Alonso also had praise for Vinicius Jr, who made an assist in addition to his goal, saying: “He had freedom in attack and worked well with Gonzalo. Many players left the pitch feel ing good. “I’m really happy for him and the whole team, but we know the journey is still long.” Kylian Mbappe is possible for Wednesday’s (3am Malaysian time) round of 16 clash with Juventus, Alonso describing his chances of lining up as “optimistic”, while he also reported that Antonio Rudiger had cramp post-match and his condition was nothing more sinister than that. Of his midfield players, the Real manager has been impressed by both Arda Guler and Jude Bellingham and said: “With Jude between the lines, we can create superiority. Arda plays deeper, controls well, and links nicely with the defenders.” However, Alonso would not be drawn on the return of Brazilian forward Endrick, who is missing the Club World Cup due to a ham string injury. The manager confirmed he is joining the squad for training while they are in the United States. – The Independent

RM13,439,584.13

Goals by Vinicius Junior, Federico Valverde and Gonzalo Garcia secured a comfortable success and it was Garcia who came in for special praise from manager Xabi Alonso after the game. “I’m not just happy with his goal and assist,” Alonso revealed after the game. “But also with how he came back to help in defence and his effort in pressing. “He had freedom in attack and worked well with Gonzalo. Many players left the pitch feel ing good. I’m really happy for him and the whole team, but we know the journey is still long.” “What he’s doing doesn’t surprise me at all,” added the coach. “He’s shown it many times with Castilla. He’s a classic number nine who waits for the right moment and moves smartly. “He reminds me of Raul with his move ments. I’m very happy for him. But there are

RM104,818.36

3 3 2 3 5 6 33235

32356

3323

2356

332

356

33

56

23

04

All jackpot amounts stated above are for this Draw. Subject to T&Cs of the Scheme. Please visit to www.magnum4d.my for more info. THE BIGGER PLAY IS TO PLAY RESPONSIBLY