16/12/2025

SPORTS TUESDAY | DEC 16, 2025

31

BAM still needs Rexy: Tengku Zafrul

SEA GAMES

BADMINTON Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz stressed that the services of national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky are still needed, despite his willingness to take responsibility, including stepping down, following his team’s failure to meet the targets at the SEA Games Thailand 2025. He said experience and a development philosophy should not be judged based on a single tournament, but must instead be viewed within the broader context of the national team’s long-term development. “I appreciate Rexy’s openness, and my stance is clear – we still need him. “One failure does not negate the major successes achieved this year. We emerged as world mixed doubles champions, and for the first time,

but a collective responsibility involving the players, coaching staff, management and leadership, guided by the principle that“we win as a team, and when we lose, we are also jointly responsible”. “The 2025 SEA Games was not an easy stage for us. We acknowledge our weaknesses and accept that not all targets were achieved. In sports, results on the court cannot be hidden - they demand honesty, courage and shared responsibility,” he said. “Although the gold medal target was not achieved, the national squad demonstrated positive progress by winning nine medals, surpassing the initial target of seven. More significantly, we secured a women’s singles medal for the first time in six years, which shows that our talent development is on the right trajectory,” he said. – Bernama

the women’s doubles team advanced to the World Championship final, an achievement that elevated the standing of the country’s players,” he said in a statement posted on his social media accounts yesterday. Tengku Zafrul said the SEA Games provided valuable lessons, and BAM would continue to learn from the experience, address its shortcomings and emerge with greater maturity, stressing that the Games were not the end but a stepping stone towards future success. “As the president of BAM, my commitment remains firm to build Malaysian badminton on a solid foundation and ensure long-term success. This journey is not over, and we will continue to move forward together,” he said. He also stressed that what transpired at the Thailand SEA Games was not an individual failure,

MEDAL TALLY G S B

COUNTRY

Ttl

1. Thailand 2. Indonesia 3. Vietnam 4. Singapore 5. Malaysia 6. Philippines 7. Myanmar

137

81 58 39 31 26 32 17

53 271 56 164 67 142

50 36 28 22 19

36

95

‘Thank you boss’ JDT coach salutes TMJ after FA Cup win J OHOR DARUL TA’ZIM (JDT) head coach Francisco Javier Munoz Llompart expressed his appreciation to the Regent of success in winning the FA Cup four consecutive times.

78 126 72 123

3 2 1 0

22 16

42 24

8. Laos

6 3 0

9. Brunei

4 2

8 2

10. Timor-Leste

Sunday night. For record, it was also JDT’s fifth FA Cup trophy since the competi tion was rebranded in 2013. Meanwhile, when asked about Ajdic Mujagic’s goal in the 26th minute that was disallowed follow ing a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review for offside, Sabah FC head coach Daniel Jean-Paul Desvaux De Marigny described the decision as “very strange because he’s actu ally in front of the defender”. “I don’t really like to talk about referees and you know, it’s a diffi cult job. But from my perspective, both occasions were a little bit strange for me. “We scored a very nice goal and to take it away from the group and the player in particular make me a bit sad. “The second one was a little bit… was a very strange because he’s actually in front of the defender. So me personally I thought it was a yellow card for the opponent but it wasn’t the case. So, you make what you wish,” he said. Despite the setbacks, Daniel stressed that he did not feel the need to motivate his players fur ther, saying their performance already reflected their commit ment and fighting spirit. “I don’t really have to lift them up because they represented Sabah with great passion and great desire,” he said adding that the team continued to compete strongly even after being reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of midfield lynchpin Miguel Cifuentes was shown a red card for a foul on a JDT player. – Bernama

proud about them because they are working every day very hard and they try to give and they show the superiority in all the games about that,” he told reporters after JDT continued to assert their domi nance in the 2025-2026 FA Cup competition by retaining the title for the fourth consecutive time after thrashing Sabah FC 5-0 on

“First of all I want to say thank you to the boss because he gives us all the best for everyday, try to have a big ambition and working very well and give one step forward. After that, I want to say thank you also to the players. “We spoke the last time, I’m

RESULTS & STANDINGS

Johor, Tunku Mahkota Ismail or fondly known as TMJ and the owner of JDT for his unwavering support and commitment to the team which he described as one of the key factors behind the club’s

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE Crystal Palace 0 Manchester City 3 (Haaland 41, 89-pen, Foden 69) , Nottingham Forest 3 (Hudson-Odoi 28, 50, Sangare 79) Tottenham 0, Sunderland 1 (Woltemade 46-og) Newcastle 0, West Ham 2 (Fernan des 1, Bowen 24) Aston Villa 3 (Mavropanos 9-og, Rogers 50, 79) , Brentford 1 (Henderson 70) Leeds 1 (Calvert-Lewin 82) . Top 10 PWDLF APts Arsenal 16 11 3 2 30 10 36 Man City 16 11 1 4 38 16 34 Aston Villa 16 10 3 3 25 17 33 Chelsea 16 8 4 4 27 15 28 Palace 16 7 5 4 20 15 26 Liverpool 16 8 2 6 26 24 26 Sunderland 16 7 5 4 19 17 26 Man Utd 15 7 4 4 26 22 25 Everton 16 7 3 6 18 19 24 Brighton 16 6 5 5 25 23 23 LA LIGA Sevilla 4 (Adams 4, Sow 22, Mendy 51, Ejuke 89) Real Oviedo 0, Celta Vigo 2 (Swedberg 48, El-Abdellaoui 55) Athletic Bilbao 0, Alaves 1 (Vicente 68) Real Madrid 2 (Mbappe 24, Rodrygo 76) . Top 6 PWD L F APts Barcelona 17 14 1 2 49 20 43 Real Madrid 17 12 3 2 34 16 39 Villarreal 15 11 2 2 31 13 35 Atleti 17 10 4 3 30 16 34 Espanyol 16 9 3 4 20 16 30 Real Betis 15 6 6 3 25 19 24 SERIE A AC Milan 2 (Bartesaghi 34, 47) Sassu olo 2 (Kone 13, Lauriente 77) , Fioren tina 1 (Nunez 69-og) Verona 2 (Orban 42, 90+3) , Udinese 1 (Ekkelenkamp 73) Napoli 0, Genoa 1 (Vitinha 68) Inter Milan 2 (Bisseck 6, Martinez 38) , Bologna 0 Juventus 1 (Cabal 64) . Top 6 PWD L F APts Inter Milan 15 11 0 4 34 14 33 AC Milan 15 9 5 1 24 13 32 Napoli 15 10 1 4 22 13 31 Roma 14 9 0 5 15 8 27 Juventus 15 7 5 3 19 14 26 Bologna 15 7 4 4 23 13 25 BUNDESLIGA Werder Bremen 0 Stuttgart 4, Bayern Munich 2 Mainz 2, Freiburg 1 Borussia Dortmund 1. FRENCH LIGUE 1 Lyon 1 Le Havre 0, Strasbourg 0 Lori ent 0, Auxerre 3 Lille 4, Lens 2 Nice 0, Marseille 1 Monaco 0.

JDT clinched the 2025/26 FA Cup after defeating Sabah 5–0 in the final at the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday night. – BERNAMAPIC

Takraw gold helped by government backing: Yeoh STRONG government support for the national sport of sepak takraw has yielded a jubilant outcome, as the men’s team ended a 34-year gold medal drought at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand on Sunday. “This was a 34-year wait. I am absolutely delighted because they performed so well, even though it was Thailand’s home ground. They weren’t expected to win the gold medal, but they did.

to establish the Malaysian Sepak Takraw Academy there. On a separate matter, Yeoh stressed the need for substantial improvements to develop a competitive badminton team, after their results fell short of the four-gold target set by the Badminton Association of Malaysia. The national badminton squad only managed to secure one gold, from the top women’s doubles pair, Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, alongside two silver and six bronze medals. She added that focused investment is required in sports with the highest medal potential, namely athletics and swimming, for Malaysia to compete evenly with other sporting powers in multi-sport events. The 2025 Thailand SEA Games are being held from Dec 9 to 20 across two host regions, Bangkok and Chonburi. – Bernama

“This is a testament to their fitness and mental resilience. On behalf of the nation, we thank the sepak takraw team for overcoming everything to bring back the gold medal,”Yeoh told reporters in Bangkok. The government has funded the sport’s development through significant allocations under schemes such as the Sports Matching Grant and the Community Sports Fund, amounting to RM9 million in 2023, RM8 million in 2024, and RM6 million this year. This year’s allocation specifically funds upgrade works at the Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz Sports Complex in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur,

Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh attributed this success directly to the sustained government backing, which has proven crucial in revitalising the heritage sport, highlighting key initiatives such as the development of a robust domestic league, establishment of the Malaysian Sepak Takraw Academy, and streamlining the administration of the Malaysian Sepak Takraw Federation. She also expressed her clear delight in seeing the squad succeed in accomplishing a seemingly impossible mission: defeating their traditional rivals 2-1 before a home crowd at the Nakhon Pathom Gymnasium in Chonburi.