30/12/2025

SPORTS TUESDAY | DEC 30, 2025

31

Malaysian despite foreign allegiance Hearing national anthem still moves me, says Dharma Raj

F ORMER national women’s hockey head coach Muhammad Dharma Raj Abdullah once again emerged as the stumbling block to Malaysia’s quest for gold in the men’s indoor hockey event at the 2025 SEA Games in Bangkok recently. Now serving as technical director of the Indonesian national hockey team and head coach of their men’s indoor squad, Muhammad Dharma guided Indonesia to successfully defend their gold medal after edging Malaysia 2-0 in a penalty shootout in the final at the Bangkok Youth Centre. It marked the second time Dharma Raj, as he is more popularly known, dashed Malaysia’s hopes, after the national side also fell short in the 2023 SEA Games final in Cambodia, losing 2-1 to the same opponents following a 3-3 draw in regula tion time. Despite playing a central role in Indonesia’s success, the 55-year-old Malaysian admitted that his love for his homeland has never faded and ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Sunderland 1 (Adingra 28) Leeds 1 (Calvert-Lewin 47) , Crystal Palace 0 Tottenham 1 (Gray 42) . P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 18 13 3 2 33 11 42 Man City 18 13 1 4 43 17 40 Aston Villa 18 12 3 3 29 19 39 Liverpool 18 10 2 6 30 26 32 Chelsea 18 8 5 5 30 19 29 Man Utd 18 8 5 5 32 28 29 Sunderland 18 7 7 4 20 18 28 Brentford 18 8 2 8 28 26 26 Crystal Palace 18 7 5 6 21 20 26 Fulham 18 8 2 8 25 26 26 Tottenham 18 7 4 7 27 23 25 Everton 18 7 4 7 18 20 25 Brighton 18 6 6 6 26 25 24 Newcastle 18 6 5 7 23 23 23 Bournemouth 18 5 7 6 27 33 22 Leeds 18 5 5 8 25 32 20 Forest 18 5 3 10 18 28 18 West Ham 18 3 4 11 19 36 13 Burnley 18 3 3 12 19 34 12 Wolves 18 0 2 16 10 39 2 SERIE A: Atalanta 0 Inter Milan 1 (Martinez 65) , Cremonese 0 Napoli 2 (Hojlund 13, 45) , AC Milan 3 (Pulisic 45+1, Nkunku 48-pen, 53) Verona 0, Bolo gna 1 (Fabbian 47) Sassuolo 1 (Muharemovic 63) . P W D L F A Pts Inter Milan 16 12 0 4 35 14 36 AC Milan 16 10 5 1 27 13 35 Napoli 16 11 1 4 24 13 34 Juventus 17 9 5 3 23 15 32 Roma 16 10 0 6 17 10 30 Como 16 7 6 3 22 12 27 Bologna 16 7 5 4 24 14 26 Lazio 17 6 6 5 18 12 24 Sassuolo 17 6 4 7 22 21 22 Atalanta 17 5 7 5 20 19 22 Udinese 17 6 4 7 18 28 22 Cremonese 17 5 6 6 18 20 21 Torino 17 5 5 7 17 28 20 Cagliari 17 4 6 7 19 24 18 Parma 16 4 5 7 11 18 17 Lecce 16 4 4 8 11 22 16 Genoa 16 3 5 8 16 24 14 Verona 16 2 6 8 13 25 12 Pisa 17 1 8 8 12 24 11 Fiorentina 17 1 6 10 17 28 9 AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS Group F: Gabon 2 (Aubameyang 45+5, Moucke tou-Moussounda 76) Mozambique 3 (Bangal 37, Catamo 42-pen, Calila 52) , Ivory Coast 1 (Diallo 51) Cameroon 1 (Tchamadeu 56) . P W D L F A Pts Ivory Coast 2 1 1 0 2 1 4 Cameroon 2 1 1 0 2 1 4 Mozambique 2 1 0 1 3 3 3 Gabon 2 0 0 2 2 4 0 Group E: Equatorial Guinea 0 Sudan 1 (Coco 74 og) , Algeria 1 (Mahrez 23-pen) Burkina Faso 0. P W D L F A Pts Algeria (Q) 2 2 0 0 4 0 6 Burkina Faso 2 1 0 1 2 2 3 Sudan 2 1 0 1 1 3 3 E. Guinea 2 0 0 2 1 3 0 RESULTS & STANDINGS

2021 on a contract running until December 2025, after serving 10 months as technical director for the West Java hockey programme. Indonesian hockey has shown significant improvement since his arrival, with the second consecutive SEA Games gold further cementing his reputation in the region. Indonesia’s men’s and women’s indoor hockey teams finished fourth and runners-up respectively at the 2022 Asia Cup, while the coun try’s men’s and women’s outdoor hockey teams also qualified for the 2022 Asian Games. With Malaysia, among Dharma Raj’s notable achievements with the Malaysian Tigress was winning gold at the Kuala Lumpur 2017 SEA Games, finishing runners-up in the second round of the Women’s World Hockey League, and secur ing fifth place at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta Palembang. He also guided the national men’s junior hockey team to a fourth-place finish at the 2013 Junior World Cup in New Delhi, India. – Bernama

Selangor FC at Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras on Sunday night. Sabah, who had already wrapped up the women’s domestic title, fell behind in the 19th minute when Selangor captain Nur Ainsyah Murad found the net with a powerful strike. Sabah almost levelled in the 34th minute, but captain Win Theingi Tun’s freekick rattled the crossbar, leaving Selangor ahead 1-0 at the break. Selangor threatened to double their advantage early in the second half, but Jang Bojeong’s freekick in the 50th minute drifted just wide of the left post. Sabah’s best opportunity after the break came in the 88th minute, but Haindee Mosroh’s effort from the right was denied by Selangor goalkeeper Daiyana Wardina Mohd Rosdi. Reflecting on the key to Indonesia’s success this time, Dharma Raj said his squad underwent meticulous preparations, including about four months of intensive training in Germany and Spain, specifically to gear up for a showdown against Malaysia. “Our preparations were thorough and solid. I had been waiting for this match (the final against Malaysia) for 15 months. From the first day of training, I already knew my team would face Malaysia in the SEA Games final. “This gold was extremely important for us. We pursued it very seriously because winning gold ensures continued attention and support,” said Dharma Raj, who was shortlisted as a candidate for the national men’s hockey head coach posi tion in February last year. Dharma Raj was appointed technical director of the Indonesian national hockey team in March

Red Giants up to third SELANGOR FC climbed one rung to third place in the 2025/2026 Super League standings after thrashing Melaka FC 3-0 at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium in Kelana Jaya on Sunday night. The Red Giants did not take long to delight the home supporters after Jordanian midfielder Noor Al-Rawabdeh capitalised on a defensive lapse in Melaka’s backline in the second minute to find the back of the net. Cape Verdean winger Alvin Fortes compounded the visitors’ woes by latching onto a pass from national player Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim before unleashing a powerful long-range strike that Melaka goalkeeper Jun Badelic failed to parry cleanly in the 10th minute. Al-Rawabdeh then turned provider for the hosts’ third goal after his delivery was finished off by Brazilian import striker Chrigor Flores Moraes three minutes later. After the break, Christophe Gamel’s charges continued to dominate proceedings but were unable to capitalise on several chances, including an effort from Faisal Halim that was denied by Badelic three minutes before the final whistle. Despite being level on resurfaces whenever the national anthem, Negaraku , is played at international tournaments. He conceded that emotions still run deep, especially when leading Indonesia against the country of his birth. “Every time I stand and hear Negaraku being played while I’m on the other side (with Indonesia), my emotions are unsettled. “My lips want to sing along, but I hold back because I’m worried the cameras might catch it. “I love my country, I’m patriotic. I was an ath lete and coach for Malaysia, but I had no choice. “I’ve been in Indonesia for six years and I’ve built my career there. Still, every time Negaraku is played, it affects me,” he said when met in Bangkok recently. In Bangkok, Malaysia were denied gold after losing 2-0 in the penalty shootout following a thrilling 4-4 draw in regulation time. SIDENETTING

THE national lawn bowls team capped off 2025 on a high note after enjoying a double triumph at the China Open Lawn Bowls Championships and the Tiger World Bowls Invitation, both held in Hangzhou, China, recently. President of the Malaysian Lawn Bowls Federation (PLBM) Datuk Awalan Abdul Aziz said winning two major tournaments in China underlined the strength of the national team in maintaining its reputation as one of Asia’s leading lawn bowls sides. Competing in back-to-back tournaments also highlighted the athletes’ mental resilience, team spirit and consistency throughout the demanding schedule, he said. “PLBM is extremely proud and confident that this level of performance can be sustained at upcoming international tournaments,” he said in a statement yesterday. At the 2025 China Open Lawn Bowls Championships, which concluded yesterday, Malaysia clinched the men’s fours gold medal after defeating hosts Zhu Hai, while the national women’s team advanced to the women’s fours final before settling for silver following a defeat to Zhong Ti Time. The women’s team were crowned champions of the women’s fours at the Tiger World Bowls Invitation 2025 held two days earlier, while the men’s team finished as runners-up in the men’s fours event. For the record, both major tournaments were staged consecutively in China for the first time, providing a stern test of the Malaysian athletes’ physical fitness, focus and consistency amid a packed competition schedule. – Bernama Double joy in lawn bowls

The result ended Sabah’s unbeaten run in their final match of the season, with the champions finishing on 37 points from 14 games. Selangor secured second place in the standings, closing their campaign with 34 points.

25 points, Selangor’s superior goal difference saw them leapfrog Kuala Lumpur City (KL City) FC, who slipped one place to fourth. Sabah’s unbeaten run ends SABAH FA’S bid for an unbeaten 2025 National Women’s League (LWN) campaign came to an end after a 1-0 defeat to

Noor Al-Rawabdeh celebrates after scoring for Selangor on Sunday night. – @selangorfc/Facebook

Ronaldo confident of reaching 1,000 goals CRISTIANO RONALDO said his passion for the game remains undimmed and that he is still motivated to reach his target of 1,000 career goals after the Portuguese forward was named Best Middle East Player at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai on Sunday. Ronaldo’s double for Saudi side Al-Nassr on Saturday took his tally to 956 goals for club and country, and with the 40-year-old set to play on for “one or two more years” his target looks achievable. “It’s hard to continue playing, but I am motivated,” he said after receiving the award for the second consecutive year. “My passion is high and I want to continue. It doesn’t matter where I play, whether in the Middle East or Europe. I always enjoy playing football and I want to keep going. “You know what my goal is… I want to win trophies and I want to reach that number (1,000 goals) that you all know. I will reach the number for sure, if no injuries.” Taking to Instagram , Ronaldo said that it

was a “special moment to end the year on”. “I carry on with the same passion, commitment and hunger as always to reach my goals,” read the caption of his post with a picture of him with the award. Meanwhile, midfielder Vitinha won the Best Midfielder award, whereas Ousmane Dembele was crowned Best Men’s Player. Lamine Yamal won the Best Forward Award as well as the Maradona Award with Paul Pogba bagging the Comeback Award. – Reuters/Agencies