04/02/2026

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | FEB 4, 2026

31

‘Terminator’ to skip Asian Championships

RESULTS & STANDINGS

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Sunder land 3 (Tuanzebe 9-og, Diarra 32, Talbi 72) Burnley 0. P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 24 16 5 3 46 17 53 Man City 24 14 5 5 49 23 47 Aston Villa 24 14 4 6 35 26 46 Man Utd 24 11 8 5 44 36 41 Chelsea 24 11 7 6 42 27 40 Liverpool 24 11 6 7 39 33 39 Brentford 24 11 3 10 36 32 36 Sunderland 24 9 9 6 27 26 36 Fulham 24 10 4 10 34 35 34 Everton 24 9 7 8 26 27 34 Newcastle 24 9 6 9 33 33 33 Bournemouth 24 8 9 7 40 43 33 Brighton 24 7 10 7 34 32 31 Tottenham 24 7 8 9 35 33 29 Crystal Palace 24 7 8 9 25 29 29 Leeds 24 6 8 10 31 42 26 Nottm Forest 24 7 5 12 24 35 26 West Ham 24 5 5 14 29 48 20 Burnley 24 3 6 15 25 47 15 Wolves 24 1 5 18 15 45 8 LA LIGA: Mallorca 4 (Muriqi 26-pen, Costa 53, Darder 74, Torre 90+6) Sevilla 1 (Maupay 45+1) . P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 22 18 1 3 60 23 55 Real Madrid 22 17 3 2 47 18 54 Atletico 22 13 6 3 38 17 45 Villarreal 21 13 3 5 39 23 42 Real Betis 22 9 8 5 36 28 35 Espanyol 22 10 4 8 26 27 34 Celta Vigo 22 8 9 5 29 23 33 Sociedad 22 7 7 8 30 30 28 Osasuna 22 7 5 10 26 27 26 Alaves 22 7 4 11 20 27 25 Bilbao 22 7 4 11 21 31 25 Girona 22 6 7 9 21 36 25 Elche 22 5 9 8 31 31 24 Mallorca 22 6 6 10 28 34 24 Sevilla 22 7 3 12 29 37 24 Valencia 22 5 8 9 23 35 23 Getafe 22 6 5 11 16 27 23 Vallecano 22 5 7 10 18 30 22 Levante 21 4 6 11 24 34 18 Real Oviedo 22 3 7 12 12 34 16 SERIE A: Udinese 1 (Ekkelenkamp 49) Roma 0. P W D L F A Pts Inter Milan 23 18 1 4 52 19 55 AC Milan 22 13 8 1 35 17 47 Napoli 23 14 4 5 33 21 46 Juventus 23 13 6 4 39 18 45 Roma 23 14 1 8 27 14 43 Como 23 11 8 4 37 16 41 Atalanta 23 9 9 5 30 20 36 Lazio 23 8 8 7 24 21 32 Udinese 23 9 5 9 26 34 32 Bologna 22 8 6 8 32 27 30 Sassuolo 23 8 5 10 27 29 29 Cagliari 23 7 7 9 28 31 28 Torino 23 7 5 11 22 40 26 Genoa 23 5 8 10 27 34 23 Cremonese 23 5 8 10 20 31 23 Parma 23 5 8 10 15 30 23 Lecce 23 4 6 13 13 30 18 Fiorentina 23 3 8 12 25 36 17 Pisa 23 1 11 11 19 40 14 Verona 23 2 8 13 18 41 14

NATIONAL track cycling star Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom will skip the Asian Track Cycling Championships (ACC) in the Philippines in March, said national track cycling head coach Harnizam Basri. He said the decision was made to ensure the 30-year-old rider is fully fit for the final round of the 2026 Track Cycling World Cup in Nilai this April. “Muhammad Shah is not skipping the ACC because of an injury. He is already fit but needs

to Melbourne for a centralised training camp as part of preparations for the 2026 ACC. He said Muhammad Shah will also join the training camp despite not competing in the championship. At last year’s ACC in Nilai, the Malaysian team finished second overall after collecting two gold, four silver and four bronze medals. Malaysia’s two gold medals were contributed by Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri in the women’s keirin and the 1km time trial. – Bernama

to regain his strength before returning to compe tition,” Harnizam told Bernama yesterday. Previously, the media reported that Muhammad Shah had to take an extended break until March after undergoing knee surgery last year. However, the rider, nicknamed “The Terminator”, made a surprise appearance in the elite men’s keirin event at the second round of the Asean Track Series (President’s Cup) last month. Harnizam said national track cyclists will head

Singles reboot Early development crucial to close gap with other badminton powerhouses N EWLY hired national coach Yeoh Kay Bin has stressed that efforts to rebuild the country’s men’s singles squad must start immediately to close the gap with players and the development of comprehensive founda tions covering the technical, physical and mental skills of junior players, said Kay Bin, who previously coached Lee Zii Jia. In related news, women’s doubles pair Teoh Mei Xing and Go Pei Kee have been split in order to allow them to guide younger partners while con tinuing to develop their own game, said national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky.

“Right now, my focus is to assess the players, understand their character, and see how they think about badminton. Some are already strong, while others still need a lot of work,” he said. Kay Bin is one of three new coaches brought in by the Badminton Association of Malaysia as part of a recent coaching restructure. Having started his duties yesterday, Kay Bin said his initial priority is assessment before any long term planning is implemented for the national jun ior squad. Kay Bin, who has experience handling coaching development programmes with clubs in Malaysia and abroad, including China, is now guiding 18 players aged 15 to 18 alongside two other coaches, Alvin Chew and Goh Giap Chin.

from badminton powerhouse nations. The national men’s junior singles coach said failing to begin development early would widen the performance gap and have long-term effects on tal ent continuity at the senior level. “It is certainly challenging, but we have to start now. If we keep delaying, we will continue to fall behind. Results may not come immediately, but the future depends on what we do today. “We cannot expect results in just one or two years. This is a process that builds foundations. If the fundamentals are not right from the start, it will be difficult to ensure a smooth transition to the senior level later,” he said when met at the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. This approach requires a long-term perspective

CRISTIANO RONALDO has apparently gone on strike at Al-Nassr amid an extraordinary row over the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s operation of the club. Ronaldo was absent from the club’s Saudi Pro League match against Al-Riyadh on Monday despite not being injured or suspended, abandoning his teammates in the midst of a tense title race at the top of the table. His reasoning for this latest tantrum relates to Al-Nassr’s transfer activity in the winter win dow, with the Portugal captain taking issue with sup posed preferential treatment towards his club’s PIF owned rivals. Al-Nassr are one of four Saudi Pro League clubs owned by the Saudi state, joined by Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad in the PIF’s portfolio. Al-Hilal currently top the league by one point, with Al-Nassr in second. Al-Hilal, who won the league title in Ronaldo’s first full season in Saudi Arabia, have enjoyed a produc tive transfer window and added the blockbuster signing of Al-Ittihad’s Karim Benzema to their list of January recruits, which includes former Arsenal defender Pablo Mari and Rennes’ teenage star Mohamed Kader Meite, who cost them £26 million (RM140m). Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, meanwhile, have only signed 21-year-old Iraqi centreback Hayer Abdulkareem, a lack of activity which has seemingly drawn the ire of the 40-year-old talisman. Al-Nassr CEO Jose Semedo declined to comment, according to Saudi media. Ronaldo may seek to move away from Al-Nassr if this rift is not resolved imminently. –The Independent Rexy said the experience possessed by Mei Xing and Pei Kee must be fully utilised to lift the perform ance of younger athletes, particularly in the adapta tion process at the international level. According to Rexy, pairing them with younger players who are fresher and under less pressure could also provide room for the long-term develop ment of Mei Xing and Pei Kee. “By being paired with younger partners, they can use their experience to help elevate the game of their juniors. That becomes part of their KPI. “Over the next few months and tournaments, we will also look at their development,” he told report ers after yesterday’s national squad training session at Academy Badminton Malaysia. He said the approach was agreed upon following discussions with the coaching staff, including women’s doubles head coach Rosman Razak. Mei Xing was forced to change partners after Pei Kee decided to split with her. Mei Xing will form a temporary partnership with teenage player Tan Zhing Hui in two tournaments in Singapore – the Singapore International Challenge (Feb 24-March 1) and the Singapore International Series (March 3-8) – while Pei Kee will be paired with Cheng Su Hui. Mei Xing and Pei Kee began their partnership in June 2024 and rose to world No. 18, with their only title coming at the 2024 Malaysia Super 100. – Bernama Ű BYWILL CASTLE Ronaldo ‘on strike’

National junior men’s singles coach Yeoh Kay Bin (centre) during a training session at Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC

Pakistan training stint for winners of youth hockey tournaments WINNERS of the U-14, U-16 and U-18 categories at the 2026 Madani National Youth Hockey Championship will earn the opportunity to participate in a week-long development pro gramme in Pakistan, featuring training, friendly matches and hockey clinics with international legends. Tournament director Bryan world hockey legend Shahbaz Ahmed, who also serves as the tournament’s ambassador and advisor. “The programme will involve training with school and state teams in Pakistan, as well as friendly matches and games against former international play ers. “Exposure is the key, as it hockey clinics with legends,” he told Bernama . Meanwhile, Shahbaz said developing young players goes beyond formal training, highlight ing the value of inspiration gained from meeting figures who have made history in world hockey. “What I can do is bring in some Kaleemullah, Hassan Sardar, and I can offer guidance myself, because personally I believe that Malaysian youth don’t (only) need formal coaching; they need inspi ration to come into hockey,” he said. In the meantime, tournament

advisor Datuk Seri Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin, when asked about Pakistan’s infrastruc ture, said the essence of hockey success lies not only in world class facilities but also in the mindset and fighting spirit of the athletes. – Bernama

of the legends involved in top level coaching, like Tahir Zaman, head and high-performance coach of the Pakistan hockey team and recognised as Asia’s first hockey educator. “We have stars like

enables players to play while gaining valuable knowledge in the country. Within a week, there will be four or five series of matches, in addition to several

Lee said the programme was among the key objectives of the event, with selected players set to take part in a special develop ment stint in Pakistan alongside