10/12/2025

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | DEC 10, 2025

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Shahir Akmal Mohd Shah fell and suffered a broken bone,” he told Bernama when contacted. Shaiful Annuar said it was unfortunate that the team could not deliver the gold, but they aim to put up a strong performance in the bronze medal match against the Philippines today. In the other semifinal, hosts Thailand thrashed the Philippines 11-1.5 to book their place in the final. Baseball medal hopes dashed MALAYSIA’S baseball squad lost 9-5 to Laos at the Baseball Stadium, Queen Sirikit Sports Centre, in Pathum Thani yesterday in their latest SEA Games Thailand 2025 group match. Although the team showed commendable effort throughout the game, they were unable to match Laos’ consistency and control on the field. The result

means Malaysia will not progress to the next stage, even though they still have two group fixtures remaining. Malaysia will face Singapore today, followed by hosts Thailand tomorrow. In an earlier match, the Philippines recorded a dominant 20-1 victory over Vietnam. Only the group winners and the best runners-up will qualify for the final, while the third- and fourth-placed teams will contest the bronze medal match. Rugby 7s team eyes gold THE national men’s rugby team are confident returning home with the seven-a-side (7s) gold medal at the SEA Games Thailand 2025, although the tournament format has been changed following Indonesia’s withdrawal. National men’s rugby 7s head coach Nik Safuan Ismade Nik Man

said a round-robin format has replaced the original group-based format, meaning they will have to win more matches to reach the final. “Previously, under the group format, we would have needed to win at least one game to qualify for the semifinals. Now, under the round-robin format, we will need to win at least two matches on the first day and one more on the second day,” he said. Yesterday, Malaysia Rugby (MR) president Amir Amri Mohamad set the national rugby 7s team the target of regaining the gold medal, which they last won in the 2017 edition on home ground. Nik Safuan Ismade, however, admitted that it won’t be easy to do so. “Singapore have been preparing for the past two years. Thailand are another of our major rivals, while the Philippines are expected to rope in 11 heritage players from New Zealand,” he said.

BRIEFS

Brunei halt M’sia polo run THE Malaysian equestrian polo team’s fine run was broken by Brunei, who beat them in the semifinals of the SEA Games Thailand 2025, held at the VS Sports Club & Siam Polo Park in Samut Prakan on Monday. The national team, who had beaten Brunei 6-5 in the group stage last Thursday, were unable to repeat that performance and went down 6-9 in today’s encounter. National polo team manager Datuk Shaiful Annuar Ahmad Shaffie said his players had given their best, but Brunei proved the stronger side on the day. “Despite giving our best, today was simply not our day. Early in the match, my key player Muhammad

Family affair Petanque more than just a sport for Syed Akmal

RESULTS & STANDINGS

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Wolves 1 (Bellegarde 45+2) Manchester United 4 (Fernandes 25, 82-pen, Mbeumo 51, Mount 62) . P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 15 10 3 2 28 9 33 Man City 15 10 1 4 35 16 31 Aston Villa 15 9 3 3 22 15 30 Crystal Palace 15 7 5 3 20 12 26 Chelsea 15 7 4 4 25 15 25 Man Utd 15 7 4 4 26 22 25 Everton 15 7 3 5 18 17 24 Brighton 15 6 5 4 25 21 23 Sunderland 15 6 5 4 18 17 23 Liverpool 15 7 2 6 24 24 23 Tottenham 15 6 4 5 25 18 22 Newcastle 15 6 4 5 21 19 22 Bournemouth 15 5 5 5 21 24 20 Brentford 15 6 1 8 21 24 19 Fulham 15 5 2 8 20 24 17 Leeds 15 4 3 8 19 29 15 Nottm Forest 15 4 3 8 14 25 15 West Ham 15 3 4 8 17 29 13 Burnley 15 3 1 11 16 30 10 Wolves 15 0 2 13 8 33 2 LA LIGA: Osasuna 2 (Munoz 13, Garcia 36) Levante 0. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 16 13 1 2 47 20 40 Real Madrid 16 11 3 2 32 15 36 Villarreal 15 11 2 2 31 13 35 Atletico 16 9 4 3 28 15 31 Espanyol 15 8 3 4 19 16 27 6 Betis 15 6 6 3 25 19 24 SERIE A: Pisa 0 Parma 1 (Benedyczak 40 pen) , Udinese 1 (Piotrowski (65) Genoa 2 (Malinovskyi 34-pen, Norton-Cuffy 83 ), Torino 2 (Vlasic 10-pen, Zapata 17) AC Milan 3 (Rabiot 24, Pulisic 67, 77) . TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts AC Milan 14 9 4 1 22 11 31 Napoli 14 10 1 3 22 12 31 Inter Milan 14 10 0 4 32 13 30 Roma 14 9 0 5 15 8 27 Bologna 14 7 4 3 23 12 25 Como 14 6 6 2 19 9 24

P ETANQUE is not merely a type of sport where you toss hollow steel balls (boules) to get as close as possible to a small wooden target ball (the jack). Instead, it can be the best medium for managing emotions, teaching patience and increasing focus in daily life. For national player Syed Akmal Fikri Syed Ali, who has spent over two decades playing the game, it has become a “therapy space” that has helped him manage stress and anger. Syed Akmal, who is set to carry the nation’s challenge in the SEA Games Thailand 2025 in Bangkok, said he applies the experience gained and lessons learnt from competitions in his daily life, especially when fac ing criticism from the outside. “Petanque requires a lot of patience. When you are in the circle to make a throw, no one is allowed to make noise; there is no other move ment… everything must be done calmly. That teaches me to control my emotions. “In real life, I also adopt the same practice. When people criticise me, I use the experience I acquired from being in the circle to remain calm and think rationally before issuing any statements,” he said when met by Bernama recently. The sports officer at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) in Shah Alam, who serves as the shooter, also uses every throw to relieve stress. He said that petanque is unique in that it requires a very high level of calmness and focus, making it suit able for players of all ages, whether as a recreational or competitive activity.

“Petanque is not just a recrea tional activity, it also helps shape per sonality, control emotion and enhance self-confidence. I greatly encourage everyone to give it a try,” said Syed Akmal, who has won two SEA Games gold medals in the men’s doubles and triples events since mak ing his debut in 2011 in Indonesia. In Thailand, the 28-year-old, who was born in Dungun, Terengganu, will compete in the mixed triples event with Saiful Bahri Musmin and his (Syed Akmal’s) sister, Sharifah Aqilah Farhana, and they are one of the gold medal favourites. Syed Akmal will also have two other siblings in action in Bangkok – younger brother Syed Afiq Fakhri (in men’s triples) and younger sister Sharifah Afiqah Farzana (mixed dou bles). According to Syed Akmal, the eld est of the four siblings, petanque has long been synonymous with his fam ily. “Our father is the national team coach. If a car has an engine, then our dad is the engine of my life, especially in petanque. “I’ve been involved in petanque since I was 10. My siblings also repre sent the country in petanque. My mum and my wife also play the game. Today, we have proven that the chil dren of ‘Cik Li’ (as my father is called) have gone as far as representing

Federation (MBSF) have set a four medal target for the national petan que team for this edition. For the record, the national team bagged one gold, one silver and three bronze medals in the previous edi tion in Cambodia. – Bernama

Malaysia,” he said. Petanque, which offers 11 gold medals, will be held from today until Dec 15 at the Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University in Pathum Thani. The Malaysian Boules Sports

Shuttlers Khai Xing-Aaron stay grounded NATIONAL men’s doubles pair Kang Khai Xing-Aaron Tai refuse to get carried away despite winning two back-to-back titles – the Syed Modi International Championships and the Guwahati Masters – in India recently. Although they are happy with their success, Khai Xing was quick to admit that they still have a lot to learn, as they strive to be more consistent and competitive against the world’s best pairs. “I am extremely happy with being back-to-back champions, as it means a lot to us. These victories have boosted our confidence and will help us move up the world ranking. I feel that we still need to train harder and build up our confidence level to take on the world top 10 pairs,” he said in a statement shared by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) on Monday night. On Sunday, the former junior world champions clinched their third title of the season when they downed India’s Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy-Krishnaprasad Sai Pratheek 21-13, 21-18 in the final of the Guwahati Masters. Khai Xing-Aaron, who won the Syed Modi International last week and the Malaysia Super 100 in October, will be gunning for a hattrick of titles in India when they compete in the Odisha Masters from today until Dec 14. – Bernama

Racism allegations baseless, says Sabah FC coach

SABAH FC head coach Jean-Paul de Marigny (pic) has denied allegations of racism levelled against him by PDRM FC player Fadi Awad following their Super League clash on Saturday, insisting the claim is base less and deeply unfair. In a statement yesterday, Jean Paul said the match played at the Selayang Municipal Stadium, which Sabah won 4-1, was “highly physical”, prompting him to approach the player in the first half to urge him (Fadi) to stop striking Sabah players during challenges. “The exchange lasted no more than 30 to 45 seconds. I repeated my

working with players of diverse backgrounds. He also highlighted his per sonal background, having grown up in multicultural Australia and rais ing a family connected to multiple ethnicities. “Racism is something we take very seriously in Australia, and

request in a firmer tone, but at no point did I insult him,” he said. Jean-Paul said he was willing to apologise if Fadi felt disrespected, but maintained that he would not apologise for standing up for his squad. “To suggest racism based on such a brief interaction is unfair and deeply offensive,” he stressed, not ing his 45 years in football working with players from diverse cultures worldwide. The Australian-born coach also pointed to his long history in the sport and his multicultural upbring ing, saying he had spent 45 years

it is never tolerated,” he said. Wishing Fadi Awad well in his career, Jean-Paul con cluded by expressing hope that the player finds “his better self, happiness and peace”. – Bernama