30/06/2025

SPORTS MONDAY | JUNE 30, 2025

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Former national hockey player Kevin Nunis dies FORMER hockey player and national Olympian Muhammad Khairy Nunis

CLUB WORLD CUP (LAST 16) : Palmei ras 1 (Paulinho 100) Botafogo 0 - aet, Benfica 1 (Di Maria 90+5-pen) Chelsea 4 (James 64, Nkunku 108, Neto 114, Dewsbury-Hall 117) - aet. RESULTS & STANDINGS He said the agency has consistently supported SK Lemoi through donations of sports equipment and team jerseys, with the most recent contribution made in March. – Bernama Rural school gets new boots, used Man United kit A public relations agency, together with a football marketing and management consultancy, has donated football equipment used by Manchester United during their match against the Asean All-Stars at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil last month to Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Lemoi. In a statement, the agency also presented 15 pairs of brand-new football boots to the school’s pupils in support of football development within the Orang Asli community. “SK Lemoi, a rural school that serves Orang Asli children in Cameron Highlands, Pahang, has its own football team known as The Botaks,“ the statement read. ShekhinahPR chief executive officer Christopher Raj said the contribution was part of an ongoing effort to nurture interest in sports among children in remote areas. “We believe sport can be a catalyst for life-changing opportunities. Through this contribution, we hope to inspire and motivate Orang Asli children to stay active and pursue their passion for football,” he said. “Seeing the joy on their faces as they received the football boots and gear previously used by Manchester United was truly heartwarming,” he added. Raj also reaffirmed his agency’s commitment to grassroots development, especially in underserved rural communities. CHELSEA have been offered the chance to sign Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez for £45m (RM261m), though the 32-year-old Argentina goalkeeper is believed to prefer a move to Manchester United. MANCHESTER UNITED are prepared to open formal talks over a deal to sign Martinez after they sell Cameroon keeper Andre Onana, 29. LIVERPOOL’S 22-year-old English defender Jarell Quansah will have a medical at Bayer Leverkusen on Monday before a £35m (RM203m) move to the German club. LIVERPOOL are closing in on a deal to sign Crystal Palace’s 24-year-old England centre back Marc Guehi. DARWIN NUNEZ is ready to join Napoli this summer but the Italian club are unwilling to met Liverpool’s £70m (RM406m) valuation of the 26-year-old Uruguay striker. MANCHESTER UNITED may have to pay players to leave the club this summer because of their lengthy, expensive contracts, with 27-year-old England striker Marcus Rashford and 20-year old Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho among those they want to sell. SUNDERLAND have agreed a club-record £30m (RM174m) fee with Strasbourg for 21 TOUCHLINES

Nunis was laid to rest at the Taman Sri Sinar Muslim cemetery yesterday morning. Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said Nunis’ death was a great loss to the national hockey family. “His services to the Malaysian hockey were immense, not only as a player, as he also contributed greatly to the development of the sport when he was a coach for the National Hockey Development Programme (NHDP),” he said.

Nunis was among the main players in the national hockey squad in the 1980s and represented the country at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, as well as at the Asian Games in India (1982) and South Korea (1986), and also the SEA Games in Singapore (1983), Jakarta (1987) and Kuala Lumpur (1989). After his retirement as a national athlete in 1989, the Negeri Sembilan native continued his career as a coach for Terengganu and Pahang and was an assistant coach for the national junior squad in 1994. National Athletes Welfare Foundation (Yakeb) chairman Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail said the passing of Nunis was a great loss to the national sports arena. “He brought glory to the country, and he endured quite a lot due to his illness,” he said. – Bernama

Abdullah or Kevin Christopher Nunis (pic) passed away at the age of 65. This was confirmed by his son Muhammad Karl Iskandar Nunis who said his father breathed his last at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) on Saturday evening, after several months of treatment for a blood infection. “Our father returned to Rahmatullah at 6.46pm at HKL,” he said when contacted by Bernama .

All welcome NSC open to supporting heritage swimmers

T HE National Sports Council (NSC) welcomes the initiative by Malaysia Aquatics (MAS) to scout for heritage swimmers to further strengthen the national swimming squad. NSC director-general Jefri Ngadirin said the council is prepared to support any heritage athlete who has the potential to contribute to Malaysian sports. However, these swimmers must first meet the requirements set by NSC, he pointed out. “They will only be given assistance if they qualify for the Podium Programme or other related programmes. So there’s no additional financial implication. “Like any other athlete, they must meet the criteria set by NSC to be

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actively working to identify heritage swimmers based abroad. MAS swimming committee chairman Marilyn Chua said 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 between 14 to 19,” she said. The practice of using 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. 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.

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admitted into the programme, or by the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) to represent the country in international competitions,” he told reporters after officiating the Sepaktakraw Association of Malaysia (PSM) annual general meeting at the World Trade Centre (WTC) in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. On Saturday,

RM4,870,501.56

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“So they need to meet the qualifying criteria and still have to be ranked among our local Malaysians as well,” she said. – Bernama

RM130,303.91

MAS disclosed that the association is

Emiliano Martinez. – REUTERSPIC

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RM13,518,494.46

RM117,043.02

NICO WILLIAMS has told Barcelona he wants to join them from Athletic Bilbao but the Spain winger, 22, has demanded that he is able to be registered to play, which could mean Barca have to sell players first, in order to meet La Liga’s financial requirements. AL-NASSR have already reached an agree ment to send Colombia striker Jhon Duran, 21, on loan to Fenerbahce. FEYENOORD midfielder Antoni Milambo is set to become Keith Andrews’ first signing as Brentford boss, with the Bees in advanced talks to sign the 20-year-old Dutch attacking mid fielder.

year-old Senegal midfielder Habib Diarra. NOTTINGHAM FOREST have made a £5m (RM29m) bid for Real Mallorca’s Spanish full back Pablo Maffeo, 27. NEWCASTLE and Burnley are still far apart in their valuation of James Trafford, with the Magpies having had an initial bid worth £25m (RM145m) for the 22-year-old England U-21s goalkeeper turned down. CRYSTAL PALACE are prepared to rival Newcastle, Liverpool and Tottenham with a move to sign Southampton’s 19-year-old English winger Tyler Dibling this summer.

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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