03/08/2025

theSun on Sunday AUG 3, 2025

SPORTS 15

Never too late Luqman Hakim determined to fulfil late father’s wishes

Real Warriors will pay by the rules KELANTAN The Real Warriors Football Club (Kelantan TRW) will abide by existing rules in resolving the issues raised by former import Mohamad Ghaddar on his social media post on Thursday. Kelantan TRW president Tan Sri Annuar Musa said he has also advised the team management not to reply or provide feedback on the matter via social media. “I had advised the management not to engage on social media platforms because not everyone out there understands matters related to rules and regulations, and also because it can tarnish the reputation of certain people. “The team management will look at the issues brought up by Ghaddar according to existing rules. We will resolve them through discussions and the use of discretion,” he said after officiating the jersey launch and player introduction and the Kelantan TRW sponsorship ceremony for the 2025-2026 season in Kota Bharu on Friday. Previously, the media reported that Kelantan TRW was embroiled in controversy after Ghaddar had criticised the unprofessional attitude shown by the management of Kelantan TRW. Ghaddar, in an Instagram post, expressed his disappointment with the management for failing to finalise the signing of a player he brought from Syria, Moaiad Alkhouli, and for not replying to his message regarding the matter. Ghaddar claimed he paid for Alkhouli’s travel to Malaysia – only for club president Annuar and CEO Datuk Irwan Rizal Ali Napiah to go silent after the player passed his medical. “This is the worst club I have ever dealt with. Let Fifa decide,” Ghaddar wrote, sharing what appeared to be a copy of the offer letter. Ghaddar, who had four stints with Kelantan and was once a fan favourite at Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) and Felda United, is not a Fifa-registered agent – a key detail confirmed by Malaysian Football League (MFL) acting CEO Shazli Shaik. Meanwhile, in another development, Annuar said they have settled all the cases regarding salary arrears of imported players that were filed with Fifa (world football governing body) involving the previous club, Kelantan Darul Naim (KDN) FC. “We had nine cases in total, including one latest case. Everything has been resolved, and we are currently awaiting the FIFA system to update its status. “If there are no obstacles, we will register all the players, including one more import player, a Filipino national player who is set to join the team,” he said. – Bernama

NEGERI SEMBILAN FC’S (NSFC) new striker, Luqman Hakim Shamsuddin, is determined to fulfil his late father’s dream of seeing him become the country’s best player through his debut in this season’s Super League. The 23-year-old Kelantan native expressed his regret at not being able to see his beloved father, the late Shamsuddin Mahmood, one last time last year. However, his father’s hope and support has always been a source of strength for him to chase success in his football career. Luqman Hakim was the first Malaysian player to sign a five-season contract with a major European club, Belgium’s KV Kortrijk (KVK), starting in 2020. KVK is owned by Berjaya Corporation founder Tan Sri Vincent Tan. During that period, Luqman played several times for both KVK’s main squad and development team before being loaned to other clubs, such as Iceland’s top tier league team Njarovik FC and Japan’s YSCC Yokohama. “One of the reasons for my return to Malaysia is to be back with my family. Before this, I didn’t get to spend time with

my father, so this is a chance to spend time with my family, especially my mother. “My father passed away on Nov 3, last year from a heart attack. At the time, I was busy with back-to-back matches in Japan. “I hadn’t been in touch with him for a week, only messaging my mother... that situation made me feel down for two months,” he told reporters at the NSFC jersey launch and player introduction ceremony in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, yesterday. The ceremony was officiated by the Chief Minister of Negeri Sembilan and NSFC chairman, Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, and was attended by the Tunku Besar Tampin and President of the Negeri Sembilan Football Association (PBNS), Tunku Syed Razman Tunku Syed Idrus Al Qadri. The youngest of six siblings is determined to rise from the grief of losing a loved one by using the spirit of his late father as the main motivation to make the country proud on the football stage. Meanwhile, the former KVK striker said that despite being abroad for four years, he believes it is not too late for him to rekindle his passion and deliver a more convincing

performance in this season’s Super League. “ Alhamdulillah , I am very excited to play in the Super League with NSFC. This is an opportunity for me to get my own spirit back, and of course, the supporters in this state want to see positive results,” he said. At the player introduction ceremony, the squad, coached by Nidzam Jamil, also included several other new players, namely Muhammad Azri Abdul Ghani, Ahmad Khuzaimi Piee (captain), while retaining Muhammad Harith Samsuri, A. Selvan, and import player Takumi Sasaki (Japan). – Bernama

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02/08/2025

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Malaysia’s Elvis Priestly Clement competes in the preliminary round of the men’s 10m platform diving event during the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. – AFPPIC

RM15,542,053.67

8847 + 0133 0133 + 8847 6009 + 8847

8847 + 6009 0133 + 6009 6009 + 0133

RM223,047.28

SHORTS

open water swimming.

2 4 192124263334

Elvis on song in Singapore Malaysia’s national diver Elvis Priestly Clement has secured a semifinal spot in the men’s 10m platform after an outstanding display at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore yesterday. The 18-year-old finished 10th out of 48 competitors with 432.90 points after six dives at the OCBC Aquatic Centre. The Sarawakian, who made his world championship debut in Singapore on July 26, will now compete at 10am today against 17 others for a place in the final scheduled at 5.30pm the same day. Meanwhile, Enrique Maccartney Harold failed to advance to the next round after finishing 37th with 323.45 points in the same event. National swimmer and SEA Games gold medallist Phee Jinq En finished 30th overall in the women’s 50m breaststroke heats with a time of 31.78 seconds, failing to qualify for the semifinal at the World Aquatics Championships Arena. On Monday, the 27-year-old sat out of the 100m breaststroke event due to a hip and groin issue. The 2025 World Aquatics Championships will conclude today, wrapping up 24 days of events comprising water polo, diving, high diving, swimming, artistic swimming, and

Five Asean nations for Nusantara Cup

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The Malaysian Malay Football Association (PBMM) is planning to organise the inaugural edition of the Nusantara Cup at the end of this year in Melaka. Its president, Mohd Firdaus Mohamed said the tournament is expected to involve five countries – Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei and Thailand. “We will organise the Nusantara Cup after the conclusion of the 103rd edition of the Piala Emas Raja-Raja (PERR) tournament, where we will form a team to represent the country for the Nusantara Cup. “Players playing in the 2025 PERR will be assessed and considered for a call-up to the national squad for the Nusantara Cup,” he said. He was speaking after the launch ceremony of the PERR 2025 season, held in the Kuala Lumpur yesterday and officiated by Melaka Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Mohd Ali Mohd Rustam. PERR 2025 will see the participation of 15 teams, with matches set to kick off between October and November. For the record, the ACeiO MACC team were crowned PERR 2024 champions after defeating the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) team 2-1 in the final.

RM9,894,540.41

RM242,376.89

4 7 3 3 0 9 47330

73309

4733

3309

473

309

47

09

33

18

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